Uni project - chopping & feeding forage

[Oli_23]

Hi all, Im a final year Design for Industry student at Northumbria Uni. I am currently designing a forage feeder that solves many of the issues with existing feeders and methods (feeding height/safety/wastage).

As part of this project I am also looking at short chop forage options (such as chaff and dried grass) that currently have no specifically designed feeders. Chaff is often coated in molasses or other additives and usually only used to bulk out hard feed, but I am interested in promoting plain chaff as a main source of forage for horses because of the advantages of feeding a short chop forage. I am currently thinking of doing this though a new chaff cutter to replace the old designs currently out there, perhaps a more affordable hand held cutter? Any thoughts or opinions on this would be greatly appreciated - I have also got a survey on the subject that will only take a minute.

www.surveymonkey.com/s/X5K5GQL

Many thanks.

 

[Capriole]

Link doesn't work.

I remember using the old chaff cutters where you were lucky not to lose a hand

 

[Oli_23]

Have fixed the link, sorry about that.

 

[Queenbee]

Done, although I think you would struggle mass producing a completely un coated chaff, I've looked into this a lot, more and more are being coated with a light film of oil, I use ultra grass, which is coated in Soya oil, it's simply not viable for many reasons to produce such a feed without coating it in something, it's all about WHAT you coat it in, although I see more and more change within the feed industry for the better at the moment.

 

[Capriole]

Done. That was short and sweet.

 

[doriangrey]

Done. I'd definitely consider buying a decent chaff cutter but probably more for straw chop if needed. I can't see the advantage for feeding a hay/haylage chaff over long stem.

 

[magicmoose]

I have an older horse with virtually no molars left. He cannot manage hay or other long fibre at all. I would certainly be interested in a chaff cutter as he has plain grass chaff as part of a total forage replacer, which costs a fortune!

 

[Pamfyson]

Done. I'd definitely consider buying a decent chaff cutter but probably more for straw chop if needed. I can't see the advantage for feeding a hay/haylage chaff over long stem.

a garden shredder makes good chaff/chop. Much cheaper than a pukka chaff cutter

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I use both grass and oat straw chaffs and haven't had any problem buying uncoated chaffs, except for a few weeks last summer when waiting for some more Graze-on/Readigrass to be cut