feeding for weight gain without fizz!

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kellie1189

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I have tried my boy on micronized linseed now on the recommendation from a previous post for 2 months and whilst he has maintained weight he isn't gaining weight. Would you try anything else or have I not give it long enough? I need weight gain without the fizz. He has 2 feeds a day molichaff calmer and 1 mug of linseed split between 2 feeds. I'd like to keep him on the molichaff calmer as this has really works for him. He has good quality ad lib hay. We have tried calm and condition and the mixes but this blew his brain and he became unmanagble. Any advice much appreciated I have been told grass pellets would help? Thank you
 
I've got my ISH on copra/cool stance which people on here seemed to rate a while back. After 3 days of ignoring her feeds she suddenly decided she loved it after all, but is still losing weight :(
 
I was told from a friend who works for the feed company that the molichaff calmer was an all in one feed would include everything he needs???
 
I feed grass nuts, I certainly wouldn't say they were great for weight gain tbh.

How much linseed are you feeding at the moment? I would definitely try feeding more. I find oats are good for putting on weight, however I can't guarantee they won't make him fizzy :)
 
Equerry cool condition mash
Rowan-barberry purple solutions mash
Veteran vitality
Spillers Conditioning fibre

These are what I have used for my veteran to help him out weight on whilst not annoying his cereal intolerance :)
 
Would it be practical to split the rations into more than 2 feeds? It does seem to make a difference.
Unless you can get the horse to eat lots of hay in the field you might want to temporarily stable for a little bit longer than you might do otherwise in order to get enough hay into him.
Like others, I would also up the linseed, a mug per feed rather than per day might have more impact.
Have you already given a course of pre- or probiotics just in case that helps - I have had good results with protexin before.
If all else fails, you could add oil to the feed. Build up the amount you give slowly, as some oils are not that palatable and it can make them loose if you add it too quickly. I think I got up to a pint a day split between 4 feeds when I was putting weight on my big horse. It worked though!
 
Can you use the Mollichaff condition instead? It's a fibre based feed so shouldn't fizz him up, I would also try adding some Speedibeet and increase the linseed to 1 mug per feed. If you are feeding less than the recommended amount of the Mollichaff you would ideally look to add a balancer, I fully recommend Topspec Comprehensive Balancer as it contains all the nutrients the horse needs and contains a very good probiotic to enhance digestion, It's also cereal free.
 
I really rate Copra

Also second the suggestion of feeding more meals if you can, when trying to get weight on my pony I found one additional feed before lights out to be very beneficial
 
Alfa A and Ready Mash extra, the results were amazing on my boy who lost so much condition after a yard move but tried the same with my new boy who drops condition in winter and it seems he cant tollerate Alfalfa so he has Topspec cool condition cubes, Hifi and speedibeet. I love the Topspec range, the cool condition cubes didnt alter his temperament one bit.
 
You want to look at something that's high in calories, but supply them from slow release sources, such as oil.

Avoid anything high in sugar and starch. Anything with barley, oats, molasses etc.

I really rate outshine. It also gives them a wonderfully shiney coat, and has never failed to work on any horse I've put on it. I've tried linseed in the past, but have found it pretty nigh on useless tbh!
 
copra or equi jewel for weight gain seen really good results from both, they are not cheap but once his got to the weight you want you will find he won't need as much to maintain it.
 
Don't think anyone has mentioned it but could you give access to ad-lib hay? He sounds like he's a bit of a lively one so perhaps the constant access to food will keep his mind busy and he may not drop weight due to stressing or worrying? I found it brilliant for my TB x who frets in the stable - once he has constant hay he keeps his head down and just eats to his hearts content!

Failing that I find equi-jewel amazing! Fast results too - we feed it to our hunters throughout hunting season. Its great for providing condition without having to feed large quantities of hard feed (which sends them bananas - I've tried it!). It's pretty much the horse version of eating butter :)
 
I think before you start changing feeds, I'd sit down and figure out how much energy your current bucket feed contains. All you need are some kitchen scales (to weigh how much of each feed you're feeding) and google to look up the MJ/kg value for each. Any swaps in feed you make should increase the overall energy content of your bucket feed.
Just as an example, linseed has a very high energy content (20MJ/kg), but a mug probably contains only around 150-200g, so that's only 3-4MJ. For reference, my 400kg native in light work has an overall energy requirement around 68MJ/day. 3-4 extra MJ are not very much in the grand scheme.
The Mollichaff page says a flat stubbs scoop contains 450g of Mollichaff calmer, and it has the energy content of 9.8MJ/kg. You say you give two feeds of chaff, so let's say that is two slightly rounded (600g) scoops. With those assumptions, you'd be feeding around 15MJ total, including the mug of linseed. If you want to swap feeds or add anything else, you should aim increase the MJ/day for weight gain.
As a suggestion, increasing the linseed to 500g, you'd increase the energy of your ration to about 22MJ.
 
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