Our first winter: How much hay for a cob

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Witchy

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My cob has got very fat this summer after having free roam of 8.5 acres of good grass 24/7.

I'm considering moving him to a yard that will have a paddock just for him and a stable.

How much hay do you feed your cob:
a) when he's out all day on restricted grazing but stabled at night in the winter
b) when he's out 24/7 in the winter on restricted grazing

I thought having him out on grass but when he comes in, give him a bit of hardfeed and 1/3rd of a bale?

Not done this before so would very much appreciate your responses.
 
Well you need to aim for weight loss without starving him - as that does them no good. My cob spends spring/summer/autumn on half an acre of ground that is eaten right down...so he has something to nibble on but nothing to gorge on. he has ad lib hay (usually year old stuff) at all times and lives out 24/7 all year round.
In the winter (Oct onwards) I will start to strip graze him onto the rest of his field whilst giving him one or two pads of small bale hay per day and night depending on the weather and what else he has to eat.
The key really is to monitor the weight with a weight tape...if they are putting weight on, then cut back on something without them having nothing for long periods, if the weight stays the same, then up the exercise or cut back on the hay/grass, if they are loosing weight, great, but keep a check that they are not loosing it too fast due to lack of food.
He should not need hard feed at all if he has weight to loose and you might want to try soaking the goodness out of the hay and putting it into a small holed haynet to make it last longer at night.
 
4kg is about 2-3 slices but it varies enormously. I would really recommend getting some spring scales to weigh your haynets, mine was about £5 from the local hardware store and is really useful in making sure you are feeding consistent amounts.
 
My coblet - 14.1hh, on a permenant diet but getting close to being the right weight, has 6kg hay overnight in winter, soaked for 24 hours to take all the calories out. He's out on restricted grazing in the day in winter with no hay, and out on restricted grazing 24/7 from March Oct with no hay.
 
Oh boy! I was going to say that I estimate on one bale per horse (working on a 15.2 QH type out 24/7) per day, but then I realised that I don't have ANY grass at all and it would be quite irrelevant.

With a bit of grass to pick at I'd estimate a half bale to three quarters a day for working out the quantity you'd need over winter, what's that November to April/May? Actual feeding, that's all by eye, I take each day as it comes and have learned never to make rules about quantities.
 
Bex, yep that was my kinda thinking too! Marvelous
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Coblet, wos one of them then
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QR
My 15.2hh cob gets 2 massive haynets (roughly 3/4 of a bale) every night when in over winter and is out on 5 acres of reasonably good grass every day for approx 8 hours. During the summer I'm able to move his fencing as and when I need too, so he'll get a little extra grass but no hay.
 
We turn out for approx 8 hours a day in summer and ours get 2 sections morning and night, in winter turnout is limited due to ground conditions and they get 2 sections 3 times a day. If they don't get to out at all they get more hay.

We use approx 800 bales for 4 cobs and 1 pony a year to give you an idea.
 
i use 200 small bales each year for my cob .which i feed Ad Lib.

kept in overnight all year round
out every day all year round (unless weather very bad)
hay fed out in field in winter months
 
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