Feed inspiration needed

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ClaretCarrot

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I've recently taken lots of possible reactive foods out of my horses diet as his temperament was deteriorating. I always avoid molasses anyway, but have also stopped feeding cereals and alfalfa. Well all I'm left with is unmolassed beetpulp and chaff, and as he's pretty fussy he doesn't really eat it. he's dropping weight already despite adlib hay and all my other horses being over weight on the hay. He loves cereals so I need something that tastes like cereals but isn't cereals! He needs to have something tasty so I can hide his supplements in it and also to gain weight but not affect his temperament. By the sounds of it he would probably turn his nose up at copra. Ideas please x
 
Mine has soaked grassnuts, he can be picky but is happy with this as long as I don't add too much to it, another cereal/ sugar addict I had in the yard ate Allen and Page calm and condition really well having refused most other offerings, it is not that low in starch/ sugar but better than some and he looked fab on it, I added speedibeet and alfalfa when he was in harder work.
 
Have you tried adding something tasty to the unmollased feed like apple juice or mint? What about linseed some horses like that and it's good for putting on weight.

I have a fussy cob who arrived very underweight and she gets a tub with a couple of kgs of ultra grass for overnight which she always eats up. The only unmollased feed she will eat is the dengie hifi molasses free which is annoying as its low calorie but I add linseed and equivita vitamins and she looks like a proper horse now rather than a hat rack!
 
Try grass nuts slobermash or micronised linseed, I feed copra sometimes I find if you start with the tiniest amount then gradually increase they eat it and then usually love it, if your horse is used to molassed food it will take a while to get him to eat food that is not, it's a bit like having tea with sugar then trying to do without it will taste horrible for a while. not sure which chaff your using but I find most horses like the chopped grass chaff I use the graze on one its just grass nothing added mine love it.
 
I'm using "just grass" chaff, he looks great during the summer on grass only so I was trying to recreate that! I add loads of chopped carrot and some mint to it and he'll eat about half before he gets fed up and Knocks it around the stable.
I'll google those suggestions thanks a mil, and hopefully find stockists
 
Pinkvboots said:
Try grass nuts slobermash or micronised linseed, I feed copra sometimes I find if you start with the tiniest amount then gradually increase they eat it and then usually love it, if your horse is used to molassed food it will take a while to get him to eat food that is not, it's a bit like having tea with sugar then trying to do without it will taste horrible for a while. not sure which chaff your using but I find most horses like the chopped grass chaff I use the graze on one its just grass nothing added mine love it.
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Another vote for slobbermash - but it does contain cereals
 
If I have to feed medicine to a fussy eater I usually mix in some carrot or Apple purée (baby food!) could try that if he likes his carrots?
 
What about reducing the size of his feed but giving him more of them, I've heard quite often that children who are very fussy eaters are overwhelmed by a large meal and need to start with tiny portions, I have no idea if horses are the same but if he's eating some them just playing about with it he probably feels he's had enough. I don't know how much time you have to faff about so it might not be practical for you but maybe give him a small feed as soon as you arrive and another small one just before you leave each time, also each meal will be fresh, I know it already is but to him it will be a 'new' meal even if it's all made up together then split.
 
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