Feed questions

[Hillary_Indiana]

Hey guys,

We have four horses and are looking for a universal feed that will work for all of them

1. 30 yrs old, hard to keep weight on.
2. 7 yrs. old, hyper, gulper, nice body
3. 13 yrs old, arthritis, kinda chubby
4. 11 yrs old, new to the farm trying to fatten him up you can see his ribs

I think I'm really looking for something that will just keep weight on them and not give them all of that nervous-energy...we've been feeding them sweet feed and I just don't think that's working too well I think it makes them too hyper. Also...with the gulper...our vet suggested using a non-pelleted feed ...I think he meant something more fine???

Could the hyperness also have something to do with the percentage of alfalfa in the hay? Right now we are feeding 40% alfalfa. How much hay is a good amount for four horses/2 mini donkeys daily? We've been feeding 1 to 1 1/2 bales a day...plus they have 24 hr access to the pasture.

Basically I am just looking to keep weight on them...not give them so much energy with the feed. They have about 2 acres of pasture.

It seems that I may be looking for something that is good at keeping weight on but doesn't give too much energy.

I was going to call the local feed store ASAP because we are due for feed but I thought I'd get on here first so I'd have a starting point when talking to them.

Thanks guys,
Hillary

 

[msscamp]

Hey guys,

We have four horses and are looking for a universal feed that will work for all of them

1. 30 yrs old, hard to keep weight on.
2. 7 yrs. old, hyper, gulper, nice body
3. 13 yrs old, arthritis, kinda chubby
4. 11 yrs old, new to the farm trying to fatten him up you can see his ribs

The chances of finding a universal feed for all 4 of these horses are slim to none because they are all at different stages, have different nutrition requirements - especially if some are being ridden hard, and it appears you have a combination of easy keepers vs hard keepers or possibly a previously neglected horse in the last one?

I think I'm really looking for something that will just keep weight on them and not give them all of that nervous-energy...we've been feeding them sweet feed and I just don't think that's working too well I think it makes them too hyper.

You are correct, sweet feed does have a tendency to make a horse hyper - especially if the horse is not being excercised regularly.

Also...with the gulper...our vet suggested using a non-pelleted feed ...I think he meant something more fine???

Actually, I'm thinking he means something more coarse - like hay - that the horse has to chew and cannot simply inhale.

Could the hyperness also have something to do with the percentage of alfalfa in the hay? Right now we are feeding 40% alfalfa.

Yes, it can. The protein content on alfalfa can vary fairly dramatically but, generally speaking alfalfa provides a minimum of 15% protein - the average horse only needs around 10%.

How much hay is a good amount for four horses/2 mini donkeys daily? We've been feeding 1 to 1 1/2 bales a day...plus they have 24 hr access to the pasture.

I can't answer this question because I don't know their weights, easy vs hard keeper, possible health problems (the 30 year old), how often and how hard they are being ridden vs being turned out 24/7/365, what kind of hay (higher quality requires less vs poor quality and I'm not talking about moldy/dusty/crappy hay - I'm talking type of hay and nutrient level it provides), etc. More information is needed.

Basically I am just looking to keep weight on them...not give them so much energy with the feed. They have about 2 acres of pasture.

I'm assuming that you are a victim of the drought and that is why you are supplementing with hay?

It seems that I may be looking for something that is good at keeping weight on but doesn't give too much energy.

There is much more to it than just keeping weight on. Horses have specific nutritional requirements and those requirements have to be met or the horse suffers. You don't necessarily want a horse losing weight, but if he/she is an athletic horse that is being ridden regulary or performing regularly - he/she may be in good shape and the owner just doesn't realize it. I know that probably doesn't make much sense, and I don't know how to explain it better - sorry. The 30 year old horse - in all likelihood - may have problems chewing and eating hay or grain and may require a special senior feed or soaked feed in order to chew and utilize the nutrients. There are so many variants in a case like this. Rather than talking to your feed-store, have you considered talking to your vet? He/she has seen, examined, possibly treated these horses for different ailments, and would be in a much better position to advise you on what type of feed would work the best for each horse. Again, with a spread of ages this wide, it is unlikely you're going to find a universal feed.

Thanks guys,
Hillary

 

[3MR]

Yeah, I think the only universal feed you are going to find is grass. :lol:

If you arent riding them there shouldnt be any real reason grass or hay shouldnt be all they need.

I worked on a place once that only fed cracked corn and prarie hay, they were pastured at night. These horses got worked hard too, everyday. The skinny ones got more corn and the fat ones got less.

 

[Hillary_Indiana]

Our horses are not worked hard. The 30 yr old one is NEVER ridden and is probably going to have to be put down before winter. The others are ridden about once a week, maybe a total of about 15 miles a month each. I considered corn...would that be a reasonable idea? The reason we are supplementing with hay in the summer is because we can't seem to fatten up the old horse ...and we are trying to put weight on the ( yes, possibly neglected) new horse. We are not victims of a drought...I live in Indiana. Our 30 yr old horse doesnt have any teeth so, yes, she has a hard time meeting her nutritional values and this is the main reason we are thinking about putting her down before winter. We have been feeding her a senior feed. The others are easy keepers, I would say, it's just going to take the new one a couple of months to catch up on his weight. Is 2 acres of pasture with constant turnout enough without hay? Msscamp are you saying we shouldn't give them hay or feed? Just let them eat grass?

Would it be reasonable to consider giving them all corn? I pour a MSM/glucosamine supplement in the arthritic horses food everyday. How much corn per horse?

The vet said he wanted us to feed them a "non-pelleted" feed...more like the oats and corn and stuff just without the pellets. He thought that would help the gulper from choking.

All this being said...how much hay should I give them now? In the winter? I don't know the exact nutritional value of the hay. It should be pretty good because the man where we got this hay supplies the Indiana Downs.

 

[3MR]

2 acres of pasture for 4 horses isnt enough. Thats really not more than a turn out for exercise area. Horses are harder on pasture than cows.

You cant give the one with no teeth cracked corn. Your going to have to figure out something else for him.

I would give the two in good condition free choice hay and probably nothing else, depending on the hay.

I'd give the skinny one some corn or other suplemental feed until he put some weight one.

Sorry, I cant be more help. Maybe MsScamp can answer your questions better.

 

[Scotty]

The only thing I can think of different from the others, excuse me if yall mentined it, is the teeth. Older horses and hard keepers may need their teeth floated. And a 30 YO may not have teeth erupting anymore. If this is the case you are in trouble. Have a vet look at the teeth. The problem is not grinding the food to a small enough size for the large intestine to obsorb the nutrients. Some teeth can have sharp ridges and cut there gums. they may not eat well if on pasture.

 

[Hillary_Indiana]

I got two bags of oats today...what are they good for? Do they contribute to hyperness?

I thought about getting the Producers Pride 10% grain...it said it was grain with molasses mixed in...would this contribute to nervous energy?

 

[Stepper]

We buy our horse feed in the bulk from the feed mill. We have a COA mix that we use. That is (corn,crimped oats,alfafha pellets,minerals and molasious.) We feed each animal 2 flakes of hay in the morning and 2 in the evening. Each horse gets 1 scoup of grain during the morning and 1 in the evening.

Each horse also has its own pen. about a 1/4 of an acre pen. This way each horse gets its full ration and it is safer feeding them when giving them grain. They tend to fight and kick at one another when they are all in one pasture.

These horses are barrel horses and they get lots of excerise. And they stay pretty hyper.

Some of our horses that we dont ride all of the time are just turned out on the pasture and not given any grain. Just pasture and a mineral block. We also keep mineral blocks out for all of our horses year round. But any time you ride a horse after you are done for the day and after it brushed down and ready to be turned loose in the pasture. You should give it a scoup of grain. And if you are going to be riding it very often. I would grain it everyday. Exspeically if you are riding long distances ( 5 or 10 miles ) I know 10 is on the long side. But alot of times we will ride 10 or more miles on a trail ride.

On a horse that is under weight we usually increase his grocherys and will add a cup full of calf mania with its grain at each feeding. And check for any problems that might be causeing it to lose weight. Make sure it has been wormed currently ( every 6 months) And switch up its wormers. Some wormers will not get all types of worms. So even though it may have been recently wormed. The wormer it was given may not have gotten all of the worms. I think quest gets all of the worms. My wife usually does all of this. Check to see if the horse is dropping grain while it is chewing. If it is that is a good sign that it may need its teeth floated.

On a old horse you probably should buy a feed from the feed store that is designed for seniors. It will contain more vitiams that a older horse will need.

And always feed hay regardless wether you grain them or not. Hay is how they produce body heat. Molded hay can kill a horse.

 

[msscamp]

Msscamp are you saying we shouldn't give them hay or feed? Just let them eat grass?

With the exception of the 30 year old who cannot chew it because of the teeth issue, and possibly the new horse (depending on how bad he is, I probably would not turn him out until he had a chance to settle in, and I had established a bond with him) - yes, that is exactly what I was saying. However, 2 acres is not enough for 4 horses - so you are going to have to hay them. Considering how hard horses are on a pasture, you're probably going to have to feed a full ration of hay. I don't know what these horses weigh, so this is purely a guess. Our horses probably weigh in the neighborhood of 1000 - maybe 1100 pounds. They receive approximately 5-7" 'flake' (actually 2 smaller flakes that total the above) off a small square bale of brome/orchard grass mix or brome/wheatgrass mix twice/day. That is not exact because the amount is varied according to how tight the hay was baled - looser bale = lighter and they need a little more vs tighter bale = heavier and they don't need as much to meet the pounds/horse. I cannot tell you the actual # of pounds of hay they receive, because I don't know quite honestly - I just know when the weight is right. That probably doesn't make much sense and hopefully someone else will jump in here and clarify what I cannot. You could start with that and then adjust according to if and how fast they gain weight. Horses that are only being ridden 15 miles in a month do not need grain - it tends to cause more problems than it solves in my experience. They will put on weight with good quality hay and you will have a lot less issues to deal with, too. Have you checked into bran mashes or soaked beet pulp with perhaps soaked pelleted feed mixed in for your senior? Oats are not a 'hot' feed, would probably work well for what you're trying to do as they provide protein, but not a high amount of it. I would absolutely NOT feed corn - it is a 'hot' feed (in terms of energy, I think it ranks higher than sweet feed - but I'm not sure on that) for horses and, coupled with so little excercise could get you in some trouble you're not ready to deal with the next time you saddle one of your horses up to go for a ride. I hope this helps.

PS You might also want to think about adding about a 1/8th - 1/4" flake of alfalfa to the new horses grass hay - that little of an amount should not make him 'hyper', but will help get some weight on him through good nutrition. By the way, are you feeding these horses all together? If so, that might be the reason the one horse 'gulps' his feed. He may be low in the herd heirarchy, and he has to do that to get enough to eat. You might consider seperating him at feeding time (if you haven't already done so previously), to see if it makes a difference. It might mean feeding him a little bit at a time to break the gulping habit he has established, but it might be worth a try. Again, I hope this helps.

 

[msscamp]

But any time you ride a horse after you are done for the day and after it brushed down and ready to be turned loose in the pasture. You should give it a scoup of grain.

I disagree.