Feeding a Youngster - 22m old!

km-j

km-j

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Okay.....I am feeding my Irish Draught x TB with 1 scoop of mare & Youngstock mix and a handful of Alfa a oil morning & night as she is stabled......do you think I should change to Safe & Sound with a scoop of sugarbeet!!! I really don't know, she seems fine and loves her food but am I feeding her too much and over feeding or feeding the wrong stuff. I am a fan of safe & sound anyway! Grrrrr :-D x
 
Mine is on bailys stud balancer and chaff. They are really helpful i would speak to them, they know what they are talking about.
If that's a round stubs scoop it seems a lot of food? X
 
Mine is a fair bit younger than yours! Still v helpful i sold with them a couple of times as my last baby now five grew, he always looked funny lol looking back its because he was growing so muchi wound up 17.1, a little surprised as both mum and dad are 16.1
 
Thanks for that. I did contact Dodson & Horrell about this a d that's what they recommended and told me the quantuty but is that just to get me buying more feed as it does seem quite a lot but she is growing still! What's the quantity you feed and the frequency......17.1 wow that must of been a surprise. She is expected to be 15.1 and she sitting about 14 at the min .
 
I would be very reluctant to feed an RID youngster at the recommended levels that are detailed on some of the feed bags.

Most RID or ID x are good doers and tend to be slow growers. Pumping the food in may result in growth spurts and the problems that go with it.

I have reared several and have one on the go at the moment who is 21 months old. I feed adlib haylage and a bucket ration of Dodson and Horrell Suregrow (250g per 100kg body weight is the recommended amounts) it is a low calorie but nutrient dense pelleted feed, I add a handful of reddigrass to make sure she does not wolf it down and a splash of sugerbeet juice. A salt lick is also available.

She looks grand and is growing very evenly. I use the same feed on her boyfriend who is a irish vanner x shire. He is growing like a weed and does not look as good as the other one at the moment but he is going to be massive and it would not be wise to push his growth with stud mixes.
 
She is approximately 250 in weight and she was very weedy looking last April and thin and she lived out until November where she now has breakfast and tea, growing slowly and calm horse, I have notice that she has had a growth burst specially back end, then someone said last night 'bloody hell what you feeding her' so as you can imagine I am worrying, she does rush her food, how would you recommend changing her feed? She isn't rugged either just in at night so quite hairy at the minute...thanks
 
So two large stubb scoop of youngstock mix daily? That's an awful lot of hardfeed.

Mine (also TBxID) was poor when he arrived. He was on alfa oil and sugarbeet until he put a little weight on and adlib good quality haylege.

He then had had lib haylege and just a token feed with a balancer (suregrow then lo-cal)
 
Just under one scoop so one in the morning and one at night. There is so many feeds out there it's confusing! Spillers told me if I swop to 'Gro & Win' then a 1 scoop twice a day but I still think that's a lot, I want to feed her something that doesn't make her fizz but gives her the nutrients she needs with the supplements for bone/joint growth etc
 
Feed companies want you to buy their feed;)

She will grow perfect well on hay/grass and nothing else. She doesn't actually NEED a supplement. If her feet are in good condition (they're your best indication of health) then the rest is fine.

You will do far more damage over feeding than underfeeding!

Unless she's not holding weight then adlib hay is all she needs and a general supplement/balancer to keep you happy.
 
Thanks for that. I have added some pictures to my album for you to look at. Should I start reducing her feed slowly so she at least thinks she getting something?

Kel
 
I have a 22 month old warmblood gelding and he only has 1/2 round scoop of d&h sure grow and a double handful of happy hoof once a day with a little micronised linseed and adlib hay and he looks gr8 and is growing steady.
 
My 9 month old TB gets a Stubbs scoop of D and H yearling cubes split in to two meals a day,she looks good on it and is growing steadily,I will switch her to Suregrow when some grass deigns to appear!
 
My youngsters all have a scoop of alfa oil, top spec balancer at half rate and if they need a bit more weight micronised linseed about a mug full a day I feed it damp either water of speedibeet but very wet so lots of water and not much speedibeet. Ad lib haylage is great but I find just that makes them a bit pot bellied as they grow so a good protein source and a balancer would be my way to go. They are all fed once a day
I always have fed high fibre high oil high protein diets to mine. Youngsters need protein to grow properly.
I try to keep cereals out of their food and starch and sugar below 5%
 
windand rain said:
My youngsters all have a scoop of alfa oil, top spec balancer at half rate and if they need a bit more weight micronised linseed about a mug full a day I feed it damp either water of speedibeet but very wet so lots of water and not much speedibeet. Ad lib haylage is great but I find just that makes them a bit pot bellied as they grow so a good protein source and a balancer would be my way to go. They are all fed once a day
I always have fed high fibre high oil high protein diets to mine. Youngsters need protein to grow properly.
I try to keep cereals out of their food and starch and sugar below 5%
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Their pot belly is because they're stuffed full of fibre, as they should be. If they're gassy then you need to swap to a fibre that suits them more (i.e hay). Do not just restrict them! They need ad lib and should be allowed as much fibre as they want, instead of restricting them and feeding smaller qualities of higher energy feed.
 
I am not against ad lib hay and mine are not restricted as they live out 24/7 and are atypical as I cant feed large amounts of hay due to it causing diahorrea. I do however feel that only hay is not a suitable diet for a big growing animal as they need the building blocks of high protein diets to grow properly My opinion others can do as they like
I like a good alfa/ oil/ balancer for growing youngsters They can have as much hay as they can eat as long as it doesnt upset them which it does mine or in summer as much grass as they can eat. Once they get to three I start to watch their weight as it is possible to get laminitis in young horses if they are allowed to get grossly overweight
 
My 21month (14hh at present) has a double handful of hifi original and 150g spillers gro n win - twice a day. She is a good weight, a little bit porky if anything, but has a great coat and great feet :)
 
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