Straw versus hay?

Cortrasna

Cortrasna

Grumpy old nag
Aug 5, 2009
9,950
3,481
113
Ireland
Well please give me your wisdom folks.

Have loads of grass but unfortunately the majority of it is now underwater. :eek: Have got horses on sort of dryish ground but feeding is the problem. Can only get hay here for E5 a bale and I am running out fast. Went to the mart to order some more and checked out what quality they have left in the barn. Well it is actually total c**p and personally would only use it to get a good bonfire going.

So - I think I shouldnt have much problem getting the big round bales of straw and thought about doing this and getting farmer to put it out in the field for me. Have done this once before when decent hay was impossible to find in Norfolk one year and had no problems. BUt - the old memory is failing me and I cant remember if it was oat straw or barley straw that I used and what the pros and cons are for them?

Help gratefully appreciated:)
 
As mentioned, haylage would be a better alternative. Straw has very little nutritional value as it is just stalks. There is also the increased risk of impaction colic when feeding straw.
If you have no other choice, oat straw is best to feed.
 
Unfortunately haylage isnt available near me in the big bales - PLUS mine are such good doers that I would really be reluctant to put them on that - would need to feed them so little to keep the weight down that they would spend most of the day without fibre going through the gut and bored. Did have to for a few weeks once with the old boy and he just turned into a hyper fizzed up butter ball!:D
 
Midnight_Ashes said:
As mentioned, haylage would be a better alternative. Straw has very little nutritional value as it is just stalks. There is also the increased risk of impaction colic when feeding straw.
If you have no other choice, oat straw is best to feed.
Click to expand...

yes I agree that there is very little nutritional value in straw and would obviously be making up for that in other ways with feeding. Plus they have ad lib water resources so think that the colic risk might be very low - as it does seem to be its a risk if not sufficient uptake of water? They are hardy natives and donkeys who really are, in their natural environment, more suited to rough and fiberous forrage anyway - so hoping that might also negate the colic risk?
 
Cortrasna said:
yes I agree that there is very little nutritional value in straw and would obviously be making up for that in other ways with feeding. Plus they have ad lib water resources so think that the colic risk might be very low - as it does seem to be its a risk if not sufficient uptake of water? They are hardy natives and donkeys who really are, in their natural environment, more suited to rough and fiberous forrage anyway - so hoping that might also negate the colic risk?
Click to expand...

If you're feeding/supplementing alongside it to balance the diet then I think oat straw would be a good option, especially as you have a field of tubbies :D Oat straw is softest and most palatable, so best for feeding. Barley and wheat straw are more likely to cause impaction colic as they are very difficult to digest.
The colic tends to occur when the straw isn't properly digested - as it is stalky and hard, it can be difficult for this to happen. So the softer the straw, the lower the risk of colic.
As you say, native ponies are designed to eat whatever they find on the moors and will often eat stalky reeds/plants.
Oat straw should be fine :)
 
I feed mine barley straw over winter. Oat straw is better, but I just can't get hold of it. I don't think straw in itself is an issue (after all, it's a key ingredient in a lot of chop), it's the way they eat it that causes the problem - long stalky stuff that goes down unchewed like spaghetti is going to be difficult to digest, and the stalkier it is, the worse that will be.

I spoke to the vets about it a couple of years ago as I wanted to know the genuine risk of colic. They said it was definitely a risk and the best thing to do is mix hay and straw, but physically mix it so they can't eat all the hay first. But they also said that the risk is quite low and it tends to be an issue where horses are shovelling lots of straw down without chewing it properly. Mine, I know, tend to pick at it and chew small mouthfuls slowly, so I figure it reduces the risk. They're also only given it after a feed and they live out, picking at grass all day, so they're never presented with a big pile of straw when they're hungry. It shouldn't make up more than 50% of the fibre in the diet though, so they need some hay/ grass/ haylage or something to make up the rest of it.
 
Straw
Good quality barley straw can have similar feed values to poor quality meadow hay. It is high in fibre, if fed in
controlled amounts it is useful for dieting plumper donkeys. Alternatively oat straw can be fed; this usually has a
slightly higher nutritional value than barley straw. Wheat straw is very fibrous and has lower energy values. Linseed
straw is best avoided since the seed is poisonous unless it has been boiled, and it is very difficult to ensure that no
seed is present in the straw. If straw is in short supply then priority must be given to feeding and an alternative
bedding to be used

This was copied and paste off a donkey site. I feed my donkeys barley straw but couldn't get any towards the end of last season so had to use wheat straw. (I couldn't get oat straw either) I don't feed the ponies straw but would if I had to. a neighbour lost her horse from impacted colic as she changed supplier and it gorged on good quality straw. I would introduce it slowly or , if you can afford it, feed one of the hay replacers ....eg. dengie.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom