Short of forage? Don’t despair – Dengie’s here to help with its range of forage replacers
If you are finding yourself short of forage for your horses, then Dengie has the ideal solution with its range of short chop or pelleted fibre feeds. These can be used as partial or full forage replacers to ensure every horse or pony’s ration is right for them.
Lack of grazing
As horse owners battle on through a wet British winter, the challenge of providing enough forage for our horses has been compounded by last summer’s drought, which affected grazing and availability of forage in many areas. Using a forage replacer is a useful alternative to hay or haylage and can make the forage you do have last longer. Using a couple of kgs (the typical weight of a section of a small bale of hay) each day is practical for most people and will provide between 20-25% of a 500kg horse’s minimum daily forage requirement, making a significant difference.
Forage that’s just too good
Sometimes your forage or grazing is just too good for your horse or pony, which is often the case with a good doer. Using a low calorie chopped fibre feed can help to reduce the overall calories provided by the forage. Dengie Meadow Lite with Herbs is a soft blend of grass and straw with tasty herbs and post-biotics to maintain digestive health. Naturally low in sugar at just 3% – a typical grass hay would be about 10% simple sugar – and starch at 0.5%, it can be fed ad-lib as a low-calorie forage replacer. Alternatively opt for Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, a straw and alfalfa blend with a light molasses coating. Owners can offer a large tub trug of either short chop feed to help keep the good doer chewing and occupied while stabled.
Forage that’s just not good enough!
At the other end of the spectrum, poor grazing or late cut forages are likely to be less nutritious. For horses with increased nutritional requirements, such as young, old and those in work, it may well not be enough to maintain their condition. Using a higher calorie chopped fibre feed is a good alternative to provide extra calories without relying on cereal-based feeds. This can be particularly useful for those horses whose behaviour deteriorates when fed cereals. Dengie Meadow Grass with Herbs & Oil and Dengie Performance Fibre can be fed up to 1kg per 100kg of bodyweight per day as partial forage replacers.
Poor dentition
A compromised ability to chew is not just a problem for older horses and ponies as diastemas (gaps between teeth which can become packed with feed and lead to decay) are increasingly being diagnosed in horses of all ages. If the horse can still manage a short chop then one that can be used as a complete forage replacer is a good starting point. Examples include Dengie Hi-Fi Senior which can be fed to horses of any age and combines grass and alfalfa. It should be fed on a weight for weight basis to replace hay. If the horse can no longer manage any chopped fibre then Dengie Pure Grass Pellets can be soaked and fed as a mash alongside other soaked feeds such as Dengie Alfa-Beet. As these feeds are fed soaked, they can also help to increase water intake so are great to use in cold weather when your horse may be more reluctant to drink.
Variety is the spice of life
Offering a bucket or two of chopped fibre alongside the usual forage ration is a great way to keep your horse interested and encourage foraging behaviour especially when stabled for longer periods. This is beneficial for all horses and ponies but may be particularly useful for those with limited appetites or fussy feeders where offering a variety of fibre sources may help to increase the overall intake.
Feeding forage replacers: what you need to know
- Not all feeds can be used as a forage replacer for horses – they must be high fibre and low starch, as well as being nutritionally comparable to forage to be suitable
- Feeding insufficient forage or forage replacer, and therefore fibre, increases the risk of digestive issues including colic and loose droppings. Make sure you weigh a forage replacer to ensure you are feeding enough
- A minimum of 1.5% of bodyweight on a dry matter basis should be provided daily when totally replacing the usual forage ration. For a 500kg horse this is 7.5kg dry matter and given that many forage replacers are around 90% dry matter this equates as 8.3kg of forage replacer as fed (7.5/0.9)
- Forage replacers for horses can’t be fed in a net and instead should be fed in a large wide bottomed bucket. Putting a football on top of the feed can help to slow the rate of intake and make the forage replacer feed last for longer. This encourages trickle feeding to help maintain digestive health
- Like all dietary changes a forage replacer should be introduced gradually into the ration over a period of at least two to three weeks. Once a forage replacer has been gradually introduced it is appropriate to leave larger amounts, as you would a haynet.
Dengie’s range of total or partial forage replacers
Meadow Lite with Herbs is suitable for good-doers and for horses and ponies prone to laminitis. It is a soft, tasty blend of British-grown grass and cereal straw to provide maximum chew-time while being low in calories.
Hi-Fi Lite is suitable for good-doers and for horses and ponies prone to laminitis. Straw is blended with nutritious alfalfa and a light molasses coating. It is pellet free to help provide maximum chew-time.
Ulser Lite is a low-calorie, grass and straw blend with alfalfa pellets for interest and tasty herbs.
Hi-Fi Senior is a soft, easy to chew combination of grass and alfalfa with a light molasses and rapeseed oil coating. It is suitable for horses and ponies of all ages, not just veterans.
Pure Grass Pellets are made from 100% British grown meadow grass provided in a convenient pellet form. It is tasty and high in digestible fibre, and can be added dry to treat balls or soaked to a mash.
Alfa-Beet is a high-fibre, soaked, mash blend of alfalfa and unmolassed sugar beet pulp. It is ideal for horses with dental issues who struggle to chew. *For specific guidance please contact the feedline.
Meadow Grass with Herbs & Oil is a natural blend of chopped and pelleted British-grown grass with tasty herbs and a rapeseed oil coating. It is soft and easy to chew, while the high level of oil helps to support condition. *For specific guidance please contact the feedline.
Performance Fibre is a high calorie, palatable blend of alfalfa and grass with a high oil coating and light addition of molasses and spearmint oil. *For specific guidance please contact the feedline.
Dengie is here to help – call the Dengie Feedline on 01621 841188 or complete our Feed Advice Form for further information and a personalised diet plan.