Any Ideas (Feed)

[WallisM]

Hello there !

My old boy who is about 26 has lost a bit of weight, He is well rugged and has hay all day, He get's a feed on a night time which consists of A scoop of 16+, scoop of Alfa A Light and a scoop of bran. He has a healthy shiney coat and a good appetite. I got his teeth checked in October. He is also out 24/7 with a shelter.

Is there anything I can feed him to put weight on him ?

Thanks for your help.
Wallis
x

 

[Bossanova]

Personally, I wouldnt fill his stomach up wityh bran- replace it with cooked cereal meal or similar which is very palatable, makes a good mash and has a much higher feeding value. Also put him onto normal or oil alfafa

 

[6103claire]

try dodson and horrell build up or similar. It builds them up without fizz and i think its suitable for older horses

 

[rema]

I used Equivite Body Builder (milk pellets) when my lad dropped weight.It is a safe but quick way to put the weight on!.

 

[TGM]

First of all see if there is anything that could be restricting his hay intake - is he getting bullied by other horses for example.

Then you have various choices, either feed more of the same food, or switch to another product.

If you want to stick to the 16+, then give Dodson & Horrell a ring and tell them your horse's details and they will advise how much to feed. It might be best to split it into two feeds a day. I also agree that you should drop the bran, and switch the Alfa A Lite to Alfa A Oil, as it contains more calories.

If you want to switch products then you might want to look at various conditioning feeds, which normally have an high oil content which make them quite dense in calories. A lot of people swear by TopSpec conditioning flakes.

I found the best feed to keep weight on my old mare was ad lib haylage plus Alfa A Original, veg oil and flaked barley. However, some horses react badly to barley, so not suitable for some individuals.

 

[Litorio]

Ad-lib good quality hay is the best way to maintain weight.

Bran prob isn't doing your boy much good unless he suffers from colic or blockages, it's anly really very good at flushing out their systems.

Sugar beet is a good conditioner but can add some fizz to your horse. If you dont wan to feed this then there are plenty of non-heating conditioning flakes/cubes on the market

 

[1CTrenowath]

I have just had to re-think my 27yo boys feed as he has dropped from a good hay eater to doing nothing more than playing with hay (no top teeth left methinks...)

. I am feeding him Baileys no 1, alfa a oil d & h 16+ and sugar beet twice a day, plus at night the new 'fibre beet' from the speedibeet people. This seems to be doing the trick (oh and hes out on 12 acres of good grazing all day!!) Incidentally, the fibrebeet is fantastic -looks like mud-pies, but he worships it!!!

 

[WallisM]

Thank Everyone !