A & P Fast Fibre - yes or no?

[Orangehorse]

Up to now I have always fed Top Spec balancer and Top Chop, the molasses free chaff, which my horse doesn't really love, but he eats it OK.

I have heard good things about Fast Fibre, and it is a lot easier for me to buy, as closer and more convenient, so I decided to buy and bag and see what it was like and if the horses liked it.

But it is slop! It is OK mixed in with the Top Chop, horses love it and gobble it down, but I don't know if they would like it by itself. Some horses seem to get fed up with it, I have heard. And if I am just giving them Fast Fibre as a bit of extra bulk, then it would surely be better to add some unmolassed sugar beet pulp?

Not sure what to do now. Either carry on with the Top Chop and sugar beet pulp, or convert to Fast Fibre completely.

 

[Mynstrel]

Ours love the stuff - to the point where one will point blank ignore his feed if there's none in it.

Yes, it can be sloppy if you put too much water with it but once you get the balance right it's no different to sugar beet as far as I can see. We feed it with pony nuts & chop.

 

[be positive]

I dont make it up as they state on the bag as it is sloppy and messy, I put a measure into a bucket and just cover with enough water for it to soak fully, you get used to judging it and because it soaks so quickly you can always add a little more water, once soaked I scoop it out and mix with everything else.

I feed it to all mine, they have just FF plus supplements and one or two get other feeds added to it, I do not use chaff now as there is no need to add any more bulk.

 

[skint1]

Oh if I wasn't on my phone I've got the cutest picture of our horse eating his sloppy fast fibre, he has that with apple chaff and top spec balancer. Personally I like that its sloppy because it reassures me he won't choke and he's getting enough moisture which is probably silly of me.

 

[Orangehorse]

OK, that is helpful thanks. Use a bit less water then and see how they like it.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I use it is a base for my feed, So I know he is getting "essential vitamins and minerals", then I add my my supplements.
I feel I need something to make it a bit more exciting, non molassed chaff, and oats for performance, micronised linseed for hoof, skin and joints. I would not like him to "go off it" as it has the basics and is cheap. If too sloppy he dribbles on the floor.

 

[Buds_mum]

I feed Buds it, just a big handful soaked with balancer and mix He loves and means he doesn't need chaff although I do chuck in a handful of happy hoof for him to chew or it wouldn't touch the sides
A bag lasts forever too!! He'll prob get more come winter to add bulk when he's hunting etc.

 

[CBFan]

I use one slightly heaped measure of FF to two level (Obviously!) measures of water... soakes to a nice sort of spongy texture. Horse loves it! Slightly wetter and he gets it everywhere though!!

 

[Jingleballs]

My boy likes it - I do find it hard to get the consistency right sometimes though. I'm probably going to switch to Rowen Barberry fibre mash this year though as it's cheaper and lasts longer.

 

[RubysGold]

My horses love the stuff!

 

[nic85]

Im in the process of swapping my girl from Pegasus Mix and apple chaff to Fast fibre and Alfa a Oil. She loves it!! She was backed in July but dropped off quite a bit so after a bit of research and change of feed she seems to be putting on weight and just seems happier

 

[SmartieBean09]

I've fed it as a hay replacer with excellent results!

I now feed it to my new boy. He absolutely loves it. It's a great feed. Low sugar and starch, cheap and very obtainable. I do have to add chaff to it for my new boy as he so food obsessed, I'm sure he could inhale it within seconds otherwise!

 

[mudmonkey17]

I use fast fibre with top chop lite for both of mine and they love it.

 

[budley95]

I'd definitely say yes- I was really dubious of it all last year. I'm at a really small yard and was only one not to use it last year, trying my boy on something else last year that worked quite well - I put my boy on fast fibre this summer after he bit through his tongue (plonker - 7 years no injuries and then that!). He's honestly become a different horse. A lot more responsive and actually concentrates - not as spooky as he usually is on hard feed and really forward. He also absolutely loves it! I don't find it sloppy, I do the 1 part FF and 2 part water and it comes out right. Worth giving it a go just to see if your boy gets on with it? Plus as its a complete feed no extras to add, much easier than the amount of supplements I put in last year!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My two love it and have it in the winter: however if you have a sweet itch then bear in mind that there IS some garlic in it, which isn't desirable for sweet itches.

 

[NooNoo59]

just out of interest - if it is prepped at night can it be left to feed in the morning?

 

[nic85]

just out of interest - if it is prepped at night can it be left to feed in the morning?

Its ready in about 60 seconds

 

[acw295]

No for Molly, she hated it! Ate it on its own for about 1 week, then mixed with chaff for a few more. Now she won't touch it, she's the same with Speedibeet though, she hates soggy food I think.

She has Top Chop Lite and Lo-Cal balancer, if she needs more fibre she gets high fibre nuggets and soaked hay.

I've nothing against it as a feed but my fussy (yet greedy) mare did not like it at all.

 

[trottingon]

It is ready to feed in just a few minutes (can't remember exactly how many without looking at the bag) but you'll notice a huge difference if you leave it to soak overnight, it swells much more, and swells more again if you make it with hot water rather than cold. I always make with hot water the night before for my next day's AM and PM feeds.
A bag seems to last forever which I also like ;o)

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

What is actually in Fast Fibre, have always wondered (havent yet tried it but considering it for lami girl)? And whats the sugars (Mj/kg)?

 

[MyLuckyStar]

Ours love it to

The one will also ignore his feed if it's got no fast fibre in it, he loves it even more if it's a super sloppy mess!

We feed all ours on it throughout the winter including my 1 year old filly (she was 5 months old when first on it) up to our 25 year old Anglo Arab and all do well on it

 

[Toast]

I got a couple of free samples from A&P and my lads thought it was great.
They'll be on it this winter with chaff to slow them down as my warmblood is a total hoover and my appaloosa wont need the energy he gets from his mix if he's living in more.

 

[Maisy]

Mine love it too....Last year they had FF and Happy hoof all winter....no need for sugar beet (which I was always forgetting to soak!), or anything else. I find that my lot get a bit bored with hay when it's really cold and frosty/snowy so I can just up the amount of FF they have and know that they are getting enough fibre without too much of anything else.

 

[9tails]

Mine has been on FF for years, on its own and soaked overnight so that it really soaks up the water. It makes a huge meal but she licks the bowl clean every morning.

 

[Goldenstar]

No I won't feed it as it contains vits and minerals so I would have to feed the recommended amount each day or I would have no idea how much supplementation my horse was getting .
I only feed things that have no vits or minerals added then I know what supplements they are getting.
I base my feeds about chopped straw, micronised linseed, Alfafa , unmolassed SB oats and a haylage lite adjusted for each horse and then add supplements .

 

[texel]

The best pony porridge there is - mine worship it -

 

[katie_southwest]

My 2 eat it, all you can hear from their direction is slurp slurp slurp
I make it nice and sloppy for my oldie and he loves it, gets it all over his face too!!

 

[mightymammoth]

yes really like it although I do add a handful of the pure feeds company fibre balance in as well as the supplements and micronised linseed.

 

[Fransurrey]

I liked the look of FF until I saw the garlic ingredient (SI horse), so went for veteran vitality instead. I only feed it in the winter, though, as otherwise I don't feed enough to not warrant adding extra linseed or yeast. It's messy, but very satisfying to hear them enjoying it. I soak it overnight, too, or make it up at home (during frozen weather) and drive carefully to the yard!

 

[Mynstrel]

I liked the look of FF until I saw the garlic ingredient (SI horse), so went for veteran vitality instead. I only feed it in the winter, though, as otherwise I don't feed enough to not warrant adding extra linseed or yeast. It's messy, but very satisfying to hear them enjoying it. I soak it overnight, too, or make it up at home (during frozen weather) and drive carefully to the yard!

This is from their website, it doesn't seem to have garlic in it now or do they not match what's on the bag?

Fast Fibre Composition & Nutritional Additives
FAST FIBRE Product Code 1765-20
Allen & Page Ltd., IP25 7SD. Tel: 01362 822902
A COMPLEMENTARY FEED for feeding to HORSES

Composition:
Nutritionally Improved Straw, Oat Feed, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Linseed Expeller, Grass Meal, Di-calcium Phosphate, Soya (bean) Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Mint, Fenugreek, Yeast, Fructo-oligosaccharides

Nutritional Additives (per kg):
Vitamins: E672 Vitamin A: 10k iu (as retinol acetate); E671 Vitamin D3: 1.5k iu (as cholecalciferol); E3a700 Vitamin E: 120mg (as all-rac-a-tocopherol acetate)
Trace elements: 200mg Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate (E1-Iron); 278mg Zinc Oxide (E6-Zinc); 160mg Manganous Oxide (E5-Manganese); 3.25mg Calcium Iodate Anhydrous (E2-Iodine); 1.76mg Sodium Selenite (E8-Selenium); 83mg Cupric Chelate of Glycine, Hydrate (E4-Copper)