Why is my horse not eating the hay?
A deficiency of B1 is well recognised as causing loss of appetite in many animal species including horses. One of the early symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning in horses is loss of appetite. I often suspect mycotoxins when a change in source of hay, chaff or grain suddenly causes a horse to go off its feed.
How long can a horse go without eating hay?
Ideally, horses shouldn’t go more than 3-4 hours without foraging/grazing. I know my guys go longer periods during the evening, but they will still paw through the snow and find whatever they can to munch on.
What to feed cows when there is no hay?
Alternative feedstuffs used to decrease the dependency on alfalfa or grass hay include harvested corn stalks, millet hay, wheat straw, sorghum-sudan, cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, wheat middlings, and corn gluten feed.
Can horses survive without hay?
Horses can adapt to balanced rations that do not contain hay or pasture, but the absolute minimum of fiber necessary has not been established. However, low fiber/high concentrate rations have been documented to increase the risk of colic, gastric ulcers, and wood chewing behavior of horses.
What can you feed horses instead of hay?
Six Hay Alternatives for Horses
- Bagged chopped forage. It can replace all of your horse’s hay, if necessary.
- Hay cubes. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement.
- Hay pellets.
- “Complete” feed.
- Beet pulp.
- Soybean hulls.
Why is my 21 year old horse not eating hay?
And, especially going into winter, that latter factor is important. And damaged dentition isn’t the only reason you might need to seek out another fiber option for your aging horse: Some older equids just get pickier with time. Take 21-year-old Dorado, for instance. He’s always been a bit fussy.
Can a senior horse eat flaked baled hay?
Some horses will eat flaked/baled/harvested forage until the day they die with no problem whatsoever. So just because the senior horse down the aisle is on a diet rich in fiber alternatives doesn’t mean you need to transition your horse off hay if he’s not showing any signs of trouble. How do you get fiber in your older horses?
What to give a senior who can’t eat hay?
Fortunately, there are alternatives to hay for those seniors that either can’t or won’t consume the flaked forage. One that was effective for getting more fiber into Dorado for many years was beet pulp. It was very effective in getting fiber into him and helping keep his weight up.
What kind of hay can a toothless horse eat?
One that was effective for getting more fiber into Dorado for many years was beet pulp. It was very effective in getting fiber into him and helping keep his weight up. Beet pulp comes with or without added molasses, soaks into a nice soft texture that’s easy for toothless horses to consume, and has a high digestibility level.
And, especially going into winter, that latter factor is important. And damaged dentition isn’t the only reason you might need to seek out another fiber option for your aging horse: Some older equids just get pickier with time. Take 21-year-old Dorado, for instance. He’s always been a bit fussy.
What can you feed a horse that won’t eat alfalfa?
“You can replace up to about 40% of their hay intake with beet pulp, or hay pellets can also be added (to a horse’s diet) to reduce the number of pounds of hay a horse has to eat a day,” Thunes says. “And, it is a rare horse that won’t eat alfalfa.”
Some horses will eat flaked/baled/harvested forage until the day they die with no problem whatsoever. So just because the senior horse down the aisle is on a diet rich in fiber alternatives doesn’t mean you need to transition your horse off hay if he’s not showing any signs of trouble. How do you get fiber in your older horses?
What are the Seven Deadly Sins of horse hay?
Sadly, each year, horse barns and farmers storage barns burn down, horses become sick from respiratory disease and colic and a myriad of other diseases such as Cushings. Many of these situations are avoidable, so here are, in my opinion, “The Seven Deadly Sins of Horse Hay Making,” in no particular order. 1. Hay Moisture.