Re: RC: Re: oat hay

[Lynne Glazer <lynne@glazer.org>]

My horses have been on a diet of half oat hay since 1994.  They are, 
however, the least discriminating in the barn of 24 about its 
quality, choosing to eat some that the other horses turn their 
collective noses away from.  We get high quality pure oat, oat and 
barley, and "3-way" (barley, oat, wheatgrass), and if only my guys 
will eat it, the barn manager returns the load to the feed store.

They keep their weight exceptionally well on this ration, and get 
low-protein large alfalfa pellets in the morning.  Even my 32 year 
old thrived on this diet, staying fat and happy to his end.

It's messier, and a pain if the other horses on the feeding rotation 
don't get it too--but in almost 5 years boarding at this particular 
place, 3/4 of the horses now get oat too.

Lynne
SoCal

At 6:35 PM -0700 9/26/00, Kris Hazelbaker wrote:
>Betsy See wrote:
>
>>  Is anyone familiar with feeding oat hay.....pro's and con's?  Can it be
>fed
>>  by itself, or does it need to be mixed
>
>I've fed oat hay to my gang for the past year and a half.  They've done
>great.  The owners of one mare that we board said that she maintained her
>weight the best she ever has last winter.  I also fed a little beet pulp
>with a vitamin/mineral supplement.
>
>I think you need to be careful about getting oat hay that has been cut
>fairly young.  As it gets older, the stems get harder and the grain in the
>heads is more mature.  I'd be careful of that.  Our bales also fall apart
>fairly easily, but I think that is because the hay was short last summer
>(not much rain).
>
>Susan G., Acknowledged Expert on Equine Nutrition, has mentioned oat hay as
>an acceptable type of grassy hay.  I'd sure have paid attention if she had
>nixed it.
>
>Kris Hazelbaker
>Idaho
>
>
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