Feeding 4mth foal?

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Hoofprints in the Snow

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What would you be feeding a 4 month old foal ? I think mine is doing ok with nursing from his mum, grass, hay at night and a little mare and young stock D&H twice a day. I don't want him growing too quickly, but nutritionist is saying I am not feeding enough!!
Any comments welcome.
 
I found dodson and horrell Suregrow a very good feed for my 6 mth old colt .It gave him a good balanced start and then when he reached one year old i stopped feeding it.You only need to give a very small amount,a handful to start with and increase as your babe gets older if necesary.You should only need to feed very low quanties of this as it is very well nutritionally balanced .It gave my lad a great start and he is now a strapping 16.1hh 3 year old
 
Does the nutritionist know your horses personally?
It's all very well them saying feed this, this and that, but every horse is different.

I feed entirely by eye, if something is thin then it gets more food, if it's too podgy then less. For now my foals are out 24/7 on good mixed pasture with nothing but grass and a few stolen mouthfuls of mom's stud mix and a mineral lick. They are doing just fine without a nutritionist telling me to stuff them with additives, which of course they would, if I asked them.
 
Thats exactly what I think, I feel he is doing well on what he gets, he had always pinched his mums feed and gets his own now. I always make sure his mum gets enough to keep her in good condition, as she is. I think the foal is doing well, but as you say the nutritionist doesn't know the mare or foal or can see them to judge. I just started to doubt myself as to wether I was feeding them enough. I will get the vet to take a look when he is next out to put my mind at rest tho.
 
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My thoughts precisely.

The Vet is the best person for an unbiased, hands-on opinion, he's not being paid to push a product, mine isn't anyway. IF there is a problem, you can discuss it there and then with the foal in front of you and go from there.

I don't have a problem with Nutritionists at all, I just think that sometimes they push things that aren't entirely necessary or suitable for a particular horse.
 
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