Best basic mix/nuts

[Kylara]

Looking at topsepc lite and topspec alfalfa at the minute for a molasses free chaff, so that's ok, but not sure where to go for the basic mix/nuts.

Needs to be a general type feed rather than specific so things like calm and condition I think are probably out.

Happy nuts or mix, but looking at dodsen and horrel, spillers, allen and page etc. Really not fussed but don't really know what quality is like at the minute. I used to feed scats own brand (downhill in quality over the years and now scats is no more!) but horse got retired a few years ago so just on grass and haylage! And clients generally sort their own feeds out, so looking for some wide and interesting opinions.

ETA: would be for basic feed included in livery package - chaff and mix/nuts

 

[Fiona]

I've used both Spillers and Pegus basic mix and nuts and they have both been good.

Really depends on price and availability in your area though, I'd go to your local feed merchants and get a price list..

Fiona

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

ponies & oldies
Use Allen & page Fast Fibre.
Molasses free Dengie chaff
Salt

for those in work add Alfa A / micronised linseed / oats

 

[Kylara]

What do people think of thunderbrooks feeds? Easy to get in my area and generally cereal/soya/sugar etc free, but obviously more expensive than others. But then might be more suitable for most horses? Would probably be their base and chaff. But pricey compared to other feeds.

I'll have a look at spillers too, but I've always found their feeding recs to be very high so you end up with very large feeds

 

[wench]

Pegasus cubes/highlight are both perfectly fine, as is heygates. Mole valley are good if you need "competition" safe feeds

 

[Auslander]

I don't feed mix - none of my liveries want it. As non-professionals become more clued up about nutrition, I've seen a big shift away from basic mix and nuts, in favour of complete fibre-based feeds - either soakable ones, or your Safe and Sound/Happy Hoof type feeds. Ideally I would feed Thunderbrooks or Agrobs chaffs - but my horses have without exception, turned their noses up at both!
I feed Baileys Fibre Nuggets instead of nuts, and use linseed to the above mentioned fibre feeds if a particular horse needs a bit more.
Have you looked at Chestnut Horse Feeds? I have recently tried a couple of bags of their Crystal, and will be ordering a bulk bin of it soon. The bulk bins are a great idea- they deliver the feed already in a lockable bin, so there's no faffing around, and when you're running low, you order more, and they take away the existing bin, and replace it with another full one.

 

[Kylara]

Not the biggest fan of chesnuts, a friend had a bade experience with them with hers (all 7 didn't do well on it - mix of horses too!)

I like heygates for poultry so theoretically horse should be good as quality, but I've never used it! I'll have a look at their nuts.

I'm more a fan of fibre based feeds (the D&H fibre nuts/performance look fine) or a basic comp mix from local country store, but obviously trying to find something liveries will be happy with!

I've been looking at thunderbrook but never having tried it I'm unsure as I can't quite work out what is actually in it!

I'm trying to find some fibre type feeds but struggling a bit as it seems listing ingredients is no longer a thing!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You can't beat grassnuts, imo. They are easy to digest, can be fed in varying quantities according to the needs of the horse and will carry supplements as well as anything else. I have never met a horse who refused to eat grassnuts. We feed them soaked with dried grass chaff and everyone comments favourably on our horses' condition.

 

[Tronk]

Mine are on Chestnut's balancer & they're doing well on it. Nice shiny coats, plenty of energy in my old boy & his hooves are better on it too. They deliver, are really easy to deal with and have a simple range of feeds. I got so fed up last winter with having 4 bags of different food; Chestnut feeds have made life much easier & the horses are better for it.

 

[criso]

I was at a yard that used Chestnuts feed, far too sugary for mine and I had to negotiate an alternative. Plus water got in to one of the bins which were supposed to be OK to be inside or out and it went mouldy.

As a fibre option, Agrobs stuff is nice, got samples and my really fussy one liked everything except the Aspero. It might also be worth looking at Simple Systems, their feeds are single ingredient - alfalfa chop or nuts, timothy chop, sugarbeet. The problem with the Top Chop lite and Alfalfa is that both have alfalfa and on a livery yard there's bound to be someone that doesn't do well on alfalfa.

 

[bollybop]

Just because a feed is "fibre based" doesn't automatically mean it's any better than a nut version. The ones I've looked at are generally quite high in starch and still have molasses in them

 

[Kylara]

Mmm, the problem I'm having, alongside the lack of lists of ingredients on quite a few feed sites, is whether to go for a general nut/fibre nut which has things like molasses, cereals, and soya or whether to find something that is free from as much of that as possible, but I don't know! haha

I'm leaning towards heygates H&P nuts, baileys no. 2, or D&H high fibre nuts...any problems with those (other than some soya/molasses)

How important to people is having chaff available?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The problem with the Top Chop lite and Alfalfa is that both have alfalfa and on a livery yard there's bound to be someone that doesn't do well on alfalfa.

Yep, my boy can't have alfalfa as it really affects his skin.

 

[Kylara]

I don't really like alfalfa either. So Baileys is out! Having found their ingredient list.

So nuts being D&H high fibre nuts and heygates H&P nuts

Chaff wise - do people really want chaff? If so thoughts on Honeychop original/calm and shine and simple systems either lucie stalks or greengold? Both brands are alfalfa free and I think SS is molasses free too.

 

[criso]

I think some people prefer a chaff texture wise and I have one horse who is picky who eats up better if there's something in there.

Just a thought one yard I was at priced feed as a separate add on, they had a basic and a deluxe and you could opt in or out. It meant when I was struggling with allergies and behavioural problems, I could drop this and source my own.

Eta ss Lucie stalks are alfalfa but they do a timothy chop and for those that do want an alfalfa chaff are molasses free.

 

[BORODIN]

Havens Basis Sport - great basic nut that contains all necessary vits and mins too...

 

[Kylara]

Hah, teach me to not read ingredients properly! Timothy chop looks fine, just need to find a local supplier!

Any thoughts on mollichaff original (I know is alfalfa and has molasses in)

hmmm finding chaff is a nightmare when you don't use it!

 

[Maesfen]

Look at the Graze On chaffs and grass nuts; just clean grass; very impressed with them. http://www.northerncropdriers.co.uk/products

 

[criso]

I think mollichaff is just straw and molasses or was last time I checked. Honeychop do a straight straw chaff with nothing added.

 

[BethH]

Agrobs museli is great - some horses don't like it as it has absolutely no fillers/sugars but my horse looks fantastic on it, he is a conne x tb. I also have just started on Emerald Green grassnuts - they are pony nut size and again no fillers. I use it for my horses football and was struggling to find a ponynut without any rubbish in it, but he loves these and again good quality he is doing well on it. My horse became allergic to Lucerne & very poorly after switching to one of the smaller feed companies previously mentioned on this post. The Agrobs feed has no lucerne, it is a dried grass base and he gets a mineral supplement & brewers yeast to boost it a little. He is very much starting to look like his old self!

 

[Kylara]

Thanks for the new ones to look at!
Aside from knowing I'd want a molasses and alfalfa free chaff if I ever used one, I have never done much research as I've never needed chaff! Haha. I'm really surprised at how many of the companies hide the composition of their feeds and chaffs, not helpful at all!

Just need a basic chaff molasses and alfalfa free to add so my basic nuts for new yard Haha! Nuts easy enough to sort as I know what I'm looking for and you guys have helped with some new ideas and instantly dismissed any I couldn't find composition for (cough spillers cough) but this chaff malarkey is much harder!

I love horsehage, done wonders for mine over the years, but will avoid their chaff if it's just straw and molasses!

I've looked briefly at agrobs but can't find a local stockist, I'll have a look at their chaff and if it sings I'll try and find it.

 

[Auslander]

I don't really like alfalfa either. So Baileys is out! Having found their ingredient list.

So nuts being D&H high fibre nuts and heygates H&P nuts

Chaff wise - do people really want chaff? If so thoughts on Honeychop original/calm and shine and simple systems either lucie stalks or greengold? Both brands are alfalfa free and I think SS is molasses free too.

Lucie stalks aren't alfalfa free - lucerne is just another name for alfalfa!

 

[Kylara]

I couldn't find their composition until I looked seriously hard (hidden way away at the bottom in tiny writing) so they're already off the list. And I'm still chaff less!

 

[abbijay]

Have you thought of making your own chaff? If you're feeding a yard it may be the cheap way forward to just use the same hay/haylage you use the rest of the time.

 

[Kylara]

It's only a small yard so not really worth making my own. I'm leaning towards not getting any chaff and just supplying the first chaff I get asked for by a livery all this chaff searching is driving me crazy!

 

[BethH]

For Agrobs look at the Red Rufus website they may be able to help, the Emerald Green pony nuts are basically just dried grass too, my horse loves them - they are stocked by my feedbarn and well priced. A lot of feedbarns are starting to stock Agrobs, might be worth asking your local one if they can buy it in. Also, Red Rufus might send you a sample to try. Here are the websites, they are worth a read. Hope it helps, I think Emerald do a chaff too although not sure what it's made from.

http://www.red-rufus.co.uk/

http://www.emeraldgreenfeeds.co.uk/

 

[Carrots&Mints]

Just because a feed is "fibre based" doesn't automatically mean it's any better than a nut version. The ones I've looked at are generally quite high in starch and still have molasses in them

I am currently creating a spreadsheet of feeds at the moment to compare. Currently Allen and Page Fast Fibre is looking goof iwith 26% fibre ad only 5% starch, protien at 7.5% and no molasses.

 

[BORODIN]

Have you also looked at st hippolyt equigard at 3% starch 6% sugar grain free it is fully mineralised! - amazing feed my horse is on this and looks amazing

 

[BORODIN]

For Agrobs look at the Red Rufus website they may be able to help, the Emerald Green pony nuts are basically just dried grass too, my horse loves them - they are stocked by my feedbarn and well priced. A lot of feedbarns are starting to stock Agrobs, might be worth asking your local one if they can buy it in. Also, Red Rufus might send you a sample to try. Here are the websites, they are worth a read. Hope it helps, I think Emerald do a chaff too although not sure what it's made from.

http://www.red-rufus.co.uk/

http://www.emeraldgreenfeeds.co.uk/

Look good in practise but check vits and mineral content on them all!

 

[Auslander]

Have you also looked at st hippolyt equigard at 3% starch 6% sugar grain free it is fully mineralised! - amazing feed my horse is on this and looks amazing

Do you work for this company? https://handffeeds.co.uk/
Just seems a little stange that 90% of your posts are about either St Hippolyt or Havens.