lucky lodge
Well-Known Member
feeding just chaff
- Thread starter lucky lodge
- Start date
Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:
Mominis
Well-Known Member
From Wikipedia:
"Chaff as a waste product from grain processing leads to a metaphorical use of the term, to refer to something seen as worthless. This is most commonly in the expression "to separate the wheat from the chaff" from Matthew 3., where it means to separate things of value from things of no value. Another example is in Psalm 1 of the Bible, which says: 'Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away'."
I try not to argue with God.
Seriously though, I would say to get a look at your horse. If he is doing well on a diet of hay, vitamins, and salt then you are probably okay. You may want to consider adding a protein for him in the winter months, but if he leans to the fuller-figured side you are probably okay. The next time your vet is out to do general work, ask him to pull a little blood and run a CBC on him. That will tell you any deficiencies he may have so that you can supplement his diet as needed.
"Chaff as a waste product from grain processing leads to a metaphorical use of the term, to refer to something seen as worthless. This is most commonly in the expression "to separate the wheat from the chaff" from Matthew 3., where it means to separate things of value from things of no value. Another example is in Psalm 1 of the Bible, which says: 'Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away'."
I try not to argue with God.
Seriously though, I would say to get a look at your horse. If he is doing well on a diet of hay, vitamins, and salt then you are probably okay. You may want to consider adding a protein for him in the winter months, but if he leans to the fuller-figured side you are probably okay. The next time your vet is out to do general work, ask him to pull a little blood and run a CBC on him. That will tell you any deficiencies he may have so that you can supplement his diet as needed.
chandab
Well-Known Member
I know terminology is a little different between Australia and the states, but I'm thinking "chaff" as you are referring is a chopped hay type product, so as long as its a good quality "chaff" then your horses should be fine. Most horses don't need grain (oats, barley, corn, or even many commercial mixes) and do just fine on forages (hay, pasture) alone or with just vitamin/minerals added to balance.do you think its ok to just feed chaff and vitiams and salt
lucky lodge
Well-Known Member
Hi from a fellow AussieI cant believe ive had 100 views and only 2 replies is this a silly?????????
I don't think that many people in the states actually bother feeding chaff (chopped hay). From my understanding its something us Aussies do and also popular in England, although i could be wrong.
To be honest, I'd save your money and feed it as hay. It's so much cheaper! I have a bag of it here and I do mix it in with their hard feed to 'bulk it up', but once the bag is finished I won't bother buying more.
If you are looking at a simple feeding program, try some hay and a vitamin/mineral mix like the John Kohnke range.
sassy1
Well-Known Member
I'm with Maplegum.
Hay is cheaper and is also good for their digestive system. Oaten/Wheaten Chaff and a little Lucerne Chaff is fine if you cannot source reasonable hay - (and they don't have access to grass), but you will need to watch just how much grain is in the chaff. If they have access to grass I wouldn't be feeding any mini here in Australia atm, - and if they do have grass available I would be locking most of them up for at least part of the day!
(Hi Maplegum
)
Hay is cheaper and is also good for their digestive system. Oaten/Wheaten Chaff and a little Lucerne Chaff is fine if you cannot source reasonable hay - (and they don't have access to grass), but you will need to watch just how much grain is in the chaff. If they have access to grass I wouldn't be feeding any mini here in Australia atm, - and if they do have grass available I would be locking most of them up for at least part of the day!
(Hi Maplegum
lucky lodge
Well-Known Member
In the US there are only a couple of chaff hay products available to us and it is coated with a light coating of molasses and then sealed airtight. Chaff hay is more used for elderly horses or horses coming in for rescue that are too thin to feed straight hay. I have found after a horse starts gaining energy, they no longer desire the chaff hay, but start looking for regular hay or pasture.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Sue_C.
Well-Known Member
Around these parts, chaff is the fine, dusty pieces that fall off a bale or flake of hay. I just clean it out of the loft before the next season's hay is put up.
We shovel it out onto the trailer, and dump it somewhere out of the way...it is never eaten.
I couldn't understand why someone would WANT to feed it to their horses...now I see it is a different thing where you are.
We shovel it out onto the trailer, and dump it somewhere out of the way...it is never eaten.
I couldn't understand why someone would WANT to feed it to their horses...now I see it is a different thing where you are.
rabbitsfizz
Well-Known Member
Yes, Chaff is OK, but why not feed hay??
Do you have a problem getting it??
The biggest problem I have with "chaff" as in the proprietary brands of it, as opposed to the stuff you make yourself is that it is often fourth rate hay sprayed with moalsses!!
I feed freeze dried, chopped grass (Grazon) with no added molasses and a protein count of a guaranteed 16%, which I mix in with the beet pulp et al that they get.
This is dust free and it is good feed.
I also add chopped straw, also dust extracted.
But, chaff is not a feed on it's own, it is merely chopped hay.
If your horses are OK on hay, I would feed them hay!
It's easier and it's cheaper.
Do you have a problem getting it??
The biggest problem I have with "chaff" as in the proprietary brands of it, as opposed to the stuff you make yourself is that it is often fourth rate hay sprayed with moalsses!!
I feed freeze dried, chopped grass (Grazon) with no added molasses and a protein count of a guaranteed 16%, which I mix in with the beet pulp et al that they get.
This is dust free and it is good feed.
I also add chopped straw, also dust extracted.
But, chaff is not a feed on it's own, it is merely chopped hay.
If your horses are OK on hay, I would feed them hay!
It's easier and it's cheaper.
I have never seen the chaff coated with molasses here in Oz. And from what I understand, the chaff here is 1st grade cut hay. Same with chopped lucerne (alfalfa). They often use the best quality to chop.
Most people feed a scoop of chaff with their horses hard feed to make it seem as if the horse is getting more to eat and to slow down the speed at which they eat...especially if it's the long chop chaff.
bevann
Well-Known Member
I think terminology varies from country to country even states. I noticed Rabittfizz used the term Grazon.Here is the US that is a herbicide used to control pasture weeds that is legal in some states-not in Delaware. I have used a product here called Triple Crown chopped forage either alfalfa or timothy.It is a kiln dried chopped hay sprayed with molasses and shrink wrapped into a bale.It keeps forever and most of my horses love it.I have used it when I couldn't get good hay or for sick horses.Here in Delaware CHAFF refers to the very dry very fine stuff on the floor of the loft after the hay is gone.It is usually swept up and just put in the spreader to go back onto the fields.I am sure many people are confused after reading so many different replies.
rabbitsfizz
Well-Known Member
Grazon is also a herbicide here, it can be confusing
The grazon chaff though, is freeze dried chopped grass, no molasses and it also keeps forever.
The purpose of chaff , which if you are a purist, should be one third chopped straw, one third second cut grass hay and one third seeds hay or alfalfa, is to slow the progress of the grain through the gut, and provide a "nearer to nature" sort of digestion of the food.
Without chaff the horse will utilise part of it's grain feed to act as bulk and pass the food through it's digestive system, thus meaning that a percentage of the feed is not digested. So feeding chaff, or beet pulp, in it's absence, makes a lot of sense.
Feeding chaff on it's own? Well, as I said if there is a shortage of hay, it would make sense, but if there was not, then it would be expensive.
The grazon chaff though, is freeze dried chopped grass, no molasses and it also keeps forever.
The purpose of chaff , which if you are a purist, should be one third chopped straw, one third second cut grass hay and one third seeds hay or alfalfa, is to slow the progress of the grain through the gut, and provide a "nearer to nature" sort of digestion of the food.
Without chaff the horse will utilise part of it's grain feed to act as bulk and pass the food through it's digestive system, thus meaning that a percentage of the feed is not digested. So feeding chaff, or beet pulp, in it's absence, makes a lot of sense.
Feeding chaff on it's own? Well, as I said if there is a shortage of hay, it would make sense, but if there was not, then it would be expensive.
Last edited by a moderator:
Similar threads
