I figured y'all would want to see...Now with feed Question.

[Alan]

Flaboy,

Bring on the pics and anyone else, I love seeing and keeping up with all your horses!

Alan

 

[randiliana]

We feed our weanling colts free choice hay, and about 2 gal of whole oats per day. Once spring rolls around, we turn them out and they live and grow on grass until fall, then they will just get hay for the winter. Up here we worm twice a year, May/June and in Sept/Oct. It seems to work well for us, and the colts seem to avoid that "pot bellied" look that a lot of weanlings get.

 

[rk]

Oats are a good ingredient, but leave alot to be desired if they are the only/main part of the diet. Ca ratio is inverted and lacks other vitamins and minerals. Younger horses especially need the proper nutrition that a balanced diet provides in order to grow correctly.

If your post is directed at me, I would suggest you re-read my post - if not, please go confuse someone else. As far as younger horses needing 'proper nutrition', I'm thinking someone with a degree and too much time on his/her hands has complicated things way beyond belief! We've raised too many foals on nothing but good quality hay, grass, and a few oats (be they rolled or whole) or rolled wheat and every one of them went on to live a long, trouble-free, healthy, and productive life for me to believe otherwise. All one needs is an understanding of what a growing animal needs - not fancy, expensive feeds.[/quote

Wasn't directed at anyone, hope you haven't taken offense.
Younger horses can do okay on oats, but if they are going to be used hard, there are diets that fulfill the requirements much better than oats. I doubt any nutritionist will tell you differently.

I also do not judge folks as to whether they have a degree or not.....I won't apologize for mine. I worked hard for it and use the knowledge each day. I don't know why you feel you can judge my time...but in the end, I don't really care.

 

[rk]

Oats are a good ingredient, but leave alot to be desired if they are the only/main part of the diet. Ca ratio is inverted and lacks other vitamins and minerals. Younger horses especially need the proper nutrition that a balanced diet provides in order to grow correctly.

If your post is directed at me, I would suggest you re-read my post - if not, please go confuse someone else. As far as younger horses needing 'proper nutrition', I'm thinking someone with a degree and too much time on his/her hands has complicated things way beyond belief! We've raised too many foals on nothing but good quality hay, grass, and a few oats (be they rolled or whole) or rolled wheat and every one of them went on to live a long, trouble-free, healthy, and productive life for me to believe otherwise. All one needs is an understanding of what a growing animal needs - not fancy, expensive feeds.
[/quoteWasn't directed at anyone, hope you haven't taken offense.
Younger horses can do okay on oats, but if they are going to be used hard, there are diets that fulfill the requirements much better than oats. I doubt any nutritionist will tell you differently.

I also do not judge folks as to whether they have a degree or not.....I won't apologize for mine. I worked hard for it and use the knowledge each day. I don't know why you feel you can judge my time...but in the end, I don't really care.

 

[msscamp]

Oats are a good ingredient, but leave alot to be desired if they are the only/main part of the diet. Ca ratio is inverted and lacks other vitamins and minerals. Younger horses especially need the proper nutrition that a balanced diet provides in order to grow correctly.

If your post is directed at me, I would suggest you re-read my post - if not, please go confuse someone else. As far as younger horses needing 'proper nutrition', I'm thinking someone with a degree and too much time on his/her hands has complicated things way beyond belief! We've raised too many foals on nothing but good quality hay, grass, and a few oats (be they rolled or whole) or rolled wheat and every one of them went on to live a long, trouble-free, healthy, and productive life for me to believe otherwise. All one needs is an understanding of what a growing animal needs - not fancy, expensive feeds.
[/quoteWasn't directed at anyone, hope you haven't taken offense.
Younger horses can do okay on oats, but if they are going to be used hard, there are diets that fulfill the requirements much better than oats. I doubt any nutritionist will tell you differently.

I also do not judge folks as to whether they have a degree or not.....I won't apologize for mine. I worked hard for it and use the knowledge each day. I don't know why you feel you can judge my time...but in the end, I don't really care.

Nope, no offense taken. I agree 100% on other feeds satisfying nutritional requirements better for hard working horses, too. I did not mean to offend with my statement about degrees and too much time on their hands, it just seems to me that there are an awful lot of people who get an idea in their head and run with it without doing the research and testing necessary to fully prove their point, and without knowing fully what they are talking about. I don't expect, nor would I ask that you to apologize for your degree, as that is quite an accomplishment. My point is that all people with degree's do not share the same responsibility level and things get reported as being fact that are later proven to be false - witness the 'studies' about eggs, milk, and several other things that escape me at the moment, as well. Simply because something shows up in a controlled experiment does not mean it is true 100% of the time under all circumstances. There are too many variables present.

 

[cowgirl580+]

when you say oats, are you talking about the kind with molasses? we feed rolled oats, when they've done something. i am giving my horse a mineral supplement right now that's supposed to work from the inside out. will have to look at bucket and get name, again. it's also for weight gain. wound looks like it is healing right nice.

Molasses?

I think you have to buy that.

We use the stuff that comes out of the combine. Period.

I have never fed my horses anything other than what you might see if you go back and read my post.

Bez!

some ppl refer to sweet feed as oats and so on. they mean the same thing to some. i was just curious. 2 of our horses are on pasture and that is it. i have one locked in the corral and she's on hay and that supplement/mineral.

the name of the supplement is weight gain, how original. :roll: :lol:

 

[Alan]

when you say oats, are you talking about the kind with molasses? we feed rolled oats, when they've done something. i am giving my horse a mineral supplement right now that's supposed to work from the inside out. will have to look at bucket and get name, again. it's also for weight gain. wound looks like it is healing right nice.

Molasses?

I think you have to buy that.

We use the stuff that comes out of the combine. Period.

I have never fed my horses anything other than what you might see if you go back and read my post.

Bez!

some ppl refer to sweet feed as oats and so on. they mean the same thing to some. i was just curious. 2 of our horses are on pasture and that is it. i have one locked in the corral and she's on hay and that supplement/mineral.

the name of the supplement is weight gain, how original. :roll: :lol:

Cowgirl,

Do you feed any grain with the supplement? Not to start an argument or take your post out of context. But I have always considered and felt that sweet feed was feed with molasses on it, hence the word sweet. Mscamp is correct that it is too hot for some horses.

My wife has a TB that is is always trying anything and everything to put weight on that horse... he's a TB built like a greyhound and he has a high metabolism. He is not thin he just is not built like the QH's he stand next to in the turnouts.

Alan

 

[bubchub]

Flaboy bring on the pics. What is the deal with the feet of my horse. :?:

Alan thanks for you comments. The CFO of the company my mom manages the money for told half halter horses are worthless. My granpa thinks they make great horses. I think this colt will make a good rope horse because he smart from his mother and strong from his Dad. I will go buy some grain and will take certain peoples suggestions and adapt them to fit my horses requirements.

 

[cowgirl580+]

when you say oats, are you talking about the kind with molasses? we feed rolled oats, when they've done something. i am giving my horse a mineral supplement right now that's supposed to work from the inside out. will have to look at bucket and get name, again. it's also for weight gain. wound looks like it is healing right nice.

Molasses?

I think you have to buy that.

We use the stuff that comes out of the combine. Period.

I have never fed my horses anything other than what you might see if you go back and read my post.

Bez!

some ppl refer to sweet feed as oats and so on. they mean the same thing to some. i was just curious. 2 of our horses are on pasture and that is it. i have one locked in the corral and she's on hay and that supplement/mineral.

the name of the supplement is weight gain, how original. :roll: :lol:

Cowgirl,

Do you feed any grain with the supplement? Not to start an argument or take your post out of context. But I have always considered and felt that sweet feed was feed with molasses on it, hence the word sweet. Mscamp is correct that it is too hot for some horses.

My wife has a TB that is is always trying anything and everything to put weight on that horse... he's a TB built like a greyhound and he has a high metabolism. He is not thin he just is not built like the QH's he stand next to in the turnouts.

Alan

i would be feeding rolled oats with it, but we are out. so she gets it when i give her the hay flakes. it says should be mixed, but its hard to mix when you don't have anything. planning on getting more oats asap. we don't feed a sweet/hot feed as ours don't need it.

you didn't take it out of context, i just can't always type what i want to say, especially at 0130. :roll:

 

[randiliana]

will take certain peoples suggestions and adapt them to fit my horses requirements.

That is the best way to do it, whether for feeding or training, take other's suggestions in mind and then do what you think will work best in your situation

 

[flaboy-]

Flaboy bring on the pics. What is the deal with the feet of my horse. :?:

Alan thanks for you comments. The CFO of the company my mom manages the money for told half halter horses are worthless. My grandpa thinks they make great horses. I think this colt will make a good rope horse because he smart from his mother and strong from his Dad. I will go buy some grain and will take certain peoples suggestions and adapt them to fit my horses requirements.

Oh, just something my grandpa and dad beat into me :lol:

One white foot, buy him.
Two white feet, try him.
Three white feet, be on the sly.
Four white feet, pass him by.

Of course these are old superstitions but have remained in my family for many years. ;-)

 

[fourwinds]

the old saying about ask 100 horse people get 100 answers was never more true than when it comes to feeding.

I'd bet the shoulder heals just fine. Personally I would rather see a youngster with a bit less flesh than some like, if he is healthy looking like yours. Hate to see youngsters so fat they can hardly waddle.

I've tried lots of different feeds and have settled on oats and alfalfa pellets. I feed equal volume not weight. My horses are all out on good pasture and I would quit feeding grain at all for the summer except I have a mare and suckling colt in the field and don't want to haul them up every day to feed seperate.

I'm happy with moderate growth, but I don't show so I can afford to wait a little while for them to grow up. My guys have a salt block available and the suckling colt and his dam get calf manna...gasp!

If this colt is gonna be kept up while you doctor on him I wouldn't overfeed him as he will get goofy.
Good luck
Michelle

 

[TR]

Sorry y'all, I gotta jump in on this one. I've noticed that alot of the feeding information being given here is from folks up north. While I'm all for the natural way of raising horses, I can honestly and in good faith say that a "good" pasture in the Pacific Northwest (my experience with northern pasture) is a helluva lot different than a "good" pasture down here in Texas. I've seen horses get fat on nothing but an acre lot of what looks to me like close cropped astroturf up in the Pac North West, and I've seen horses look like they're starving on 10 acres of knee high coastal bermuda (Texas's "good" pasture) down here.

This colt is in a lot in a drought stricken area. From the looks of the pictures, there is not enough grass in there to sustain him. As this colt is both healing and growing, he needs to be fed while in that lot, and the two big alternatives to hay down here are Coastal Bermuda or alfalfa. Considering our incredibly hot summers (and the promise that this one is gonna be a humdinger) and the accompanying humidity, Alfalfa is just too hot for any animal, so that leaves the Coastal Bermuda option for BubChub. Coastal hay down here is running between 8 and 12% protein in a good year. (12% being very good hay). Again, we're in a drought, so hay isn't as good as it usually is right now either, so more nutrition for this guy is in order. Now, whether BubChub choses to feed him a sweet feed, a pelleted feed, or oats and accompanying vitamins is up to him. I personally feed a 10% sweet feed to get a moderate rate of growth on colts, but again, its hot for our summers, so I only feed a little (half a coffee can 2X daily) so that they get the nutrition that the hay (pasture grass is down to dirt right now due to drought) lacks but don't stand around sweating all day. Alot of folks will go for a 12-14% pelleted feed for colts in the summers down here as its not as 'hot' as a molassas sweet feed is. Being as he's a baby and confined due to his injury, I'd keep coastal hay in front of him at all times. It will keep him somewhat occupied while he's in there.

My apologies again if I've stepped on anyone's toes, but please keep in mind that there are some big regional differences here when talking about "good" pastures. What may be considered good in one region could be something not fit for grasshoppers in another.

 

[msscamp]

Valid point, TR. No offense taken!

 

[3MR]

Sorry y'all, I gotta jump in on this one. I've noticed that alot of the feeding information being given here is from folks up north. While I'm all for the natural way of raising horses, I can honestly and in good faith say that a "good" pasture in the Pacific Northwest (my experience with northern pasture) is a helluva lot different than a "good" pasture down here in Texas. I've seen horses get fat on nothing but an acre lot of what looks to me like close cropped astroturf up in the Pac North West, and I've seen horses look like they're starving on 10 acres of knee high coastal bermuda (Texas's "good" pasture) down here.

This colt is in a lot in a drought stricken area. From the looks of the pictures, there is not enough grass in there to sustain him. As this colt is both healing and growing, he needs to be fed while in that lot, and the two big alternatives to hay down here are Coastal Bermuda or alfalfa. Considering our incredibly hot summers (and the promise that this one is gonna be a humdinger) and the accompanying humidity, Alfalfa is just too hot for any animal, so that leaves the Coastal Bermuda option for BubChub. Coastal hay down here is running between 8 and 12% protein in a good year. (12% being very good hay). Again, we're in a drought, so hay isn't as good as it usually is right now either, so more nutrition for this guy is in order. Now, whether BubChub choses to feed him a sweet feed, a pelleted feed, or oats and accompanying vitamins is up to him. I personally feed a 10% sweet feed to get a moderate rate of growth on colts, but again, its hot for our summers, so I only feed a little (half a coffee can 2X daily) so that they get the nutrition that the hay (pasture grass is down to dirt right now due to drought) lacks but don't stand around sweating all day. Alot of folks will go for a 12-14% pelleted feed for colts in the summers down here as its not as 'hot' as a molassas sweet feed is. Being as he's a baby and confined due to his injury, I'd keep coastal hay in front of him at all times. It will keep him somewhat occupied while he's in there.

My apologies again if I've stepped on anyone's toes, but please keep in mind that there are some big regional differences here when talking about "good" pastures. What may be considered good in one region could be something not fit for grasshoppers in another.

Not to disagree, but with the drought and shortage of hay, alfalfa may be the only choice left, Everything cheaper is getting bought up real quick. IMO, in a paddock situation, you can feed measured amounts of the Alfalfa as a supplement to lesser quality hay that may not have the nutritional content. I have done this in the past and have never had a problem.

I know other people who do the same thing with no ill effect.

 

[msscamp]

Sorry y'all, I gotta jump in on this one. I've noticed that alot of the feeding information being given here is from folks up north. While I'm all for the natural way of raising horses, I can honestly and in good faith say that a "good" pasture in the Pacific Northwest (my experience with northern pasture) is a helluva lot different than a "good" pasture down here in Texas. I've seen horses get fat on nothing but an acre lot of what looks to me like close cropped astroturf up in the Pac North West, and I've seen horses look like they're starving on 10 acres of knee high coastal bermuda (Texas's "good" pasture) down here.

This colt is in a lot in a drought stricken area. From the looks of the pictures, there is not enough grass in there to sustain him. As this colt is both healing and growing, he needs to be fed while in that lot, and the two big alternatives to hay down here are Coastal Bermuda or alfalfa. Considering our incredibly hot summers (and the promise that this one is gonna be a humdinger) and the accompanying humidity, Alfalfa is just too hot for any animal, so that leaves the Coastal Bermuda option for BubChub. Coastal hay down here is running between 8 and 12% protein in a good year. (12% being very good hay). Again, we're in a drought, so hay isn't as good as it usually is right now either, so more nutrition for this guy is in order. Now, whether BubChub choses to feed him a sweet feed, a pelleted feed, or oats and accompanying vitamins is up to him. I personally feed a 10% sweet feed to get a moderate rate of growth on colts, but again, its hot for our summers, so I only feed a little (half a coffee can 2X daily) so that they get the nutrition that the hay (pasture grass is down to dirt right now due to drought) lacks but don't stand around sweating all day. Alot of folks will go for a 12-14% pelleted feed for colts in the summers down here as its not as 'hot' as a molassas sweet feed is. Being as he's a baby and confined due to his injury, I'd keep coastal hay in front of him at all times. It will keep him somewhat occupied while he's in there.

My apologies again if I've stepped on anyone's toes, but please keep in mind that there are some big regional differences here when talking about "good" pastures. What may be considered good in one region could be something not fit for grasshoppers in another.

Not to disagree, but with the drought and shortage of hay, alfalfa may be the only choice left, Everything cheaper is getting bought up real quick. IMO, in a paddock situation, you can feed measured amounts of the Alfalfa as a supplement to lesser quality hay that may not have the nutritional content. I have done this in the past and have never had a problem.

I know other people who do the same thing with no ill effect.

Must be another one of those regional differences, but in this area alfalfa is the cheaper hay when it comes to feeding horses because grass is so hard to find.

 

[flaboy-]

Alfalfa for horses runs $15-$30 per square bale down here. T/A runs $10-$20/bale.

 

[msscamp]

Alfalfa for horses runs $15-$30 per square bale down here. T/A runs $10-$20/bale.

What size bales?

 

[Alan]

Sorry y'all, I gotta jump in on this one. I've noticed that alot of the feeding information being given here is from folks up north. While I'm all for the natural way of raising horses, I can honestly and in good faith say that a "good" pasture in the Pacific Northwest (my experience with northern pasture) is a helluva lot different than a "good" pasture down here in Texas. I've seen horses get fat on nothing but an acre lot of what looks to me like close cropped astroturf up in the Pac North West, and I've seen horses look like they're starving on 10 acres of knee high coastal bermuda (Texas's "good" pasture) down here.

This colt is in a lot in a drought stricken area. From the looks of the pictures, there is not enough grass in there to sustain him. As this colt is both healing and growing, he needs to be fed while in that lot, and the two big alternatives to hay down here are Coastal Bermuda or alfalfa. Considering our incredibly hot summers (and the promise that this one is gonna be a humdinger) and the accompanying humidity, Alfalfa is just too hot for any animal, so that leaves the Coastal Bermuda option for BubChub. Coastal hay down here is running between 8 and 12% protein in a good year. (12% being very good hay). Again, we're in a drought, so hay isn't as good as it usually is right now either, so more nutrition for this guy is in order. Now, whether BubChub choses to feed him a sweet feed, a pelleted feed, or oats and accompanying vitamins is up to him. I personally feed a 10% sweet feed to get a moderate rate of growth on colts, but again, its hot for our summers, so I only feed a little (half a coffee can 2X daily) so that they get the nutrition that the hay (pasture grass is down to dirt right now due to drought) lacks but don't stand around sweating all day. Alot of folks will go for a 12-14% pelleted feed for colts in the summers down here as its not as 'hot' as a molassas sweet feed is. Being as he's a baby and confined due to his injury, I'd keep coastal hay in front of him at all times. It will keep him somewhat occupied while he's in there.

My apologies again if I've stepped on anyone's toes, but please keep in mind that there are some big regional differences here when talking about "good" pastures. What may be considered good in one region could be something not fit for grasshoppers in another.

Not to disagree, but with the drought and shortage of hay, alfalfa may be the only choice left, Everything cheaper is getting bought up real quick. IMO, in a paddock situation, you can feed measured amounts of the Alfalfa as a supplement to lesser quality hay that may not have the nutritional content. I have done this in the past and have never had a problem.

I know other people who do the same thing with no ill effect.

I agree if there is a hay shortage supplement alfalfa with feild hay, straight alfalfa may be too hot.

Alan

 

[flaboy-]

Alfalfa for horses runs $15-$30 per square bale down here. T/A runs $10-$20/bale.

What size bales?

Little square bales. Maybe 80 pounds. I feed mine out of a 5x6 round bale of Bahia free choice. I give them Coastal after feeding in the evening if they want it.