Feeds past their sell by / mixing feeds...

[metalmare]

Hi all,

I have a bag of D and H quiet mix from the spring, which I stopped using when my pony regained the correct weight (when I bought him in spring he had come out of the winter a little on the thin side).

I later bought him some Spillers High Fibre Cubes, but even fed at a reduced rate he did too well on those so I stopped using them.

For a while he has had nothing other than a scoop of hi-fi light with some NAF GP supplement for vits and minerals and some biotin, alongside restricted grazing and a couple of slices of hay. This has brought him to a perfect 3 on a condition score, but I'm concerned he will start to drop past the ideal now the weather has turned.

The mix went out of date in August (I think)... is it risky to use an out of date mix?

The cubes are still fine.

If it is okay to use the mix, is it a bad idea to feed a handful alongside his cubes to get rid? I hate waste of any kind, but I'll just chuck it and feed the cubes if it's a bad idea to use it up. Long term, I'm planning on sticking with high fibre cubes rather than mixes and I think less is more for him.

Thanks.

 

[L&M]

If it smells ok and there is no visible mould I would feed it but be aware that the vit and min levels may be reduced.

 

[metalmare]

That might be no bad thing... a bit of roughage without too much content. I tend to find the feeding guides a bit suspect for Kes anyhow... he only ever seems to need half what the manufacturers recommend, so I tend to try a little, continue weigh-taping, monitor the results and adjust accordingly.

Sound common sense advice and along the lines of what I was thinking... thank you.