What Chaff Is Best For Horses?

Chaffs made from high-quality hay can serve as a principal forage source for horses. Chaff can be made of any type of hay, although lucerne (alfalfa), oat, and timothy are the most common. Some chaff is mixed with molasses or oils to aid palatability.

Is chaff good for horses?

But feeding a chaff is a very useful addition to the diet, not only does it provide forage (which should be the foundation of any horse’s diet) but it also encourages chewing. This is important because unlike humans, horses only produce salvia whilst chewing.

Can I feed chaff instead of hay?

Chaff or chopped hay and/or straw are commonly fed to horses and ponies to stop bolting of the feed. In years when good quality hay is scarce, chaff feeding is often increased as it provides a valuable hay replacer.

Should you add water to chaff?

Measures must be taken to avoid a horse bolting food; hard feed should include long fibre such as chaff to increase chewing time and the ration should be dampened down with water.

What is the best feed to feed a horse?

Many pleasure and trail horses don’t need grain: good-quality hay or pasture is sufficient. If hay isn’t enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse’s calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks.

What are 3 things horses should not eat?

Here are eight foods you should never feed your horse:

• Chocolate. ©russellstreet/Flickr CC.
• Persimmons.
• Avocado.
• Lawn clippings.
• Pitted fruits.
• Bread.
• Potatoes and other nightshades.
• Yogurt or other milk products.

Which chaff is lowest in sugar?

Lucerne chaff is very high in protein, calcium and many other vitamins and minerals. It often contains a lower level of starches and sugars than many cereal or grass chaffs.

How much chaff do you feed a horse per day?

For optimum digestive health horses must receive at least 1.5% of their body weight each day in roughage (grass, hay, chaff and other fibre sources) which would equal 7.5kg for a 500kg horse.

What is a good hay substitute for horses?

alfalfa cubes
The mixed grass or corn plant/alfalfa cubes are recommended if fed as the sole source of forage to adult maintenance horses. Straight alfalfa cubes will contain more protein and calcium than the normal adult horse needs, but will not harm the horse as long as its kidneys are functioning properly.

How many kg of chaff is a scoop?

As a guide, a Stubbs round scoop holds 1.5kg of horse cubes, 1kg of mix and 250grams of chaff like Honeychop Original.

Can chaff cause colic in horses?

Another consideration is that chaff is mainly short fibre compared to the long fibre in hay and there is a higher risk of colic in horses fed all their fibre as short cut chaff.

How long should horses go without hay?

Ideally, horses should go no longer than 4 hours between forage meals and be fed on a consistent schedule. However, it’s hard to predict when, or if, an extended time period without forage will cause health issues like colic and ulcers.

Can a horse have too much fibre?

In principle, a horse can never consume too much fibre. However, fibre absorption is more complicated than it may seem. Too much fibre from forage is not possible, but forage does not consist of fibre alone. It also supplies the horse with protein and energy.

What should I feed my horse everyday?

Roughage/Forage Roughage, found in hay or grass, is the bulk of the horse’s food. Grass or alfalfa hay, or a combination of the two, are good sources of roughage. Grass hay is generally higher in fiber and dry matter than alfalfa, but alfalfa may be higher in protein, energy, vitamins and calcium.

What do you feed horses in full work?

Feeding concentrates
Horses in hard work, such as racehorses need high energy feed, such as concentrates. The total concentrate ration should be divided into as many small meals as possible to avoid overloading the digestive system.

Is it OK to feed horse grain once a day?

Feeding a horse grain once a day is fine, but horses need a steady supply of forage throughout the day to maintain their health. If your horse is kept in a stall, it’s best to feed it hay twice a day in a slow feeder.

What feed is toxic to horses?

Cattle feed usually contains additives that are toxic to horses. The most common and harmful additives are ionophores, commonly known as monensin sodium (Rumensin) and lasalocid (Bovatec), which are antibiotic-like medications.

What is the natural enemy of the horse?

The horse, a prey animal, depends on flight as its primary means of survival. Its natural predators are large animals such as cougars, wolves, or bears, so its ability to outrun these predators is critical. As humans, we need to understand their natural flightiness in order to fully understand horses.

What fruit is toxic to horses?

Some fruits – such as apples and apricots – have pits or seeds which contain cyanide compounds, which are toxic in extremely large quantities. Large pits can cause choke, so it’s best to remove them before offering your horse fruit such as peaches or nectarines.

Why is lucerne chaff good for horses?

Pros of Lucerne. It is a prime quality hay that is the source of vitamins A, K, E, and helps boost your horse’s protein and calcium levels. This type of horse food is also low in phosphorous. Lucerne is a valuable source of energy, and it can help keep your horse’s weight in check.

What horse feed is low in starch and sugar?

SafeChoice® Special Care is considered a low-starch feed with a maximum starch level of 13%. To truly provide a low starch and sugar diet, it is important to take into consideration the starch and sugar levels of the forage in the diet.