Comparing feeds for weight gain...

[JackDaniels1]

When comparing feeds (to encourage weight gain) what am i looking for? ie, am i looking for a higher fibre or oil or protein percentage?

Is it the forage that puts on weight with the hard feed more as a 'supplement' to the forage?

Thanks.

 

[joeanne]

Depends on what the horse is doing, and what the horse is.
But I would always try and get weight up with fibre based feeds before going down the "hard" feed route.

 

[teddyt]

To put on weight you need to feed ad lib forage. The horses digestive system is designed to digest fibre and it needs it to work properly.

It is the overall energy level (DE) of the diet that will determine weight- expressed in MJ/KG. If you feed less energy than the horse needs to live it will lose weight, if you feed more it will gain weight. Some horses need more energy than can be provided by forage in order to gain weight- either because they are working hard or because they are poor do-ers, for example.

To compare hard feeds look for the DE level. Under 9 mj/kg is low, above 12 is high.

Beyond that there are different sources of energy, i.e. fibre, oil, cereals. Fibre and oil are safer (physically and mentally) for horses compared to cereals. Oil contains approx 2.5x more energy per kg than cereals, so its also good for keeping meal sizes small.

Hard feed should always be seen as a suplement to forage and you should look for as low a starch and sugar as possible, to minimise digestive problems. So to gain weight i would suggest ad lib forage, plenty of grass and supplementary hard feed that is fibre and oil based with a 12+ mj/kg energy level but with a low starch and sugar level.

Protein is for muscle growth and repair- not fat.