when hay is just not good enough....

[Jericho]

Due to not having any decent hay I started feeding haylage to my two out in the field earlier in the month as we had virtually no grass in our dustbowl. However now the rains have come, the grass is growing a bit and we have some good hay in I wanted to swap back off haylage because it doesnt really agree with one (she is a bit of a fatty and also it gives her a bit of an icky tummy).

Now though my finicky two have decided that hay is not good enough for them (and it is lovely hay!) and only haylage is deemed suitable, thus leaving any hay I put out uneaten. I gave in and put some haylage out yesterday only because it was miserable weather and the TB was looking fed up and he looses weight quicker than a greyhound out of a trap! Needless to say that all got hoovered up very quickly.

Will they eventually go back to eating normal hay if they get hungry enough? I dont want to fed haylage as they do just fine on hay.

 

[Alibear]

What about mixing the two together for a bit and then slowly cut down on the amount of haylage in the mix?
I'm sure if just left with hay they will eat it but if you're worried about the TB , the mixing option might work?

 

[AmyMay]

Don't put anything out for two days - then put just a small amount of hay out. If they're hungry - they'll eat it.

 

[Nailed]

When they are hungry enough.. they will eat the hay.

Lou x

 

[katie_and_toto]

They will eat it if the hay is good enough quality, just keep persisting

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
What about mixing the two together for a bit and then slowly cut down on the amount of haylage in the mix?
I'm sure if just left with hay they will eat it but if you're worried about the TB , the mixing option might work?

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree - this seems like a good idea.
Try to work out exactly how much haylage they are eating each day, then gradually change it to being hay instead.
Sometimes, though, hay might seem nice to us, but there might be something wrong with an individual bale, so maybe give hay from two bales, just to be sure.
S

 

[sleepingdragon10]

I've had this trouble with my boy before now, it's such a pain. I'd try mixing it with the haylage, although that didn't work with mine, who refused point blank to eat the hay he was given! Had to go back to haylage with him in the end

 

[Jericho]

have tried mixing the hay with haylage but they sift through and chuck the hay on the floor - must keep them occupied for hours. I think i just perservere as the grass has come up again so I know they are getting something from that at least.

I wont be making the same mistake again....

thanks for answering!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

ha! cheeky little monkeys!

luckily Raff is such a greedy bugger he'll eat anything given to him. in fact, i could probably shred a cardboard box and put it in a haynet and he'd eat every last scrap...