Feeding supplements to good doer in summer. What feed?

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Ellietotz

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I expect this has probably been posted a million times before but I am going to ask again, sorry!

My mare is a good weight, out 24/7 on good grass and ideally doesn't need any hard feed but I need to feed her joint supplement and hormone supplement every day.
I've tried all combinations with her current feed!

She's on fast fibre, basic pony nuts and honeychop Lite and healthy which I have cut down to half a cup of each and a handful of the chaff. I would still rather only feed a handful of chaff but she won't eat it with the supplements in. I've tried the pony nuts on their own, the fast fibre, chaff and fibre, chaff and nuts etc, spearmint, garlic, chopped apples and carrots, apple cider vinegar, she won't eat it unless I do a full cup of fast fibre, good handful of chaff and a cup of pony nuts with chopped apples or carrots which is far too much especially since she doesn't need the food!

There must be another way???
 
Agrobs has solved all of these issues for me, now just use they hay cobs which are really low energy, soak well to hold any powdered supplements and bowls licked clean.
 
This is going to sound painfully faffy. I give a scant double handful of speedibeet soaked in redbush and chamomile tea and put the balancer in that. The tea is me trying the new fad to see if it has any impact on his sweetitch (it doesn't) but he likes it.
 
Sixpence will eat anything as long as it's hidden in his TopSpec High Fibre Mash, and believe me, he really is the fussiest eater going.
 
ester said:
Agrobs has solved all of these issues for me, now just use they hay cobs which are really low energy, soak well to hold any powdered supplements and bowls licked clean.
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I've tried hay cobs, she didn't even like them without supplements!
 
Surbie said:
This is going to sound painfully faffy. I give a scant double handful of speedibeet soaked in redbush and chamomile tea and put the balancer in that. The tea is me trying the new fad to see if it has any impact on his sweetitch (it doesn't) but he likes it.
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That does sound a tad faffy :lol: I wonder if speedibeet is tastier than fast fibre?
 
JJS said:
Sixpence will eat anything as long as it's hidden in his TopSpec High Fibre Mash, and believe me, he really is the fussiest eater going.
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Will have a look at that. I just don't want to go and buy whole new bags of feed and discover she won't eat it!
 
Get a nice sweet tasting yogurt, blend all the supplements into it, syringe it in. If she will allow that.
 
A balancer to be sure she's getting all her vits & mins, add water & most of them will make a mash.
 
Have you tried Pink Mash? My mare loves it, although she's not exactly fussy. Or Fast Fibre is good. I'd also add loads of dried mint to help make it palatable.
 
Amirah said:
Scooping out holes in pears and plums works for me (apples didn't though).
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I did that with apples and carrots when I needed to give my mare Danilon and Joint Supp, but was living out in a big herd so couldn't take a bucket feed.
 
Fjord said:
Have you tried Pink Mash? My mare loves it, although she's not exactly fussy. Or Fast Fibre is good. I'd also add loads of dried mint to help make it palatable.
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She's on fast fibre already and a tonne of dried mint hasn't made any difference sadly. Pink mash never worked when she was on it before either!
 
Nari said:
A balancer to be sure she's getting all her vits & mins, add water & most of them will make a mash.
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Does that taste good enough to disguise supplements without having to feed too much? I don't need her to put on any more weight!
 
I have a fussy pony who needs a load of steroids at the moment (liver problem), but is fat and laminitis risk from steroids....
my other 2 have a general supplement with speedy-beet and oat chaff. he wasn't fussed by that, and similarly with fast fibre- even with lovingly grated apple!. the only thing that seems to make him eat is micronised linseed. I know that is fat, but it is better than sugar hit in my opinion and good for skin. he doesn't seem to need much- he has a small mug of fast fibre with 7 tablets and two scoops of steroid powder and strong liver supplement, with just 1/4 mug of linseed. if I miss the linseed he won't touch it! twice a day.
 
pippixox said:
I have a fussy pony who needs a load of steroids at the moment (liver problem), but is fat and laminitis risk from steroids....
my other 2 have a general supplement with speedy-beet and oat chaff. he wasn't fussed by that, and similarly with fast fibre- even with lovingly grated apple!. the only thing that seems to make him eat is micronised linseed. I know that is fat, but it is better than sugar hit in my opinion and good for skin. he doesn't seem to need much- he has a small mug of fast fibre with 7 tablets and two scoops of steroid powder and strong liver supplement, with just 1/4 mug of linseed. if I miss the linseed he won't touch it! twice a day.
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She will eat linseed but she isn't overly fussed with it either. I don't know how I can hide these bloomin supplements without causing weight gain!
 
My mare picks her supplements out if I give it with her normal feed so she gets speedy beet, a handful of chaff and a few carrots. She still doesn’t eat it all in one go but i’m Ok with that. Our pony will eat anything and gets a handful of he speedy beet (400ml dry split 3/4 1/4) and a kid’s handful of chaff with his magnesium powder.
 
MouseInLux said:
My mare picks her supplements out if I give it with her normal feed so she gets speedy beet, a handful of chaff and a few carrots. She still doesn’t eat it all in one go but i’m Ok with that. Our pony will eat anything and gets a handful of he speedy beet (400ml dry split 3/4 1/4) and a kid’s handful of chaff with his magnesium powder.
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Is speedibeet any different to fast fibre other than the additives?
 
I manage to get Divas supplements into her in the summer with half a mug of soaked fibre cubes and a sprinkling of micronised linseed on top. She hates any feed in the summer, but will eat this as it’s a small amount and obviously tasty enough.
If I put it in any sort of chaff she just knocks it over and walks away.
 
scats said:
I manage to get Divas supplements into her in the summer with half a mug of soaked fibre cubes and a sprinkling of micronised linseed on top. She hates any feed in the summer, but will eat this as it’s a small amount and obviously tasty enough.
If I put it in any sort of chaff she just knocks it over and walks away.
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What high fibre cubes do you use?
 
Just a though, have you tried a good old fashioned Jam or Marmite sandwhich with the supplements hidden inside?
 
I use a bit of molasses for a few days, then gradually dilute it down with water so after a week or so it's just a splash of "molasses water" which is about 10% molasses at most. Has never failed yet. Most will then eat whatever feed it's on without any at all.
 
Nasicus said:
Just a though, have you tried a good old fashioned Jam or Marmite sandwhich with the supplements hidden inside?
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I came to suggest marmite myself. I won't feed bread daily, so my old boy had his meds and supplements for his liver mixed in with a few large teaspoons of marmite and smeared into his food or on pieces of carrot. Worked a treat for a fussy eater.
 
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