Copra help pls

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Tasha!

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Looking for some tips from anyone who feeds copra. Ive just put my TB on in and really like it, as does he. The problem is he lives out and I have a very limited amount of time in the morning and lunch times to feed (he's fed 3x per day). He just takes forever to eat it and I don't have time to wait, so currently he's not getting enough.

Before switching feeds I thought it was worth asking if anyone else has had this issue and solved it? It says on the bag it can be fed dry, but I'm not keen on that.

TIA
 
I wouldn't feed it dry... my horse found it easier to pick up and chomp when mixed with some grass or alfalfa chaff. I soaked it the night before with just enough water to make it swell but not get sloppy, perhaps you need to experiment with this a bit to get a good consistency.
what else is he getting? Is there any chance you can change to 2 x feeds rather than 3? I'm assuming he is turned out with other horses so you can't just leave him munching.
 
Doe he eat dry feed faster? (just asking as mine don't so it may not be the solution..)

Definitely don't feed it dry, I'm amazed it can be fed dry to be honest!

If he needs calories and you think he will eat dry feed quicker I think I would be inclined to feed the copra but add some micronized linseed to dry it out a bit and add some more calories

The other option is to feed it so wet he has to practically drink it - this is what I do with mine
 
Yes, he's out with a group so can't leave him to it, sadly. I could do 2x a day but he needs some weight on him so want to take advantage of being able to feed 3x a day while I can lol. He's getting oats and linseed oil along with it. I could try adding a cube, I was reluctant to add chaff as figured he'd be even longer chewing on that. He does seem to get through plain cubes a lot quicker. God knows what he's doing with the copra, it looks like he sucks on it while pondering life, the universe and everything.

He was a bit offended when I added too much water to it, but I could do it drier and see if that helps. Just don't want to make it too dry as he can be prone to impaction colic, esp at this time of year. Good old TBs, nothings simple lol.
 
When I had my old, toothless mare I was in a similar situation, having to pull her out to feed buckets a few times a day, short on time. I ended up feeding Spillers high fibre or Layoff cubes (almost the same, but Layoff works out cheaper in bigger bags). The reason being that the cubes only need a little water (about the same volume as the cubes, or less) to soften and crumble. That way, the entire meal was smaller compared to a similar amount of a feed that needs more soaking water, such as speedibeet or copra. Smaller meal = faster eating. I mixed the cubes with alfalfa pellets as well (though that increases soaking time).

In the end, I'd recommend that you weigh out the amounts of feed (dry weight) that you can reasonably feed in a short-ish amount of time, and then compare the energy content of different products. Copra is higher in calories than high fibre cubes, but if it swells up so much that you can only feed a small amount at a time, you might still get more energy into her by feeding a cube.
 
Thanks supsup, I think you may be right. It might be more effective to switch to ERS pellets + equijewel or something, and just keep the linseed oil.
 
Is it just the time he takes to eat it that is frustrating or the fact that you have to wait for it to soak? I have 2 on it and if I know time is tight make up a batch the night before that then just gets chucked into their buckets.

I often make mine too wet and have a good giggle at 7am at them both slurping up their soup. Tbh one doesn't need the stuff but when I've left it out I get a VERY indignant cart horse so he has to have a small scoop on top of his diet food.
 
I don't mind the soaking, I make it with warm water in the morning at home and it soaks on the way to the field, so that doesn't take too long. It's just the way he has to ruminate over every mouthful lol.
Made the mistake of trying to chivvy him once, then he just spent extra time assessing my mental stability >.<
 
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