Feeding your horses with forage is essential for their health. However, you must know the right way to feed your favorite animals. When it comes to slow feeding, a horse should eat in small portions for an extended period. The digestive system of equines is designed for constant uptake, and regardless of the kind of food you are giving your equines, it is vital to ensure they are taking it in the right way. Using slow feeders for horses is a perfect way to ensure the animals are feeding in the right way. Here are ways that a horse will benefit from using the feeders.
Since equines are created to eat regularly, they may experience different levels of stress associated with feeding. This stress leads to an increase in a hormone called cortisol. If cortisol increases, it leads to the rise in insulin, which causes storage of fat in the body. The stored fat results in obesity in equines. The best way to alleviate the possibility of being obese is by using this feeding program.
Another advantage of this feeding program is that it plays a significant role in preventing ulcers. This is due to the slow feeding habit that makes the production of saliva increase. Saliva is alkaline, and this nature makes it neutralize the gastric acids in the stomach. This prevents the acid from damaging the walls, thus preventing ulcers.
The program helps in increasing digestion. Fermentation and optimal digestion require adequate time. Forage provided in free-choice feeding encourages proper digestion which promotes health, which, in turn, helps in preventing situations that contribute to colic. For a healthy gut, there is the need to keep the balance between the harmful and beneficial bacteria. This is why constant feeding is essential.
Horses primarily focus on feeding. Therefore, if there is not enough feeding, these animals could focus on other unpleasant activities like kicking the stalls and cribbing. A healthy equine sleeps for a maximum of four hours in a day, and they sleep for not long those fifteen or twenty minutes. For this reason, eliminate their boredom by incorporating slow feeding.
The wind can disrupt feeding if it blows away the hay all the time. Furthermore, hay left uncontained can be trampled on such that equines cannot eat it. This will cause a lot of wastage. Hence, having feeders helps in eliminating wastage. This is because the hay is contained all the time.
Since these creatures are animals of prey, they highly depend on their seeing and sound senses to detect their predators. Locking them up for long may, in turn, make them feel unsafe, causing a negative effect on their feeding behavior. Since the feeder is usually placed in open places, these animals feel safe while they are eating. It will also ensure your animals are feeding appropriately, improving their health.
This mode of feeding eradicates food aggression. If you put them in several locations, the herd can eat and live peacefully. Dominant equines can keep the less dominant ones away from eating if they are using a single source. However, with alternate sources, it encourages feeding and enables you to put wet hay for animals that need more calories.
Since equines are created to eat regularly, they may experience different levels of stress associated with feeding. This stress leads to an increase in a hormone called cortisol. If cortisol increases, it leads to the rise in insulin, which causes storage of fat in the body. The stored fat results in obesity in equines. The best way to alleviate the possibility of being obese is by using this feeding program.
Another advantage of this feeding program is that it plays a significant role in preventing ulcers. This is due to the slow feeding habit that makes the production of saliva increase. Saliva is alkaline, and this nature makes it neutralize the gastric acids in the stomach. This prevents the acid from damaging the walls, thus preventing ulcers.
The program helps in increasing digestion. Fermentation and optimal digestion require adequate time. Forage provided in free-choice feeding encourages proper digestion which promotes health, which, in turn, helps in preventing situations that contribute to colic. For a healthy gut, there is the need to keep the balance between the harmful and beneficial bacteria. This is why constant feeding is essential.
Horses primarily focus on feeding. Therefore, if there is not enough feeding, these animals could focus on other unpleasant activities like kicking the stalls and cribbing. A healthy equine sleeps for a maximum of four hours in a day, and they sleep for not long those fifteen or twenty minutes. For this reason, eliminate their boredom by incorporating slow feeding.
The wind can disrupt feeding if it blows away the hay all the time. Furthermore, hay left uncontained can be trampled on such that equines cannot eat it. This will cause a lot of wastage. Hence, having feeders helps in eliminating wastage. This is because the hay is contained all the time.
Since these creatures are animals of prey, they highly depend on their seeing and sound senses to detect their predators. Locking them up for long may, in turn, make them feel unsafe, causing a negative effect on their feeding behavior. Since the feeder is usually placed in open places, these animals feel safe while they are eating. It will also ensure your animals are feeding appropriately, improving their health.
This mode of feeding eradicates food aggression. If you put them in several locations, the herd can eat and live peacefully. Dominant equines can keep the less dominant ones away from eating if they are using a single source. However, with alternate sources, it encourages feeding and enables you to put wet hay for animals that need more calories.
About the Author:
Slow feeders for horses can easily be found on the Web. Spend a minute or two reading the FAQs here at http://www.hayburnersequine.com/faq.
No comments:
Post a Comment