Brewers Yeast - lots of folk use it but what is general consensus?

[Minny]

So I have been feeding Brewers Yeast for 3 months now in anticipation of it vaguely helping with the reaction to midge bites.
Loads of people appear to use it for a few different purposes but does anyone actually rate it? Is it just another supplement that we are feeding because someone somewhere says it helps?
I am really interested to hear if anyone genuinely believes this is worth feeding as I can’t really see any benefits as yet.

 

[pippixox]

I am in the same boat! Hoping it helps my mare who developed sweet itch last year. But also it can apparently help general health and gut function so been giving to my retired ex racer, who can be grumpy when near his girth area and bloated. Not sure if I’m imagining things, but he seems more chilled- I brush his tummy now without ears pinned back. Perhaps slightly less bloated too (although he is lacking muscle so that adds to tummy)

 

[vhf]

I tried it last year for itchy youngster, didn't notice a massive difference, but she wasn't bad either, so.. It may have been the BY?
But I have twice attempted to put older mare on it (including last summer), and she went totally berserk! Quite definitely the BY but I can't think why. She has yea-sacc in her supplement anyway - I had hoped this might be a cheaper way of getting much the same effect since when I drop the yea-sacc I can tell within a couple of weeks.

 

[Follysmum]

I used to feed the simple systems balancer total eclipse which has seaweed brewers yeast and linseed. After having my grass analysed It was advised to cut the seaweed out so I just give the brewers yeast and linseed.
I have found it quite good with one of mine that’s itchy in the summer.

 

[Rasadi]

Have recently brought some for my mare, how much would you feed a day, hopefully it might make her less itchy

 

[sport horse]

I have used it on one of my sport horses for some years. Said horse always rubbed mane and tail until it had the appearance of a bush - not great look for a competition horse! Put her on Brewers Yeast and rubbing stopped and mane and tail grew back. Horse went to/fro pro rider on a regular basis and it happened that we 'forgot' the Brewers Yeast sometimes. Without fail the horse started to rub again which reminded us of our folly, restart BY and hey presto no rubbing. I am ashamed to say that this has happened more than once, which I know is careless of us, but it has allowed us to be certain the it is the BY that helps!

 

[Gloi]

Of our two with sweet itch one would eat it and one wouldn't. Verdict on the one that ate it was it made no difference to itchiness.

 

[whiteflower]

I've fed it for both itchy skin and on a very anxious horse. I am skeptical of most supplements. Don't think it's made much difference to the itchy one however there is some improvement to the anxious one and her poos firm up a bit....may be coincidence though and due to something else. Sorry that's not very helpful is it !

 

[pippixox]

I feed approximately 10g per 100kg of horse, so 50-60g a day. Luckily they like it as it’s quite a lot in a very small feed!

 

[planete]

I have been feeding Yea-sacc 1026, Niacinamide and micronised linseed to my 21 year old sweet-itch horse for twelve years and he still rubs his neck slightly during the midge season but no longer damages his skin or becomes frantic with the itching. He lives out all the year round and spends the Summers rug free and without the need of fly repellents. I spent years covering him in Boett blankets and sweet-itch lotions before trying the Sweet Relief product a podiatrist sold for a time which was basically Niacinamide and Mag.Ox. As it worked I thought I would get my own stuff with the addition of anything which might help condition his skin.

 

[HeyMich]

Yes, I feed it to my mare for general gut health (she has had stomach ulcers in the past) and for her occasional silly mareish behaviour. I think it works well for both. It's a pretty cheap supplement and I'm happy to continue with it!

 

[Leam_Carrie]

I’ve fed to my sweet itch mate, didn’t notice a significant difference

 

[Leo Walker]

In conjunction with other stuff I found it brilliant. But I was feeding 80 to 100gms a day so high doses, and the proper stuff not the pale stuff you see in little bags at the feed shop.

 

[ycbm]

I have had barefoot horses go footie when a new batch was sour and they wouldn't eat it. I swear by it for gut health. I got Yeasacc recently for the same price as brewers yeast and you only need to feed a third as much, because it's a live yeast where brewers yeast is dead. There is a LOT of research of increased health/yield in farm animals fed yeasacc.

I fed 50g a day brewers yeast to a big horse, 15g yeasacc.

 

[Izzwall]

I feed my very hormonal mare brewers yeast (she has to be on regumate all year round). I took her off it last May and within a month I had a horse I couldn't ride! Bolting and bucking till I came off, extremely girthy, biting and just looked miserable! Put her back on it last month after exhausting all over reasons for her behaviour and the difference is quite staggering! She's a complete different horse and all the difficult behaviour has stopped.

 

[Surbie]

I have been feeding my loan horse 45g Brewers yeast for 7 months. Last year wasn't too bad for his sweet itch, though he still rubbed out his tail. I've got a new batch and it must be sour because he will not touch any feed with it in, even at tiny amounts. Thanks for the yeasacc tip, I'll look into that. I have close on 5kg of Brewers yeast that will have to be chucked. 😟

 

[ycbm]

Yeasacc is totally consistent because it hasn't had beer made with it. The texture and taste of brewers yeast vary wildly depending on what beer was made with it and how it was cooked after it was removed from the beer. That's the main reason I swapped to yeasacc.

I have tons of the stuff. Far more than I need for several years! I can supply anyone who wants to pick it up from me between Macclesfield and Buxton, for the same price as brewers yeast, it's too much fuss to post it I'm afraid.