How to Feed Horses Cottonseed Hulls

Many horses are unable to follow their natural instinct to graze throughout the day due to a boarding situation or a hay shortage. A horse that is not chewing steadily or that eats twice a day instead of gradually consuming roughage often develops digestive troubles or behavioral problems. Horse owners may choose to add a low-energy, high-fiber supplement such as cottonseed hull to their horse's grain to increase roughage and chewing time. Some ready-mixed feeds contain cottonseed hulls, but some homeowners purchase it separately and create a personalized diet plan for their horses.

Things You'll Need

  • Cottonseed hull
  • Other feed
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Instructions

    • 1

      Introduce cottonseed hull slowly over the course of two weeks to avoid discomfort or digestive problems associated with too rapid a diet change. If it is to replace other forms of roughage, reduce the previous food while simultaneously increasing the cottonseed hull.

    • 2

      Limit the cottonseed hull per feeding to 20 to 30 percent of the total blend of the horse's food, not to exceed .25 percent of the horse's total weight. For an average-sized horse of 1,150 pounds, that would total 4.5 to 5.5 pounds of cottonseed hull per day, adjusting to the higher levels for the horse's activity levels.

    • 3

      Feed the cottonseed hull as part of a textured feed or mixed with beet pulp.

    • 4

      Consult a horse nutritionist if the horse develops any drastic changes in energy or behavior with the introduction of cottonseed hulls. It may indicate a feed imbalance, such as too much fiber or not enough high-energy feed.