Possibly stupid question about chaff...

sandi_84

sandi_84

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Does it actually have a nutritional value or is it mainly for fibre?
Just wondered as my lad has lost a little weight over the winter (which I know is normal) but I don't want to feed his calm and condition as he's not being ridden at the moment. I've increased the hay. I had to increase it anyway as they were on haylage before but I've increased it again to give him a bit more hoping it would help him gain those few pounds again ;) He's not looking terrible but I can see he's lost a bit and he was a nice weight before the winter.
 
Its chopped hay and straw mainly so has the same nutritional value as that. Sometimes its alfalfa which has more nutritional value.
 
depends on what kind of chaff you feed - plain then its mainly fibre; molassed and you'll get more calories in; oil on it, calories again.
If your horse isn't losing weight fast then it could be that its just what happens naturally - fatten up in the autumn, use the fat through winter and start afresh when the grass arrives. But if you want to put it on slowly, which would be safer, then up the hay, assuming its good quality, and feed a little corn oil. Stay clear of sugars in case you make the horse more prone to laminitis when the grass comes, so maybe add more unmolassed sugar beet pulp? Don't do anything quickly though, as sudden changes in diet can cause a lot of problems. Give each change time to do its work before adding in another thing. If you weigh tape each week you will get a better idea of how the weight is going - just looking for ribs is hard when they are so woolly.
 
HappyHooves said:
depends on what kind of chaff you feed - plain then its mainly fibre; molassed and you'll get more calories in; oil on it, calories again.
If your horse isn't losing weight fast then it could be that its just what happens naturally - fatten up in the autumn, use the fat through winter and start afresh when the grass arrives. But if you want to put it on slowly, which would be safer, then up the hay, assuming its good quality, and feed a little corn oil. Stay clear of sugars in case you make the horse more prone to laminitis when the grass comes, so maybe add more unmolassed sugar beet pulp? Don't do anything quickly though, as sudden changes in diet can cause a lot of problems. Give each change time to do its work before adding in another thing. If you weigh tape each week you will get a better idea of how the weight is going - just looking for ribs is hard when they are so woolly.
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Thanks everyone!
I'm not feeding anything atm but I have increased his hay intake and I'll see how he goes. I was just wondering for future reference really as I know he'll get the weight back on again as soon as the grass starts coming through properly :)
 
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