Health & Nutrition
HAY WASTE: Is It a Concern?
Contributed by Matt McMillan, Ph.D.
Good quality and quantity of forage is necessary in the diet of all horses due to the fact that horses are herbivores and require forage to sustain life whether they may be growing, working, or even simply at main- tenance. As caregivers to the horse, we pro- vide forage in several different ways. The best probable way to provide good qual- ity forage in adequate amounts is through large pastures were high quality forage is readily available. This allows the horse to graze in a natural fashion with their head down towards the ground, consuming small meals throughout the day while constantly moving around. This is really how nature intended for the horse to eat and is therefore pretty ideal. However, large pastures with good quality forage are not always easy to come by. While some horse owners may have access to large pastures, cold win- ters, hot summers, and poor forage types can drastically reduce the amount of good quality forage that is available. Therefore, historically, most of us have supplemented pasture forages with hay. Growing, cutting, and baling hay has been a practice for many years and has shown to be a very successful way to pro- vide animals with good quality and nec- essary forage. While hay is an excellent source of forage, certain feeding practices may cause some waste to occur and thereby increasing the daily cost of the horse owner to meet the nutritional needs of the horse. Current research from several different uni- versities reveal that certain feeding practic- es can increase or decrease hay waste. One study found that when square bales are fed on the ground in two different daily feed- ings, waste of hay can amount to approxi- mately 13%. This means that 13% of a bale of hay is wasted. It was also discovered that while feeding hay in a feeder reduced waste, there was still 1 to 5% waste that oc- curred. Lastly, when researchers looked at feeding large round bales where several dif- ferent horses were present, waste amounts increased even further. Results concluded that when round baled hay was offered with
Stall Grazer 3 in 1 Horse Feeders The horse is a brows- er and by nature and needs to eat approximately 17 hours a day. This is na- ture’s way of slow feed- ing. It has worked since the beginning of time and long before horse feeders were ever invented.
a hay ring, approximately 10% of the round bale hay was wasted. When round baled hay was offered without a hay ring, waste increased to over 30%. This was a drastic increase in hay waste. Further, hay quality and consistency is also an important consideration when se- lecting hay for the horse. Quality will vary due to many different variables including type of forage, forage maturity, time of cutting, process of baling, processing and timing of storage, etc. These variables can create many inconsistencies and possible dangers in the quality of forage that is re- ceived by the horse.
As horse owners, we want to feed our horses the best possible forages while try- ing to achieve this in the most economical and safest fashion. To help reduce waste and provide a consistent forage product to your horse, you may consider feeding a high quality, fortified hay cube. One such product is Alfa-Pro from Hi-Pro Feeds. Alfa-Pro is a premium chopped alfalfa hay product that is manufactured in a half-inch cube. It is fully fortified and in many sit- uations can be fed as a complete feed to meet not only the forage requirements but all requirements associated with the mature horse. Because Alfa-Pro is offered in a half- inch cube, it can be easily fed in a manger or bucket and waste is virtually eliminated. It is also consistent and dust free so it of- fers the same high quality nutrients every time to meet the requirements of the mature horse. Further, Alfa-Pro is easily transport- ed and always has a fresh and aromatic scent that is pleasing to the horse. Alfa-Pro is available at any Hi-Pro Feeds Dealer and further information on the product can be found at
www.hiprofeeds.com. w
The Stall Grazer 3 in 1 Horse Feeder holds an ample amount of hay and sits at ground level allowing your horses to eat comfortably with their teeth in proper grazing
alignment. Think of our feeder as a grazing station for your horses. Most horses will self-regulate their intake to suit their individual needs, slowly consuming the feed 17 hours per day like they do in nature. . Just keep hay in the feeder and available to them.. We manufacture our Stall Grazer line of horse feeders right here in the USA and are endorsed by more Million Dollar Riders, veterinary hospitals, and univer- sities than any other horse feeder in the world. To learn more about our line of Stall Grazer horse feeders or to find an authorized dealer visit us at
www.propanel. com! Want to talk to a specialist? Contact us directly at 208-989-9991. w
Big Bale Buddy Hay Feeders Bale Buddy hay feeders are designed to keep your
hay clean and contained while helping you to save money and time. All Bale Buddy feeders have a one year warranty to ensure that they pay for themselves many times over within the lifetime of the feeder. Whether you feed round bales or large or small rectangular bales, there is a Bale Buddy Feeder for you. The BIG BALE BUDDY is an economical way to keep your round bales clean and contained in muddy and windy conditions and also helps to keep the hay dry by shedding water off the sides. Visit
www.bigbalebuddy.com to learn more about how our bale buddies can save your hay and money! w
August 2018 SouthWest Horse Trader 15
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