Advice for feeding the fussiest horse ever update :-(

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cyberhorse

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Well he's done his usual and stopped eating his bucket. Tried adding more mint and adding ACV, still not helping. He'll eat it readily if you hand feed him but won't eat it from the bucket. He was eating fine but when on livery one meal got soaked by mistake and he turned his nose up.

I am debating trying to go back to beet ( he will at least pick at it) and adding lots of oats even though he won't eat really oats when offered from your hand. Completely at the end of my tether with him. Ideally need something new to try introducing at tea.

To remind you he now won't eat: ERS pellets, Keyflow, Outshine, Topline, chops of any kind, barley, alf alfa, apples, carrots, fenugreek.

Prior to swapping to the ERS pellets he was on Calm and Condition which he ate most days but did not eat enough of it for his bodyweight.

The livery yard don't feed more than twice a day, they won't take the haylage down while feeding his bucket (we do as it occasionally helps focus his mind) and obviously they don't have time to hand feed him! I do find sometimes if I take his bucket away he then eats up as he catches me going out of the door. I think there is an element of behavioural issue with his feed in that he loves his haylage and thinks his bucket will always be there when he wants it. It is however not something a large livery yard can deal with on a daily basis.

He is not drastically underweight but is needs a little more condition to be considered normal.
 
Mine is fussy, he won't eat any form of chop so I have trouble keeping weight on him during the winter as he's muzzled during the day. He will only eat spillers high fibre cubes soaked and since December have been adding Equi jewel by Saracen, its rice based but very high in oil as he won't eat oil added to feeds either, he's eating it no problem. The other alternative was re-leve which is a mix but low in sugar so was suitable for him due to his lami but I didn't want to change his diet totally as he was still eating the cubes soaked. He doesn't like speedibeet either so its only the cubes he will eat. He's 35 3 in his brain
 
Thanks for the reply, not sure he'd eat the equi jewel as he wouldn't eat the keyflow which is also rice based. Probably would not hurt to get a sample as we'll try anything at this stage! I'll have a look at the high fibre cubes and see if that is an option to replace the calm and condition or beet when he stops eating it.

Have been hitting previous HH threads on fussy eaters and weight gain. Some have mentioned milk pellets. I am not sure how I feel about that, but I think the ERS contained milk powder. Anyone have any experiences of this?
 
Have you tried copra? or grass nuts?

How much is he being fed in one go? Is it possible he just feels full after a bit and that it why he is picking at his feed? Can he not just have his bucket left with him over night so he can eat when he wants? Maybe the time he is being fed is quiet exciting (other horses coming in etc) and he'd rather eat when its quieter?

Sorry if you've explained any of the above in previous posts.
 
His buckets are generally left in I just took it out on Wednesday tea to see what he did - he wanted it at that point??? He was on livery yesterday and this morning and I was phoned this morning to say he had two full buckets in there before the breakfast went in. He is nosey, but that does not stop him eating his haylage at the back of the stable. I partly swapped to the ERS from C&C to reduce the bulk as it is unsoaked and also so that it did not change in taste/consistency if we left it in constantly. Not competely sure it is meal size related as he'll not eat most treats when offered. More often than not if he starts eating the bucket normally rather than picking and snorting he'll finish the lot and lick the bucket.

I have been to the feed shop and got some C&C to mix back in with the ERS for the time being as I know he'll at least give it a go if I make it slightly warm and also got some rolled oats to try.

Not tried copra what is that based upon? Grass nuts I don't think he'd go for as he is not a fantastic grazer and he won't eat Redigrass.
 
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I had a horse who wouldn't eat hay or haylage, would eat a few mouthfuls of a new feed and then leave it. They only thing I found he liked (well loved actually) was AP veteran vitality. I used to fill a huge tubtrug and he would munch it over night. but can be feed in smaller quantities. He looked great on this. Might be worth seeing if AP will send you a few samples. He wouldn't eat calm and condition, fast fibre, old faithfuls, the topspec range, any nuts, rings or pellets. pasture mix, maintenance mix, any chaffs the list could go on and on the amount of stuff I gave away because he wouldn't eat it after a feed or two
 
Thanks for that I'll give A&P a call and see what samples they can send out. I got to the yard tonight, took out what was left of breakfast and tea, went to the car tipped it in a different shaped bucket I had got this afternoon from the horse feed shop, and took it back in. Guess what... ate the lot and licked the bucket clean. I am starting to think it could be some kind of psychological issue? Does anyone have a horse with odd habits around bucket feed? Trying the new buckets tomorrow and seeing how we go...
 
Yes actually now you mention it, my current horse only likes the tyres buckets anything else he kicks the food out and eats off the floor.
 
I don't know the history so apologise if you've covered this. But is it definitely the food as opposed to the act of lowering his head to eat from a bucket? Whether that's physiological (pain) or perhaps he feels threatened when his head is down? Worth trying a bucket hooked on the door?

Also when I had a sick mare, despite being the greediest horse in the world she went off a lot of things, but spillers high fibre cubes, soaked with warm water, were a perennial favourite; and she recovered her 50kg weight loss on that alone (couldn't eat hay or grass).

Good luck, picky eaters are very frustrating.
 
Have you ever tried simply stopping feed for a few days? Works a treat with mine! The minute he's goes on one of his can't eat phases I stop his breakfast & cut night time feed down to absolute minimum & drop all supplements from the feed. When he starts eating all of the tiny night feed I start to re- introduce morning feed & start building night feed back up & gradually adding supplements back in. It's frustrating as he can go from eating well to refusing everything in the space of a day or 2 but cutting back really works with him.
 
I would try leaving the buckets in for a set amount of time, if he was interested in his feed when you tried to take it away?
 
A horse I know has gone off eating from the tyre rubber type buckets.

Have you tried a hook on manger, as long as your stable door isn't too high? otherwise if you get 4x2 piece of wood cutch notches in it so the manger can hook on when the piece of wood is attached to the wall notches inwards.

Have you tried the ready mash fibre range from rowen and banbury, not sure if I've spelt that right, but my horse did eat it for about a year then went off it.

The only feed he's eaten long term is the spillers high fibre cubes and he now has them soaked as he's had a couple of pieces of tooth chip off as he's 35.

He is SO fussy but will eat the equijewel so worth a try
 
i would drop the bucket and go for a wide bottom based type of bowl/tub trug, there is more room to move the feed about and not so claustraphobic.
 
Mine is very fussy and the one thing I found that he will reliably eat is Winergy - either low, Senior or Growth, growth being the tastiest of these. It is an Alfa based feed however my horse won't eat any of the Dengie Alfa or hifi chaffs on their own so the Winergy must be a lot tastier! If it is too dry you could always dampen it down - I do to mix in supplements. Also similarly with your ERS, have you tried soaking them down?

I wouldn't feed milk pellets - adult horses cannot digest lactose so this might cause problems for him.

Also try a door bucket, this makes a big difference for my horse as he will walk away from his feed and forget about it but when it is on the door he does notice it and go back to it.

To be honest though I would want to be looking at if there is a physical issue with his gut. Where my horse has previously had ulcer type problems he stopped eating when he was at his worst and he would eat again once he was feeling more comfortable. I also noticed this weekend he stopped eating feeds he normally hoovers after worming so looks like the wormer upset his tummy a bit (there were a few other symptoms too) and now he is feeling better he is eating up again. Do some research on ulcers and hind gut acidosis, lots of useful threads on here if you do a search. That's what my money would be on with such a fussy eater, if their tummy isn't comfortable they won't want to eat.

A good start if it is tummy based is a good pre/probiotic like Protexin. They do quick fix which is a syringe which you give over 3-6 days, it might be worth trying a syringe or 2 and then see if he eats any better after that. If you contact the Protexin area reps they do starter packs that are very good value.

Also if he has an acidosis or ulcer problem the haylage may not be helping with this - have you tried him on hay and will he eat better on this? You are probably giving haylage for the extra calories but if you put him on hay and he starts eating better he may end up putting on more weight that way.
 
I would personally try oats and alfalfa hay. Haven't met too many horses who will say no to oats. Alfalfa hay is also more palatable than chopped alfalfa. Hope this helps
 
Have you discussed this with your vet? Sometimes a course of B12 injections will encourage a horse to eat.

Have you had his teeth looked at? If you have has your dentist removed too much and left his mouth uncomfortable.

Scrub all buckets that you feed him from, and his manger after every feed. Some horses don't like smelly feed bowls.

Does he have ulcers? How big are the feeds you are giving him? Make his feeds very simple and use the real basic ingredientse. Some processed feeds actually stink! Even my Clydesdale turns her nose up at some mixes, especially the extruded type.

Keep feeds really small.

Or at night if he is stabled leave him with a large dry feed, just some chaff and oats or barley. Some will eat better overnight when there are no distractions.

Remove all supplements - they can make the feed taste awful, this includes the commercially mixed feeds, those pony cubes are usually vitamins and minerals. Instead give him a multi mineral lick, one in his box and one in the paddock. Adding extra salt to the feed can also encourage eating.
 
My mare became fussy out of the blue and I had the bright idea to mix a large teaspoon of marmite into a mug of hot water( let it cool ) and pour it into the feed! She barely got through the door and dove her face straight into it!!
 
Stop feeding the hard feed - he does not like it! Give him as much haylage as he will eat and get him out on some good grass as soon as it comes through. Next winter you may not have a problem at all but unless you are doing a huge amount of fast work or hunting two days a week he should keep well on haylage alone.
 
I would try grass nuts

Also copra or Readymash Extra mixed with warm water (the Readymash Extra is a mix that contains milk powder)

All are good for condition

Will he maybe eat nuts if you use a treat ball or something to get his interest? it could be worth a try
 
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