# Feeding chaff...



## Paint it Lucky (12 July 2007)

Whilst researching something at college I discovered an interesting paper regarding the feeding of chaff that surprised me.  An experiment had found that feeding chaff with concentrates (i.e. mixes, nuts) SPEEDS UP the time it takes for this food to pass through the stomach and small intestine, therefore increasing the risk of colic as undigested concentrate feed is more likely to make it to the hind gut.    This surprised me as one of the main reasons I have always used for adding chaff to feeds was that it slowed the time the horse took to eat the feed and then also the time taken to digest it so it can be digested more thoroughly.

So just thought I would share this with you!  The paper concluded that therefore it was best to feed concentrates on their own (rather than mixed with chaff) so that the horse can get the full goodness out of them.  Or alternatively to just feed chaffs alone (for example alfalfa) as the horse is better equiped to digest these then concentrates anyway.


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## Tia (12 July 2007)

Chaff is not available over here - it is seen as the floor droppings and as such is binned.

I only feed concentrates and try to stick to natural feedstuffs for most of the time.

The research does make sense to me, thank you for that.


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## piebaldsparkle (12 July 2007)

I thought that chaff just slowed, how quickly a horse ate it's feed as increase chewing time.  It was also my understanding that the time a feed took to pass through the stomach was particially dependant on the volume.......hence 3 to 4 small feeds being better than 1 or 2 large feeds.  That given, it would make sense that bulking out and already large feed with chaff would force it through the gut too quickly and into the hind gut.

LOL no worry for me as mine pretty much lives off Alfa chaff and hay alone.


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## MagicMelon (13 July 2007)

Doesn't chaff also add to their forage intake which was another reason Ive fed it?


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## Guinness (13 July 2007)

could you send me the title of the paper so i could have a read? sounds interesting!


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## Gorgeous George (13 July 2007)

Chaff does add to the forage intake.


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## piebaldsparkle (14 July 2007)

It does add forage, but a double handful of chaff isn't going to make a significant difference to a horses diet (any more than that would make the feed too big and you risk overloading the stomach).  IMO if your only reason for adding chaff is to increase their fibre intake, it would be cheaper to feed a little more hay.


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## flyingfeet (14 July 2007)

Worth saying that one paper isn't necessarily correct. 

What was the sample size? How did they monitor speed through the gut, did they repeat the exercise with various animals?

Only pointing out that as a scientist, its more interesting to try and conclude on something, but doesn't necessarily mean you experiment is correct or repeatable. 

I find it hard to believe that chaff which bulks out feed would make it travel through the gut faster, however if more volume was fed then it would...


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