Feeding for weight gain

ktj1891

ktj1891

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So another annual condition based feed topic.

My guy is currently on pure condition x 2 feeds a day at 2kg plus 2 plastic cups of micronised linseed in each feed.

Again he is dropping weight, it seems the only thing that does him any good is spring grass, anyways is there anything I can add to his diet to help him a little more.

I was thinking along the lines kwikbeet, alfa a oil, coolstance copra?

Or barley or oats are they good or bad?

He is out during day roughly 7 to 5 everyday on pretty poor grazing and a haynet for nightime.

Advice appreciated.
 
Bran? I thought you were only suppose to feed bran if they had a bout of tummy problems, not regularly? Also needs to be low sugars, barefoot friendly :)
 
Are you feeding adlib hay? that would be the first thing to try if not. Then something like speedibeet, barefoot friendly, or possibly grass nuts which would replace some of the grazing he is not getting at this time of year. I cannot think that bran would do any good, possibly a 3rd feed if you can fit one in.
 
He isn't on adlib hay but he is getting as much as he is eating if that makes sense. I don't give him adlib as he wastes it. He gets a big haynet and is eating that well, he was on adlib haylege last year and doesn't make a difference.

He won't eat grass nuts (used to be on simple systems) and I can't fit third feed in as he is out all day.

Can anyone tell me if barley or oats is good and what is there nutritional content, what is the best way to feed it?

I haven't actually weighed his linseed yet so how much can I feed him a day?
 
I've got my TB on a weight gain diet at the moment which includes conditioning nuts, grass nuts and fibre beet but the one thing that I think is making a real difference is oil.

I'm giving him a massive 400ml a day (I know its seems alot) which he'll be on for a couple of weeks before knocking back to 200ml a day. Corn oil is best, but I've actually got him on rapeseed oil for now because of the quantity and cost. He'll go back to corn oil when the amount reduces.

Its a great way to get the calories in without adding volume. Linseed (micronised or oil) is equally as good.
 
Barley is for condition, the extruded stuff you can soak down, or feed the rolled version. Fine if they can cope with Starch (mine ties up so I cant use it)

Oats = energy :)

Linseed 500grms a day is the suggested limit I think.

I cant get pure oil into my mare she wont touch it.

Copra Coolstance is another very high oil feed- mine didn't like it too much.

Have you called the pure feed co for their suggestions? Its not a feed ive fed so cant comment on it
 
Does anyone have the nutritional values of oats or barley and where I can buy it or feed brands that sell it?

I think I may just up his Linseed intake for now. Although pure feed already has linseed in it AND I am giving 4 plastic cups of micronised linseed as well.
 
If you pop into your local feed merchant they'll stock it and have the nutritional info. Its usually called straights - ie its not gone through any processing.
 
Just to give you an idea of the volume of feed my chap is getting and is gaining weight - just so you can compare:

am 1/2 stubbs scoop fibre beet soaked
2 x stubbs scoops conditioning nuts
200ml oil

pm 1 stubbs scoop grass nuts soaked
1/2 stubbs scoop fibre beet soaked
1 x stubbs scoop conditioning nuts
200ml oil

For weight gain, i think the general consensus is you feed 2.5% body weight with feed.
 
1 - Ditch the pure feeds. Both our TB's dropped a lot of weight, very quickly on it. Made their coats dull and scurfy too.

2 - Ad lib hay or haylege.

3 - What about Winergy conditioning?

Mine is on 3 scoops a day + 2 mugs of micronised linseed + 1 scoop mollichaff calmer (he is in hard work and needs those extra calories). He looks positively rotund for a very poor doer ex racer. He is also barefoot.
 
Hi Nikkimariet

Sorry, off on a bit of a tangent - impressed with a barefoot TB. Are you simply blessed or have you a secret to great feet? I use Kevin Bacon, and got to say, its very good - is there something else I should know? ;)
 
Boiled barley. Get a slow cooker and put it on overnight. I do half scoop of whole barley to 1 scoop water and cook for 12 hours. I give him a few spoonfuls in his evening feed.

It has worked wonders with my tb.
 
OP - mine was on exactly the same feed as yours but with ad lib haylage and he was dropping weight. I followed NMT's advice and tried him on Wingery Condition and he's like a different horse after the first 3 bags. He's got lots more energy and is putting on weight even though the grass growth is slowing down. I started him on 3kg a day but he got really fizzy and excitable, so I dropped it to 2-2.5 kg and he's much better
Mine was doing fine on pure feeds up until a couple of months ago but then started to really drop off
 
Winergy has less DE in it though and more starch? So I'm not keen to change to that feed. I need something higher DE if anything?
 
spaceflower said:
Hi Nikkimariet

Sorry, off on a bit of a tangent - impressed with a barefoot TB. Are you simply blessed or have you a secret to great feet? I use Kevin Bacon, and got to say, its very good - is there something else I should know? ;)
Click to expand...

He has good feet to be fair to him. He's fed a completely commercial diet including haylage and is out all day (in at night) every day on ex dairy grass.

He is in hard work. And I'm a firm believer that the harder work they are in, the more you can 'get away with'. So to speak.

P.S. He's never sick or sorry. Not insane. And really rather lovely too :)

ktj1891 said:
Winergy has less DE in it though and more starch? So I'm not keen to change to that feed. I need something higher DE if anything?
Click to expand...

Not given us a problem with our 3 barefooters (2 TB, 1 ISH).

The pure feeds didn't work at all. They bloomed for a week and then dropped considerably and went off eating at all. Even the fatty ISH lost weight.

I've lost count of the number of people who found the same thing incl weight loss and reduced coat quality. And also the number of people who were having to feed more and more to keep the weight on.

ETA if you are having to feed more calories (more linseed), on an already high calorie diet - something is NOT working. Change it.
 
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just to second NMT, if you want condition without fizz the winergy condition is absolutely THE best thing IMO.

CS was on it as a 4/5/6yo and looked fabulous. Sadly as he is now working GP and is an idle toe rag, he needs whizz bang energy (which he gets from Havens Slobbermash which i also think is amazing for those needing condition AND fizz).
But he gets the winergy High Energy as a chaff, and that helps keep weight up and stamina.

I really really rate the winergy feeds, think they are very well thought out and very palatable to most horses.

I would seriously try swapping to the condition and see how he looks in 2/3 weeks :)

and a p.s re feet-CS is barefoot too, and as per NMT, the harder they work, the more you can get away with in terms of feeding for feet. I wouldnt ever have thought the slobbermash was foot friendly but he burns off the starch through work and works hard, on a supportive surface, and thus it doesnt make him footy.
If you can get him to the point of working pretty hard, you can feed a very *commercial* diet without footiness issues.
 
My guy is in literally no work ATM due to an operation. I put him on pure feeds last year and through summer he has been the best ever. I just get so confused about feed malarkey. He is also barefoot all around now and sore in front only had them off 6 weeks. But comfortable with boots. I've looked up Alfa a oil and Alfa beet as well as kwik beet. I'm also looking cost effective as pure feeds is costing me a lot. He also wind sucks too so low sugar starch diet really is important for him and I think linseed it going to the safest calorific option for me. My guy always looks quite poor through winter and his coat does tend to be very dull and scurfy!
 
bran and speedibeet, low sugar, recommended for PPID horses who need to gain weight if the hi fi molasses free and spillers lite isnt enough...you need both to counter act the minerals...and no it isnt just for dicky tummys :) and increase micronised inseed up to 200grms( i think thats the correct measurement)...
 
I have a bad doer every difficult to gain weight, but all i can suggest that helps my horse and she has kept her weight on all last winter is:

AM feed; SOAKED ALFA BEET, CONDITIONING CUBES ALFA A WITH GOOD DOLOP OF CORN OIL.
Big haylage net in am [ or give him haylage to munch on in the feild if your grazing is poor]

PM SAME HAS BREAKFAST
2 large hatlage nets to last threw the night.

BOILED BARLEY is fantastic weight gain but can give them energy!!

i don t weigh my feeds out tend to over feed, if they get a little too porkie i reduce slightly the hard feed.

good luck hun xx
 
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