Can you use mowed up grass for horse bedding???

Question

Just wonderin! I think it might give horses skin problems,but idk.I want to try a different bedding and thought to use straw,but then thought of mowed up grass..but i dont know if its ok or not.

Answer 1

Do NOT use mowed grass.  It's too full of moisture and can cause gas colic as it ferments.  Use straw instead

Answer 2

Whoa, unless you purposely want to give your horse colic, then just dont. It may seem like a good idea, but its not okay.

Answer 3

Mowed grass is not a good bedding for horses. If it's piled a couple inches deep it will ferment and cause a horse severe colic. Besides green grass has no absorbtion qualities.

  The whole point of bedding is to soak up the urine so the horse will be standing in dry bedding. The standing urine has a high acidity which can cause hoof problems if left in it too long.

  Proper bedding is made from DRY straw or some other bedding material purchased commercially like wood shavings. Good old straw is usually the best. My theory has always been to not stall a horse if you don't have to. They are more natural outside. Only stall a horse you are preparing for a show or is injured or sick.

Answer 4

No. Mowed grass, if your horse eats it, can cause severe colic. It ferments as it dries out and could cause serious sickness.

Yes, dried out grass is hay, but you can't feed hay before it's completely dried out. So, mowed grass isn't a good option.

Answer 5

definately not. the mowed up grass probably has all kinds of chemicals in it from the lawn mower. if you're horse lays on it, it could cause a rash or infection. and if you're horse eats it they will most likely colic.

why don't you just buy bagged shavings? thats what i use.

Answer 6

no u definantely can not!!! even if the horses show no interest in eating the grass then they still might. & the other person is right it may cause severe colic!!!

Answer 7

No. Chances are they'll eat it, it can cause colic.

Have a read of this, http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/hor...

I always wondered why my parents would never let me feed grass clippings to my rabbit. I was a kid and I was like well if you feed the rabbit grass that you can pull up by hand why can't you feed them grass clippings from a lawn mower (even tried it once but mum got to them before my rabbit could), mum had to explain why it was so bad.

Answer 8

i wouldnt. they would prolly eat it. i know my horse loves grass, and will eat it no matter how you cut it

Answer 9

no, unless it is dried up COMPLETELY

Answer 10

Yes, as long as it is dried completely and stored in a dry place, it is no different than hay.  If you are referring to lawn grass, it is not the same as pasture grass and could cause problems. Before hay balers were invented, hay was stored in stacks (haystacks)...a haystack was a pile of cut (mowed) grass that was dried out.

The longer the grass is allowed to grow, the stalkier it gets and the more it resembles (or becomes) straw.  The stalkier it is, the less it appeals to the horse, if you are concerned about them eating it, although eating it is fine if it is dry.  We let our grass for hay dry for three days before baling, turning it over halfway through the drying process.

EDIT:to AMZ M:  I read your link and i think they are referring to fresh cut grass, like if you mow the pasture and turn them out to eat the clippings.  When I refer to grass, I mean pasture grasses that are planted for horses in a separate field from where horses are kept.  The grasses may be baled as hay, or used as bedding.  Hay is not an ideal bedding, so if the grasses are allowed to form stalks, you have straw.  Either way, if it's dried completely, it's safe.

Answer 11

no, not unless you want the horse to eat it, get sick and you have a huge vet bill.

Answer 12

The danger lies in foundering your horse.  It they eat the cut grass before its properly dried (like hay is), it can cause laminitis if ingested in too large a quantity.  Be very careful, please!  If I saw the horses take ant notion to eat it I would not risk it.

Answer 13

no a person i used to work with had the same idea. They will eat it... horses eat grass. It will also make them colic and seriously sick if it was treated with pesticides. Grass rots so quickly too.

Stick to wood, corn cob, or straw.