Why do people feed their horses straw instead of hay?

Why do people feed their horses straw instead of hay?

Let Them Eat Straw. People consider feeding straw for a variety of reasons such as reducing caloric intake, providing an alternative to horses that want to eat constantly, saving money on hay or substituting for hay when there is a shortage.

Can a horse lose weight by eating straw?

Because straws are not that much lower in calories than hay, you can’t add straw to an existing diet and expect the horse to lose weight. If substituting it for part of the hay, it will be important to guarantee the protein, vitamin and mineral short falls are adequately met.

Why do I Feed my horse flax instead of hay?

Flax Debate People consider feeding straw for a variety of reasons such as reducing caloric intake, providing an alternative to horses that want to eat constantly, saving money on hay or substituting for hay when there is a shortage. Before doing it, there are some things you should know.

What kind of supplement should I give my Horse for straw?

For example, you would need to feed about a pound of a 30% protein vitamin and mineral supplement for every 6 pounds of straw to bring it up to protein levels common in good grass hays. This quickly wipes out any cost benefit for feeding straw.

Let Them Eat Straw. People consider feeding straw for a variety of reasons such as reducing caloric intake, providing an alternative to horses that want to eat constantly, saving money on hay or substituting for hay when there is a shortage.

Because straws are not that much lower in calories than hay, you can’t add straw to an existing diet and expect the horse to lose weight. If substituting it for part of the hay, it will be important to guarantee the protein, vitamin and mineral short falls are adequately met.

Is it OK to feed alfalfa to horses?

There are many benefits to feeding alfalfa to horses especially if they are protein deficient or they have higher requirements such as performance horses and seniors. However, you cannot replace fibre with protein!

Flax Debate People consider feeding straw for a variety of reasons such as reducing caloric intake, providing an alternative to horses that want to eat constantly, saving money on hay or substituting for hay when there is a shortage. Before doing it, there are some things you should know.