Forage Shortage Causing Concern Amongst Horse Owners
The anticipation of a potential forage shortage has started to cause concern as hay yields are much smaller than usual in many areas of the UK. Last year’s long wet winter followed by a hot, dry early summer period will have undoubtedly contributed to a forage shortage this year.
High fibre feeds such as Dengie Hi-Fi Senior, Hi-Fi Lite or Meadow Lite with Herbs can be useful alternatives to extend or replace a shortfall in hay or haylage. Starting to ‘extend’ your forage ration early is the key to getting through the winter and so using 2 or 3kgs of a Dengie fibre feed to replace the same weight of forage will help to make your stocks last longer and means you don’t have to change your horse’s ration completely which increases the risk of digestive upsets. It is also the best approach for managing costs during the winter months.
Picking the Right Forage Replacer for Your Horse
The ideal feed will provide plenty of chew time and so unless the horse has dental issues, low starch, short-chopped fibre feeds are usually the best options. Some products can only be used as partial forage replacers while others can be used to totally replace the ration.
Dengie Hi-Fi Senior is suitable for a wide range of horses and ponies, not just veterans. Combining precision dried grasses and alfalfa, Hi-Fi Senior has been formulated to be soft and easy to chew. The digestible energy and sugar levels would be similar to an average hay. Hi-Fi Senior can be fed as a full hay replacer up to ad lib quantities if required.
Dengie Hi-Fi Lite combines alfalfa and high-quality soft straw with a light molasses coating. It is lower in both calories and sugar compared to an average hay making it ideal for good doers or those prone to laminitis. It can be used as a low calorie alternative for hay and haylage for horses up to ad lib quantities if required.
Dengie Meadow Lite with Herbs is made from chopped straw, grasses and pea hull fibre with a rapeseed and linseed oil coating. It has herbs cinnamon and thyme for palatability as well as postbiotic digestive aids. It is soft and easy to chew providing maximum chew time whilst keeping the calories to a minimum. It can be used as a full or partial forage replacer up to ad lib quantities if required.
Dengie Grass Pellets are pure grass in a pellet form instead of a chop. They can be used in a treat ball, fed alongside a chopped fibre or soaked to a mash making them very versatile. As they are made from 100% grass, they are great for tempting fussy feeders and are an ideal forage replacer for horses with poor dentition.
To feed a Dengie forage replacer you can simply replace the hay or haylage weight for weight with the forage replacer product making the change over as gradually as possible. For example, if you usually feed 5kg of hay, this can be replaced with 5kg of a Dengie forage replacer.
Top Tips for Extending your Horse’s Forage
Try to minimise the amount of forage that is wasted; don’t overfeed horses, particularly good doers that don’t need the extra calories.
Using small holed haynets or double netting can help slow intake and make a smaller amount of hay last longer. Every horse should have a minimum of 1.5% of their bodyweight in forage per day on a dry matter basis. For a 500kg horse this would equate to 11.5kg of haylage or 8.3kg of hay or chopped fibre feed as fed.
For further help and advice on all aspects of feeding call the Dengie Feedline: 01621 841188 or complete our Feed Advice Form.