Eating Straw?
- Thread starter LauraLou
- Start date
Gem eats it!
Some people use straw in haynets to help keep the weight off
Depending on what type of straw it is, it should be ok, but I've heard too much can cause colic, but I'll think you'll find she will eat it for a few minutes, then get bored
x
Some people use straw in haynets to help keep the weight off
Depending on what type of straw it is, it should be ok, but I've heard too much can cause colic, but I'll think you'll find she will eat it for a few minutes, then get bored
x
Its not usually a problem, mine often do it, but it could be telling you something about the quality of your hay.
I believe if they eat really large amounts it can cause colic and one of our ponies is allergic to barley straw and comes up in lumps.
If its just a bit then its quite normal.
If you want to stop it, dilute a bit of Jeyes fluid in water and put in one of those trigger spray bottles. A quick spray over the bed will put most horses off.
I believe if they eat really large amounts it can cause colic and one of our ponies is allergic to barley straw and comes up in lumps.
If its just a bit then its quite normal.
If you want to stop it, dilute a bit of Jeyes fluid in water and put in one of those trigger spray bottles. A quick spray over the bed will put most horses off.
My lad eats his bed and has done for years. I always come to find all his hay gone then little holes in the banks where he's been shoving his nose in!!
I'd read that its mainly a problem with colic if they've never eaten it before and then eat too much of it. And it said if they eat it on a regular basis it shouldn't cause a problem as gut is accustomed to it, I believe.
With my lad's breeding, I was told he should eat half hay/straw. And I know the vet told my friend to give her laminatic shetland a small net of both.
I'd read that its mainly a problem with colic if they've never eaten it before and then eat too much of it. And it said if they eat it on a regular basis it shouldn't cause a problem as gut is accustomed to it, I believe.
With my lad's breeding, I was told he should eat half hay/straw. And I know the vet told my friend to give her laminatic shetland a small net of both.
I was told by my vet to not feed just straw as it can cause impactions (and I checked that they do actually see cases of this - it isn't just an old wives tale). They did say that straw can make up around 50% of the fibre ration, so mine are normally fed straw plus something else - be it grass/ hay/ hay substitute.
I've never had a problem doing that (touch wood) and it means the fatties can have ad lib fibre. If I do ad lib hay, the hay quality is generally too good and they put weight on
One of the ponies also gets a cough if I feed him hay, but on straw he's fine.
I've never had a problem doing that (touch wood) and it means the fatties can have ad lib fibre. If I do ad lib hay, the hay quality is generally too good and they put weight on
One of the ponies also gets a cough if I feed him hay, but on straw he's fine.
my lot are on straw. I did try shavings and rubber matting with paper but it ended up costing the earth!
they also get hay as a top up when the grazing is poor, but if they are in overnight then they just get to eat their bed. they also get a vit/min top-up in their feeds.
they also get hay as a top up when the grazing is poor, but if they are in overnight then they just get to eat their bed. they also get a vit/min top-up in their feeds.
Funnily enough I just had this discussion with our Farmer cos Morse has been disgusting in his stable especially so since stressing re the cows, I had to put 3 bales of shavings in this week after taking so much out
was thinking of changing to straw simply because of the price of the shavings at £6.45 per bale.
He told me that he only had 'oat' straw and that would be bad for Morse if he ate it however 'barley' straw is apparently ok. Anyway I seem to have solved the problem now with laying his bed from front to back on the side of the stable that is solid (not where the door is) rather than side to side, so when he is stressed and looking over door etc he is stood on just the rubber matting and not his bed, it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING the difference it has made, bed is the same size as stable is 12' x 12' but oh so much cleaner.
was thinking of changing to straw simply because of the price of the shavings at £6.45 per bale.He told me that he only had 'oat' straw and that would be bad for Morse if he ate it however 'barley' straw is apparently ok. Anyway I seem to have solved the problem now with laying his bed from front to back on the side of the stable that is solid (not where the door is) rather than side to side, so when he is stressed and looking over door etc he is stood on just the rubber matting and not his bed, it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING the difference it has made, bed is the same size as stable is 12' x 12' but oh so much cleaner.
my old mare went through a similar phase... standing looking out to the others and stressing = poo patch. but moving the bed slightly meant to poo missed it and the bed loads cleaner, brill when deep littering as I do!! also a lot easier to clean up. the only down side is that the feed room and door were right by the poo patch which meant a change of priority of chores and ponies had to wait for their dinner an extra 10 mins
Roxy likes to nibble at her banks when on straw. Mia the minger likes to cr*p all over the middle bit, scoff every clean bit from the banks and then lie in the minging bit in the middle Now meanmummy has put them on shavings they don't get to scoff their beds anymore 
Now meanmummy has put them on shavings they don't get to scoff their beds anymore 
My first cob loved to eat her bedding after finishing off her hay!
Never had any problems - apart from always looking chunky.
Straw is obviously high fibre and can be fed as hay subsitute, but no drastic change of feed is ever advisable.
Never had any problems - apart from always looking chunky
.Straw is obviously high fibre and can be fed as hay subsitute, but no drastic change of feed is ever advisable.
no - not always causes colic and no - to weight off is wrong to who ever said that
wheat straw is off yellow browmnish to look at has no feed value and non fatting- and is pourous as well out off all the straws this type used as a bedding is hard like stickes if you thinking that way
barley straw pale yellow is nice and soft and holds the pee more so than wheat
barley food content is fatting and as its soft and lighter than straw horses will eat it - it can be mixed with hay as a food source they do not get high on it
spring barley - is greenish tints to lovely yellow- is very fattening and can be fed as a food souce its own as alturnative to hay as its green inside or has grazzy bits in it--
its the softest off all the straws and soaks up pee well
and very tempting to the horse they do not get high on it
oat straw-- yellow to look at soft and light and very very fatting but
also can hot up a horse is this is used as bedding has the same value as the seed -- very fattening does soak up pee well
not many people use oat straw becuase of the high engergy levels it can give
to those that say - shouldnt feed straw
just a thought for you
years ago when farmers were short or cabbies - they often used barley straw as alturnative to hay - farmers use it to feed cattle as altunative
and they still do today -
chaff- and haylage all has straw mixed in with it if you looked at either the blue or green bag of hayalage its not all hay its mixed and one is lower than the other becuase its all barley or spring straw
mixed with a tad of malasses
if your horse has gone off hay and you cant feed it haylage or anothing else as in gone off food - sometimes if you put spring barley dwon it will eat it
and if you brrought and added mallases yourself to encorage the horse to eat - it would
cxonstantly eating wheat straw does and might block the system-- as its hard and hard to digest -- the other types of straw arnt
wheat straw is off yellow browmnish to look at has no feed value and non fatting- and is pourous as well out off all the straws this type used as a bedding is hard like stickes if you thinking that way
barley straw pale yellow is nice and soft and holds the pee more so than wheat
barley food content is fatting and as its soft and lighter than straw horses will eat it - it can be mixed with hay as a food source they do not get high on it
spring barley - is greenish tints to lovely yellow- is very fattening and can be fed as a food souce its own as alturnative to hay as its green inside or has grazzy bits in it--
its the softest off all the straws and soaks up pee well
and very tempting to the horse they do not get high on it
oat straw-- yellow to look at soft and light and very very fatting but
also can hot up a horse is this is used as bedding has the same value as the seed -- very fattening does soak up pee well
not many people use oat straw becuase of the high engergy levels it can give
to those that say - shouldnt feed straw
just a thought for you
years ago when farmers were short or cabbies - they often used barley straw as alturnative to hay - farmers use it to feed cattle as altunative
and they still do today -
chaff- and haylage all has straw mixed in with it if you looked at either the blue or green bag of hayalage its not all hay its mixed and one is lower than the other becuase its all barley or spring straw
mixed with a tad of malasses
if your horse has gone off hay and you cant feed it haylage or anothing else as in gone off food - sometimes if you put spring barley dwon it will eat it
and if you brrought and added mallases yourself to encorage the horse to eat - it would
cxonstantly eating wheat straw does and might block the system-- as its hard and hard to digest -- the other types of straw arnt
A
AengusOg
Guest
I definitely would not try 'the disinfectant idea', LauraLou. There are serious toxins in Jeyes fluid. The clue is in the description....disinfectant...not 'straw eating prevention aid'!
Horses graze for between 16 and 18 hours per 24 hour period. They need to have something always 'trickling' through their systems in order to function.
Barley straw has been used for decades as a bedding for horses.
Oh, and fairlady..........I wouldn't worry about feeding oat straw..........it is around 87% dry matter, has a value of 6.2Mj/kg DE (digestable energy), and 3.4% crude protein. I wouldn't take your farmer too seriously on that particular subject.
Horses graze for between 16 and 18 hours per 24 hour period. They need to have something always 'trickling' through their systems in order to function.
Barley straw has been used for decades as a bedding for horses.
Oh, and fairlady..........I wouldn't worry about feeding oat straw..........it is around 87% dry matter, has a value of 6.2Mj/kg DE (digestable energy), and 3.4% crude protein. I wouldn't take your farmer too seriously on that particular subject.
Our vet suggested spraying a straw bed with disinfectant to stop an obese Wall-Of-Death-Pony eating it. I was just met by a boggle-eyed pony frothing like a rabid creature in the morning. One vet call-out later and we switched to shavings instead - much safer!
My old pony would eat 2 full haynets (nearly a full small bale) as well as 1/2 of his bed in ONE NIGHT!!! Horses search for the ebst food and if your horse thinks its bed is better than its hay then i would swap hay!!
My current horses will only eat a mouthful or so of straw if they have enough good quality hay/haylage to keep them busy. You can buy chopped rolled straw covered in yacky smell stuff that stops them from eating there bed...I had to wear a mask to lay that bed because the taste would get in the air and make me feel sick!!
My current horses will only eat a mouthful or so of straw if they have enough good quality hay/haylage to keep them busy. You can buy chopped rolled straw covered in yacky smell stuff that stops them from eating there bed...I had to wear a mask to lay that bed because the taste would get in the air and make me feel sick!!
A
AengusOg
Guest
Sorry, I was in a hurry when I made my last post.
For comparison:
All straws have the same DM (dry matter) content.
Barley straw has 5.8 MJ/Kg (Megajoules per kilogram) DE (digestable energy), and is 3.4% cp (crude protein).
Oat straw has 6.2 MJ/Kg DE, and is 3.4% c p.
Rye straw has 5.8 MJ/Kg DE, and is3.7% c p.
Wheat straw has5.8 MJ/Kg DE, and is 3.7% cp.
Early cut grass hay is around 8.5 MJ/Kg DE, and 13% cp; while
Late cut grass hay is around 8.0 MJ/Kg DE, and 8.5% cp.
These figures are all dependant on the quality of the fodder, ie the maturity of the crop, and time of harvesting. They are to be considered as guides or general indicators. Source: Veterinary Notes For Horse Owners: Captain M. Horace Hayes FRCVS.
Incidentally, the book has an excellent chapter on the feeding of horses, and shows how to work out the amount of feed required in relation to the workload on the horse. As well as those outlined above, there are values given for a large array of feedstuffs.
For comparison:
All straws have the same DM (dry matter) content.
Barley straw has 5.8 MJ/Kg (Megajoules per kilogram) DE (digestable energy), and is 3.4% cp (crude protein).
Oat straw has 6.2 MJ/Kg DE, and is 3.4% c p.
Rye straw has 5.8 MJ/Kg DE, and is3.7% c p.
Wheat straw has5.8 MJ/Kg DE, and is 3.7% cp.
Early cut grass hay is around 8.5 MJ/Kg DE, and 13% cp; while
Late cut grass hay is around 8.0 MJ/Kg DE, and 8.5% cp.
These figures are all dependant on the quality of the fodder, ie the maturity of the crop, and time of harvesting. They are to be considered as guides or general indicators. Source: Veterinary Notes For Horse Owners: Captain M. Horace Hayes FRCVS.
Incidentally, the book has an excellent chapter on the feeding of horses, and shows how to work out the amount of feed required in relation to the workload on the horse. As well as those outlined above, there are values given for a large array of feedstuffs.
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