Last Updated on February 21, 2022 by Allison Price
Chaff is a chopped form of hay that can be stored for horses if you have difficulty finding or storing it. Some feed shops sell chaff in 50-pound bags (23-kilogram). Horses can use chaff made from high-quality, high-quality hay as their main forage source.
You can make chaff from any kind of hay. However, lucerne (alfalfa), alfalfa, and timothy tend to be the most popular. To improve palatability, some chaff can be mixed with oils or molasses. You can add it to grain rations for bulk and chewing time. This will slow down horses who bolt.
Although straw chaff is popular in certain regions, it does not provide horses with nutrients. It is also high in indigestible fibre, which can increase the risk of impurity colic. Straw chaff should only be given in small quantities to slow down the consumption of grain meal and should not be used for all-purpose feed.
Horses can live without long-stem feeds like grass or hay as long as they have alternative forages like chaff and cubes. It is important to give horses long-stem forage every day in order to maximize their “chew time”.
