Supplements for Horse Feeds to Eliminate Hay

Bales of hay take up a lot of space, and 10 to 25 percent of hay fed loose gets wasted underneath your horse’s feet. Alternatives to hay are chaff, cubes and pellets. Because horses are foragers with small stomachs, any feed given as a complete alternative to hay should be fed in smaller amounts at least three times per day. Feeding alternatives to hay to horses with no pasture or other grazing may cause horses to be bored with the lack of chewing, leading to problems such as wood chewing. To minimize this issue, good quality grass hay can be fed in between regular feedings, or feedings can be broken down into five smaller feedings per day. As with any feed change, make adjustments slowly to avoid colic.

  1. Chaff

    • Chaff is chopped hay or straw that is dried and cut into small pieces. Many mixtures are available and may include alfalfa hay, grass hay, dried grass or straw. Molasses or oil is added to reduce dust, and vitamins or minerals may be added as well. Chaff is dried at high temperatures to kill spores and bacteria but retain nutritional value. Because hay can be dusty, feeding chaff instead of hay can be beneficial for horses with respiratory disorders such as heaves. According to horse nutritionist Deborah Lucas, feeding chaff “reduces the risks of digestive problems such as colic, gastric ulcers, laminitis and carbohydrate overload.”

    Cubes

    • Hay cubes are made of small pieces of hay, compressed into a cube shape. Due to the compression process, cubes have less dust and fewer mold spores than hay. Cubes can be soaked with water to make a mash for horses that have difficulty chewing hay. Warm water can be used in the winter and cool water can be used in the summer. To substitute cubes for hay, feed 80 percent of the weight of your usual hay feeding, then adjust based on the condition of your horse.

    Pellets

    • Scientifically balanced pellets are available as complete feed for your horse, as well as plain alfalfa pellets. Balanced pellets include vitamins, minerals and supplemental nutrients to replace grain as well as hay. Picky eaters are unable to pick out the feed they want and leave other feed because all feed is mixed into the pellet. Easy to handle and measure, pellets decrease the chances of overfeeding. Pellets are completely digestible, leaving no waste. Pellets, like cubes, can be soaked into a mash for older horses or horses with difficulty chewing. Because pellets can only smolder, the risk of a barn fire is reduced if pellets are fed instead of hay.