When to stop putting hay out in the field?

[Trekker]

Hi..when do you all stop putting hay out in the feild for your horses?

My pony is still under weight ..but..Ive noticed that he seems to want the grass rather than the hay at the moment...he's had the same small pile of hay over the last past 2 days and it doesnt seem to be going down..can hay go stale?? do u think he wants fresh hay putting out??

There isnt that much grass where he is..Im frightened of him losing more weight..

Ive got 15 bales on order for the weekend..would you cancel the order..or still have it just incase?

 

[AshTay]

My pony thinks hay goes stale if left out overnight. But if left with no choice will eat it. My new horse has started favouring the grass over the hay even though there doesn't look to be much there.

So long as he's grazing I would leave the hay out there and keep an eye on him. If you're worried try mixing a bit of fresh in to see if it tempts him but not too much.

If you can store the 15 bales then get it anyway as it will keep.

 

[gwenllian]

i stop putting it out when they stop eating it

 

[TGM]

Have you had your pony's teeth checked? As poor teeth can often result in low hay consumption and poor condition.

 

[devilwoman]

Mine always have hay available as I don't get much grass, but have noticed the last week or so that they are grazing more than touching the hay, and their poops are green and slopy(ish) too so guessing the grass shoots are getting nice and tasty.

 

[SamanthaG]

It depends on how much grass there is, we have tons makes poo picking bloddy hard but the horses are happy, if you are putting out hay and they are eating grass then it means there is enough grass

 

[Trekker]

Have you had your pony's teeth checked? As poor teeth can often result in low hay consumption and poor condition.

The dentist is coming out on 25th April..its the soonest he can get.

Pony was eating alot of hay when I got him 3 weeks ago..

 

[SamanthaG]

The dentist is coming out on 25th April..its the soonest he can get.

Pony was eating alot of hay when I got him 3 weeks ago..

Could this Hay just be a bad batch?

 

[TGM]

I would put some fresh hay out in case the pony has urinated on the old lot, or it has been tainted in some way. If you put a couple of lots of fresh hay out and he still doesn't eat it, then I wouldn't bother keep putting it out. It might be an idea to offer him some soaked grass nuts as a hay replacer though, just in case his teeth are the problem.

 

[reddie]

I used to fnd that horses prefer to eat grass than hay so i would stop putting hay out when they stopped eating it. It might be worth putting a small amount of hay if he's underweight as the hay may have been spoiled by now.

 

[Supertrooper]

We'll stop putting it out when they stop eating it, it may be in the next few days now as we're getting rain. At the moment though they still want it xx

 

[AndySpooner]

If he's finding grass he will leave the hay. His dung should tell you what's going on.

Given the choice grass wins every time.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I feed hay all year round but I have a laminitic, so its less grass and more hay for her