Adding oil to feed... which one?

kibob

kibob

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Hi all

My veteran PBA boy is losing a bit of weight at the moment. He is currently fed speedibeet, fast fibre & linseed, seaweed and brewers yeast (like to try and keep him off cereals and on low sugar diet).

He is dropping off slightly though and I had read about Alfa A oil as a great aid to weight gain. Off I toddle to the feed merchants, looking for oil in a bottle, I was surprised to discover this is a chaff (with oil added). I'm still thinking about trying him on this but it lead me to ponder the different types of oils available and their benefits?

So, who feeds an oil and what are the benefits of the various types? Am I just best popping to tesco and getting good old veggie oil?

Thanks

Confused of Cornwall :)
 
Alfa Oil is fantastic for weight gain and maintenance - but why not also look at a good complete feed for oldies as well?
 
Fast fibre and sugar beet are fab feeds for your horse but you have to bear in mind the water content and fast fibre is relatively low in energy. So per scoop of soaked feed only about 1/5 will be food. Alfa a oil would be a good choice- it has higher energy levels than most senior feeds and the oil is balanced for vitamin e, so removing that worry. Fibre and oil are also slow release providers of energy, so wont cause the problems that cereal/starch based energy can- which will be higher in senior feeds.

Vegetable oil from the supermarket will need to be supplemented with vitamin e and it isalso pro-inflammatory. linseed oil is anti-inflammatory, so would be better for an old horse but as you are already feeding linseed tbh i think alfa a oi would be a good choice.
 
Alfa A Oil is fab stuff got condition.
I also love garlic, parlsey & linseed oil. Great all round oil & not expensive.
You could also consider a vit/min supplement especially designed for older horses. NAF do one. This would make sure he is getting everything he needs.
I would have thought it would be worth having a chat with a couple of feed companies. I know Allan & Page do some cereal free feeds for those with intolerances which might be suitable.
 
Fast Fibre is a great feed, but quite low calorie, contain only 8 MJDE/kg. The Speedibeet is good as it contains 12.4 MJDE/kg dry weight which is more than some conditioning cubes. However, it is easy to underfeed beet as it swells so much when soaked, so ensure you weigh it dry to make sure you are feeding enough. Alfa A Oil contains 12.5 MJDE/kg, so it would make sense to swap the Fast Fibre for that, but again chaff type feeds are light and fluffy, so makes sense to weight amount to ensure you are giving enough as a scoop of chaff usually weighs about 400g whereas a scoop of cubes is about 1kg.

Other sources of oil are linseed, which you are already feeding, oil-rich supplements such as Outshine, Equijewel and Triple Crown Top Up, and straight oil such as linseed, soya etc. Some horses object to straight oil in their feed though, hence the popularity of the oil-rich supplements and oil-enhanced chaffs.
 
Thanks everyone:)

Kicking myself now that I didn't get the Alfa oil, will pop back later and get some.

Amymay,, I've tried many senior mixes in the past. However, since I changed my horses on to the diet I mentioned I have seen great results in all of them. The veteran I mentioned has always been a very itchy horse, and a cranky old s*d if truth be known:rolleyes: but he has improved no end on this new diet and I would never change any of them back to a cereal/starch based diet as I have found what suits my lot best.

He's just looking a bit ribby really but we've had some rain now so the grass should be shooting up. I will increase his feed and add the Alfa oil. He'll be very happy about that:D
 
Sugar beat (the low sugar lami one)

Allan & Page Fast Fibre or Calm & Condition

Dengie Alfa A Oil

all firm favorites of mine.

If your wanting to add a supplement like cod liver oil and combine it with making sure he's receiving the relevant vit & mins you could try Argo's The Original “Vit-Min” Cod Liver Oil Condiment, contains powedered CLO which is easier for them to digest along with the vits and mins into.
 
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