Is teff hay good for Laminitic horses?

Summary. All in all, from the research available, teff appears to be suitable for laminitic horses and any other horses who need either a calorie restricted and/or NSC restricted diet. If you are going to feed teff hay though be sure to use FeedXL to balance the diet.

What hay is best for laminitic horses?

Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.

Is teff hay good for foundered horses?

Unfortunately, cool-season grasses, the predominate grasses fed to horses, are high in sugar content. Feeding these grasses as pasture or hay can make the disease worse. Teff Grass Pellets are a safe, easy solution to help sensitive horses meet their daily fiber needs, while appropriately managing their insulin levels.

Is teff hay low in sugar?

Teff is a “C4 Warm Season” grass with a moderate protein and calorie content, but with a low sugar/starch content.

Is teff hay high in sugar?

"Since teff hay is that low in sugar it makes good hay for horses with Cushing's or who are laminitic, or easy keepers, etc., but if it is not grown and managed for low sugar levels it can be as high as 22% sugar.

All About Teff Hay

What hay is lowest in sugar?

Low sugar hay is extremely important in a horse's diet due to its health properties and the enormous benefits it can offer. While lucerne usually has lower sugar than a lot of grass hays, it more often than not tests HIGHER in sugar, starch & protein compared to our Low Sugar Hay.

Why is teff hay good for horses?

Teff contains higher amounts of fiber and lower amounts of nonstructural carbohydrates than most cool-season grasses. Horses preferred alfalfa and timothy over teff in hay trials but readily consumed teff once they were acclimated to it.

Does teff hay put on weight?

Teff Grass provides the horse with plenty of fiber, making the horse satisfied and full, but because of the low sugar and starch content, it does not fuel weight gain like many other forages may.

Is teff a good hay?

Teff is a great interim hay crop between alfalfa rotations. Profitable rotation crop for Alfalfa Growers for the premium horse hay market. Suitable for double cropping • Good hay or pasture crop when late season plantings are required due to a crop failure.

Is teff hay high in oxalates?

Teff Hay is moderate to high in oxalate at 10 to 12 g/kg. This means Teff needs careful supplementation of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium to prevent it from causing Bighead Disease.

What is the difference between teff and oat hay?

Typically, oat hay is suited for sedentary horses due to the lower protein content but if coupled with lucerne will work well for horses in work as well. Teff is considered a premium hay. It is very palatable and has a good amount of protein and digestible energy.

Is teff a legume or grass?

Teff is a very small seeded annual grass with an average of 1.3 million seeds per pound.

What do you feed a laminitic prone horse?

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.

What is the best hay for a foundered horse?

Alfalfa hay (lucerne) can be part of the diet during the acute stages. Chaff, beet pulp, and soy hulls can provide part of the fiber intake. If weight loss is required, it is best to stabilize the horse medically before embarking on a weight-loss program with major caloric restriction.

Can you feed lucerne to laminitic horses?

Never starve a laminitic horse

Horses require a minimum of 1.5% of their bodyweight in roughage per day for optimal health and wellbeing. For a laminitic prone horse/pony, low sugar roughage sources may include Teff hay, Rhodes grass hay, lucerne hay, beet pulp or soaked grass hay.

Is teff hay low in calcium?

Teff is a warm-season annual grass originating in Ethiopia that is generally low in NSC. Its calcium and phosphorous levels are similar to timothy grass.

Does teff hay have calcium?

A protein supplement, such as full fat soyabean meal (as an oilseed which contains no soluble sugars), should be provided to offset the lower protein in teff hay for horses recovering from laminitis. Teff hay is also lower in calcium and particularly in magnesium compared to lucerne or even grass hay.

Does teff hay swab?

If you are involved in racing or FEI disciplines you may also need to be careful to not feed too much (or any??) teff because of possible positive swabs for synephrine, which reportedly occurs naturally in teff hay.

What hay has the highest sugar content?

Oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar (NSC), so this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. Here's a comparison chart so you can see the differences between alfalfa hay, timothy (grass) hay and oat hay.

What is the best hay for horses to eat?

Is teff hay palatable?

Horses generally find teff hay palatable, perhaps due in part to its soft texture. When harvested under optimal conditions, teff hay is fine-stemmed and leafy.

Is teff hay good for horses with diarrhea?

If your horse has chronic diarrhea problems, I will often recommend higher fiber forages like teff to clean up the mess.

What kind of hay do you feed a foundered horse?

Feed a low-calorie grass-type hay

Feed a low calorie, low NSC grass hay (<10-12% NSC). Alternatively, soak grass hay for 30-60 minutes to reduce NSC content.

Can a horse get laminitis from hay?

Feed a low energy forage

Hay is more suitable for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis than haylage. For those prone to the disease and/or overweight, feed hay that has been soaked for 12-16 hours.

Can Laminitic horses have alfalfa?

Feeds with a combined sugar and starch content of less than 10% should be fed to horses with laminitis. If horses are underweight and need to gain condition, consider adding alfalfa-based forages as they contain more calories per pound, but are low in sugars and starches.