Feeding a youngster - 2 years old

[peerielee]

My youngster is rising 2 yr old Friesian and is looking good. I currently feed her on D & H ultimate balancer (slighttly less than recomended amount), chaff and speedy beet. She gets small quantities of these twice a day. She is out during the day and in at night getting ad -lib hay. As with everyone else there is no grass.
She is completly high just now, in and out, which is not normal, (poss think its the balancer) Can anyone suggest a non heating feed i could give her or even a supplement so she is still getting all the nutrienets required for her growing body. I had thought about Naf pink powder but im not sure its right for her. Any advice would be helpful.

 

[scotsmare]

How long has she had the balancer for? Has her routine changed lately?

 

[peerielee]

She has been on balancer for around 2 months, before that it was a youngster mix (got balancer as they had no youngster mix in and thought it would be a good move providing all ness nutrients) There has been no change in her daily routine, weather has been really bad here so she has been in for odd day or two but nothing that would make a noticable difference.

 

[millitiger]

mine all get Tpospec Balancer (pelleted) and either some Alfa-A, D&H Pasture Mix or Topspec Conditioning Flakes depending on their condition.

the main thing i look at is to keep the starch levels down for the babies- the above system has worked really well with my various youngsters for about 6 years.

edited to add- the main thing they get is ad-lib forage, whether it be grass, hay or haylage. they eat nowhere near the recommended rates of any of the feeds above.

 

[ccooxxyy]

Baileys stud balancer, it is high in protien and promotes healthy growth and has no calories/starch so is non-heating. This is all that my yearling(nearly2yo) is on, my brood mare and my event horse, who is renowned for heating up on the slightest hint of a calorie!
Chaff and sugar beet contain sugar hence lots of calories... food for thought!!

 

[Sags_Deer]

First of all remb you have a youngster they can be lively and cheeky as they want to play! Maybe unmollassed chaff, speedi beet should ideally be okay and just a good basic vit and min supplement like equivite instead.

 

[amandaco2]

i feed mine BSB too, great stuff, plus chaff and loads of hay.she goes out as much as poss.

 

[Archie07]

My native 2 year old is on 1 feed of Hi Fi Lite and Bailey's Stud Balancer and hay, out 24/7.

 

[peerielee]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think she is going through a stage of being cheeky and high just now. Was talking to some friends who have youngsters and there ones seem to be the same just now - poss the weather? Will keep monitering things and adust her feed alittle.

 

[phantomhorse]

Could she be hungry? All mine get lairy at this time of year. Simply because they are hungrier than normal. Goodness knows why it make them skittery and difficult to handle but I know for sure that it is them feeling hungry at this time of year. Lack of grass, colder weather?