вторник, 28 май 2019 г.

Advantages Of Using Slow Feeders For Horses

By Walter Murphy


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.

The occurrence of stress that is associated with their feeding is common with these animals. As such, equines that go through this stress produce hormones called cortisol. When the hormone is produced in large amounts, it results in increased levels of insulin, making their bodies to store excess fat. This, in turn, leads to obesity. Utilizing this program for feeding is an appropriate way of avoiding your horse becoming obese.

Feeding slowly helps in the prevention of ulcers. This is because it activates the production of saliva. The saliva is an alkaline that buffers the gastric acids produced in the stomach. With the food present in the stomach, the acids cannot reach the walls, and this is the right way of preventing this condition.

For food to be adequately digested, enough time is required. Through this program, this factor is highly appreciated and put into consideration. With proper digestion, cases like constipation will not occur, and the general health of the horse will improve. Continuous feeding is a suitable way of making sure that there is a balance between the harmful and beneficial bacteria inside the stomach of the animal.

With equines, food is always their primary focus. This means that, if they do not have enough food throughout, they can get involved in unpleasant behavior like cribbing or stall kicking. A horse sleeps not longer than fifteen to twenty minutes and can only sleep for up to four hours in a day. Therefore, the best trick of keeping them occupied and eliminate boredom is by developing a slow system of feeding them.

The feeders prevent trampling of hay by equines or blowing by the wind. If hay is spread all over the field, the animals may trample on it and might not eat afterward. In other cases, the hay forage gets blown away by the wind. In such a situation, the program is ideal since the food is contained. This helps in low or no wastage.

Horses are prey animals. They depend on sight and sound to be able to detect their predators. If locked in their stalls, they may feel unsafe, and this causes tension, which, in turn, affects their eating behavior. Feeders are put in the open spaces so that equines can feel safe when eating. Since they are on the ground, your equines will be eating correctly.

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.




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