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Regular
Posts: 69
| I have two 12 yr old geldings in early retirement. Last year I was able to put 4 alfalfa small bales in a slow feed net and they would munch on it for a little over a week. Starting several months ago, it would be gone in 3–4 days! So, I switched to grass hay and it slowed them way down for about 3 weeks. Now they are power-eating right through the grass hay.
They are both overweight and to be honest, I’ve never had this problem. My horses always look healthy, but these two look way too fat. It is very cold here at night, and I hate the thought of them not having hay in front of them. Other than already having it in slow feed nets, I don’t know what to do. Please help!
Edited by RBH 2018-11-26 8:27 PM
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
  
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Are you feeding them feed too or just hay. |
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Regular
Posts: 69
| Just hay and a mineral tub. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Did you have good pastures befor winter hit? Winter came early for us and my pastures have all froze so the grass is nothing but a filler now and my horses go threw hay 3 times faster now since they dont have good pasture right now. I feed my horses morning and night and they get their hay in the evenings when they come in from their pastures, I turn them out in the morning after I feed but they are ready to come in within about 4 hours so they can eat their hay that I keep out for then 24/7, but when pastures are green they dont come in untill dark.
So maybe with you're horses staying warm from eating hay and no good pasture grass right now you're horses are just eating more then normal. Mine eat more hay when my pastures are just a filler and this all takes place during winter and droughts.. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | Are they using the mineral tub? |
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Regular
Posts: 69
| They are eating the mineral tub. We did not have good pasture this year, so they’ve always had the slow feed nets.
My concern is that they are overweight and going through the hay way too quickly. I feel like my only choice is to let the feeders stay empty a few days, but with it getting so cold overnight, i struggle. |
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 Member
Posts: 24
| When it get's cold, horses eat a LOT more in order to stay warm. Wher are they on the body weight scale? They should be a 5 or 6.
Whatever you do don't take away their hay. That could cause ulcers and will definitely cause them to eat more when you give them hay again, for fear or being starved.
To stretch your hay out, try giving them a concentrated feed between hay feelings. I reccomended a high fat feed with oils such as canola. Avoid sweet feed.
Best thing to do is exercise them, maybe try a lower sugar hay and if you NEED to, feed them in a Haynet.
Hope this was helpful! |
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Member
Posts: 24
| ****Also****** If they are fat, take them off alfalfa immeadiatly. Alfalfa is mostly used for lactating dairy cows and can be much too rich for horses who aren't in hard work. Both of my very fit horses got laminitis after being fed alfalfa.
Edited by alracing17 2018-11-28 11:20 PM
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 Veteran
Posts: 124
| It's been my experience that slow feeder nets work really well for a few weeks, but then horses get good enough at eating out of them that they work through them much faster after that. I have the same problem..... a 16 year old Paso Fino that can't be on free choice hay. He has to wear a grazing muzzle if he's turned out on green grass, and in the winter while the other horses are on free choice brome, he has to stay in a dry lot with prairie hay in slow feeder nets. He doesn't have hay in front of him 24/7. He's too good at the slow feeder net, and I will run out of hay if I keep putting square bales in front of him. My suggestion would be get the slow feeder nets with the smallest holes and fill them as often as you can. I feed based off of body weight and feed more when the temperature gets lower. Having horses with empty stomachs isn't ideal, but being overweight also isn't good. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: Georgia | Maybe you can get the even smaller holed slow feeding nets? I know Hay Chix makes different size holes. There is a coupon code link in my signature FYI |
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Fat Pasture Horses