Firehorse
Well-Known Member
jst ur opinions pls and why u feed which. from what i see, they do the same job, but feed balancers r far more pricey. jst looking for a general vit/min addition to hi-fi, haylage and 24/7 turn out.
feed balancers versus vit&min supplements
- Thread starter Firehorse
- Start date
TGM
Well-Known Member
As well as vitamins and minerals, balancers also provide probiotics/prebiotics (which help maintain healthy gut bacteria).
You might choose a balancer if you feel your horse needs a probiotic/prebiotic because it's gut bacteria may have been compromised in some way, such as stress, antibiotic treatment, illness, high cereal/low fibre diet etc. The protein content is useful if you are feeding a low protein hay with no additional feed.
However, if you are feeding haylage your horse's diet is unlikely to be lacking in protein, and as he is on a high fibre diet then he probably doesn't need a probiotic/prebiotic either, if he is in good condition and hasn't been ill.
You might choose a balancer if you feel your horse needs a probiotic/prebiotic because it's gut bacteria may have been compromised in some way, such as stress, antibiotic treatment, illness, high cereal/low fibre diet etc. The protein content is useful if you are feeding a low protein hay with no additional feed.
However, if you are feeding haylage your horse's diet is unlikely to be lacking in protein, and as he is on a high fibre diet then he probably doesn't need a probiotic/prebiotic either, if he is in good condition and hasn't been ill.
Firehorse
Well-Known Member
ok, thx for that.
eggs
Well-Known Member
In your situation I would feed a vit & mins supplement rather than a balancer if you think your horse is deficient.
TicTac
Well-Known Member
I think you'll find that most feeds also have a pro biotic in them as well as anti oxidents ( I feed Dodson and Horrell High fibre cubes and safe and sound chaff) So I just add a mineral supplement ( I use Kossolian ) to my horses feed. I have used balancers before but do find them expensive as I have two horses. My black horse looks so well that you can almost see your face in her coat 