Softest chaff easily available

[jojo5]

Hi all, can anyone tell me what is the softest chaff readily available? Just want to be thinking ahead as my older boy may eventually have problems with his teeth. Thanks all!

 

[AdorableAlice]

I would go down the soaked feed route or soak grass nuts rather than a soft,possibly sticky chaff that a dentally challenged horse may just try to swallow without chewing it properly and choke.

 

[jojo5]

Hi Adorable Alice, was just in Veterinary saying what good advice you had given there re colic! Yes, I have considered soaked feed, but slight problem is that my boy does not really like wet food. Of course, I guess he would eat it if he was hungry enough but I take your point about maybe not bothering to chew properly if it was soft. Thanks!!

 

[spotty_pony2]

What about mollichaff? It's nice and soft and very palatable too.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We used to soak grassnuts and mix with dried grass chaff (Graze-On) to stop our elderly cob rushing it and choking. She did very well on it.

 

[WelshD]

Hifi Senior is quite soft, after a bit of trial and error our (the company I work for) alpaca feed customers are using it as they need a nice soft chaff apparently!

 

[jojo5]

Hi all, thanks so much for your ideas - will have a think about them!

 

[sem9999]

Agrobs Alpin Senior (think that is what it is called), soft grass based and cut up in sizes such that it is easily swallowed.

 

[southerncomfort]

Hifi Senior is quite soft, after a bit of trial and error our (the company I work for) alpaca feed customers are using it as they need a nice soft chaff apparently!

Agree. Hi Fi Senior is the only chaff my dentally challenged little mare can still eat and she can't eat hay any more. Luckily for me she quite happily eats a soaked feed so she only has the chaff as something extra to chew on if she has to be stabled for a while.

 

[wiglet]

My oldie only liked soft chaffs - her favourites were mollichop - the conditioning one and Spillers conditioning chaff

 

[jojo5]

Hi Southern Comfort - can I also ask - your dentally challenged mare - how does she manage out in the field? My boy has plenty of back teeth and also bottom ones but virtually no top front teeth, so we have noticed that he cant get hold of certain lengths of grass now.

 

[southerncomfort]

Hi Southern Comfort - can I also ask - your dentally challenged mare - how does she manage out in the field? My boy has plenty of back teeth and also bottom ones but virtually no top front teeth, so we have noticed that he cant get hold of certain lengths of grass now.

Hi - Luckily she still has front teeth although they no longer meet so pulling grass up is tricky for her, but she is very determined! She can't cope with very short grass, but neither can she cope with long, stalky grass as she doesn't have the back teeth to chew it. I try and put her out on a grass that's a few inches tall and soft enough for her to chew easily and supplement with large trugs of soaked hay replacer as the weather gets colder.