RE: [RC] [RC] To The Feed experts - straw - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.
I agree, I’d prefer finding grass
hay as the mainstay of the diet rather than straw, lose any grain supplements,
and make it a bit of a challenge for the horse to get the hay ration, so they
can’t throw it around and hoover it up as quickly. I have big
pasture feeders that will hold intact bales that my guys at home eat
free-choice. Not opening up the bale slows them down a fair amount, and
if the bale is a little loose, I make it tighter by throwing an extra string or
two around it and tightening it way down. Sometimes I’ll wrap a hay
net around the bale, that slows them down even more, or even put the entire
feeder outside the fence so they have to stretch to reach it. If the
horse is stalled, their hay goes into several layered hay nets and is hung
outside the door just barely within reach---they have to really stretch to get
a mouthful, and play tetherball with the thing around the clock. If the
horse is getting some sort of cubed or pelleted ration (which isn’t my
first choice at any time), then I soak it down into a big, sloppy mash, so they
have to slurp up lots of water to get the food portion---more hydration is
always a good thing, it slows them down and gives them something to do.
Just make sure they can’t knock over the tub and make a mess.
JMO.
Susan Garlinhouse, DVM
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Patti Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007
9:55 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] [RC] To The Feed
experts - straw
Not to feed it (straw) as their main diet, just to
have something extra
for them to nibble on all day without adding a lot more calories. Better
than nibbling on sand or have no food in the tummy between meals, both
of which are more likely to cause colic and ulcers, right?
Kathy
Not always - I'd be more comfortable sticking with a
low NSC grass hay.
This article indicates that nitrate accumulation in
straw might not be a factor if the grain has matured adequately. http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/drought/fs6.htm .
I might also be concerned that young/old/stressed animals might not have
sufficient gut microbes for adequate digestion.
