Oat Straw

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Abby-Lou

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Tell me about how you feed oat straw for good doers ?

One of my friends has kindly baled me some bales as an experiment to see if it will help with weight loss over over winter, and tonight she didn't turn her nose up at it like Top Spec Zero which gets rolled around the stable floor
 
....just feed it? ;)
Some say it can be soaked to reduce the risk of impaction colic but I personally don't.
They only get it in winter though, alongside hay, where soaking is impractical (for obvious reasons...)
 
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I would feed as you feed hay, in nets, racks or on the floor. The only impaction colic I have known with it was a pony that had too sudden a change from hay to oat straw and I never soak it.
 
When mine was on box rest and the only hay I could get hold of was akin to grass he was putting on weight hand over fist and I do really worry about them standing without food. So he got a handful of oat straw in his haynet with soaked hay and often preferred it, slowly built up until it was closer to half and half with no problems - it did wonders for his waistline! Will be going back to it if needed.
 
I feed oat straw to my ponies and horse that needs to loose weight! i feed alongside soaked hay. It started off as more for my own peace of mind so they always had something to nibble at.
I net it and feed dry but have considered soaking for another who has bit of an allergy. Its such nice stuff.
I bedded a dirty horse on it last winter (weirdly he didnt eat it!) it was the easiest loveliest straw Ive ever mucked out!
 
Thank you all for your replies, i get a bit worried at possible Colic but you have given me confidence. She was quite keen on it last night so lets hope she can drop a dress size over winter !
 
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