# Oat Hay? and other hay questions



## Nutty Saddler (May 26, 2009)

They might mean Oat Straw

Oat straw can be fed as a substitute for hay if there is nothing else - you do have to be careful to not feed too much and keep an eye out for colic as oat straw has more roughage. Probably better to mix it with regular hay to make your existing hay last longer.

As for which is better , it must be better to feed good quality hay that is a bit more expensive than be presented with a huge vet bill because your horse gets colic or gets a lung infection from dusty hay etc.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Oat hay is just oat straw with the grain heads still attached.

The few times I've fed it, my horses have found it tasty.

Just make sure there are still grains attached to the stalks, or the nutritional value goes down to zero. It won't hurt to feed it to them, but it'll just be giving them bulk with no real nutrition if the grain heads have fallen off.


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## Rowzy (Mar 1, 2010)

Yeah, I realised how rediculous the second paragraphed sounded the next day. Its not that they hay is "bad" as in dusty, moldy etc. its that western washington hay tends to have a lower nutrient value then eastern washington hay (atleast this is what I have been told and what I have found).

Anyways, so I guess oat hay is a no-no... I'm going to keep looking for more hay... I have about 2 weeks left in my loft is what I guessed, and it might last a little longer if I can get them out in the pasture soon.


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