Can you feed chaff instead of hay?
Yes, you can just feed it instead of hay. A reason some people wouldn’t do that is because it is a bit more expensive to feed in the same amounts as hay, and although it is long stem forage it can be eaten faster since it is already chopped up and requires less sorting, chewing and tearing by the horse.
Do you need to feed chaff?
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.
Is chaff better than hay?
Chaff is produced by chopping up the hay into smaller pieces. This make it easier for feed it set quantities, good for mixing other products with and less mess than traditional hay bales. It is also easier to digest than hay so it is great for young ones and older horses.
Can you feed a horse too much chaff?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FEED A HORSE CHAFF? Adding chaff to “bulk up” a horse’s hard feed is not beneficial. It does not promote as much chewing as hay as the strands are shorter. Less chewing equals less saliva production to help buffer the continuous gastric acid production which can lead to ulcers.
Is chaff a hay?
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. It can also be added to grain rations to add bulk and increase chewing time to slow down horses that bolt their feed.
What can I feed horses instead of hay?
If your horse is no longer able to manage short chopped fibre, look for feeds that can be soaked to make a mash. Some products are only suitable for feeding as partial hay replacers, these include sugar beet and ‘pure’ alfalfa pellets/ chaffs.
Do 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.
Is Apple chaff high in sugar?
Mollichaff Applechaff is a dust-free, low sugar chaff with the natural goodness of apple. Made from high quality straw, dust-extracted and lightly mixed with low sugar molasses, AppleChaff contains natural apple pieces and apple flavouring to give it a very appetising taste and smell.
Is Hygain zero a complete feed?
Hygain® ZERO® is a complete feed ration for horses and ponies that may benefit from a diet low in starches and sugars. Hygain® ZERO® is a high fibre fortified formula designed to be fed with quality pasture approximating 1.5% of total body weight per day and where necessary, the diet may also be supplemented with hay.
What is the best chaff to feed a horse?
Types of Chaff For Horses
- Wheaten chaff is quite high in fibre and can be used as a low energy roughage.
- Oaten chaff is high in fibre, it is often considered softer, sweeter, flatter and more palatable than wheaten chaff.
- Lucerne chaff is very high in protein, calcium and many other vitamins and minerals.
Is alfalfa the same as chaff?
alfalfa tends to have a higher nutritional value – chaff iis just hay/grases whilst alfalfa is a particular forage plant.
What is Apple chaff?
Made from high quality straw, dust-extracted and lightly mixed with low sugar molasses, AppleChaff contains natural apple pieces and apple flavouring to give it a very appetising taste and smell.
Do you soak Hygain zero?
Hygain® ZERO® is a high fibre fortified formula designed to be fed with quality pasture approximating 1.5% of total body weight per day and where necessary, the diet may also be supplemented with hay. Soaking of hay is recommended for horses prone to starch/sugar related conditions (eg. Laminitis, Cushings, PSSM etc).
Is Hygain balanced complete feed?
Hygain Balanced is a balancer feed, so you only have to feed a small amount and the horse will get its full daily requirements of nutrients, vitamins and energy! I was also drawn to Hygain Balanced for it’s high levels of Vitamin E, Biotin and Prebiotics….
| Crude Protein | 25% |
|---|---|
| Vitamin E | 1500IU |
What chaff has lowest 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. Lucerne chaff is also considered to have a highly digestible energy concentration.
