Further feed help for underweight 1y/o

T

Twinkletoes

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 February 2007
Messages
1,107
Location
Cornwall
Visit site
Have a 1y/o gelding, getting better but still needs a lot more weight on. All clear from vets and reg wormed. On Suregrow (just over recommended amt and doing better on this than he did on Spillers youngstock) and Hifi, with Fenugreek because he is a fusspot with his food. On good grazing. Really do want to get some good weight on him still. Advice much appreciated.
 
Sorry, it does take time, you'll just have to be patient!
You're giving him the right food now but it takes a long time for a youngster to put on weight plus try to grow at the same time; it's bad enough for an older horse just to have to worry about putting weight on; it's doubly hard for a youngster to do both things at once. I can't remember how long you've had him, his state before or his breed/type, so please remember if he was so bad then it could take nearly a year to get him right but please don't shovel food into him, it will do more harm than good.
 
I added baileys prep mix to my yearlings feed who lost a lot of weight, she now looks fab. As someone else said though, dont over feed though.
 
Thanks all. MFH_09 you are right, its just we've had him since Nov and the other 2 geldings look utterly different. Am sure as the ugly duckling he may come out the best, but he really does look quite poor still. Aware of joint etc probs I could cause with overdoing it, so will jsut have to see how it does. Did 60 days of Pink P in March and little improvement but may well be worth trying again. Thanks all.
 
I swear by speedi beet to add a bit of bulk and in order to avoid growth probs i'd feed a high fibre low protein diet.

A diet high in protein may cause him to grow upwards rather than outwards.(as with my previous filly who was on topspec and developed DOD- no amount of feed would bulk her out...) crazy as it sounds it may be better to drop the suregrow and just feed hi-fi and speedibeet with a broad spec supp added. also feed add lib hay when in.

My (now 22 month old) came to me looking quite poor in feb and he didn't get any bucket feed to begin with just hay and a dengie Stable lick. the change in him is remarkable. even now he just has a handful of hi-fi lite with garlic added.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, it does take time, you'll just have to be patient!
You're giving him the right food now but it takes a long time for a youngster to put on weight plus try to grow at the same time; it's bad enough for an older horse just to have to worry about putting weight on; it's doubly hard for a youngster to do both things at once. I can't remember how long you've had him, his state before or his breed/type, so please remember if he was so bad then it could take nearly a year to get him right but please don't shovel food into him, it will do more harm than good.

[/ QUOTE ]



^^^ this is really and truely the best advice as over feeding youngsters is potentially very harmful as studies are beginning to show more oftern and could potentially cause problems later on!!! As long as you have the foreage right and maybe a youngstock balancer that should be enough!
 
Thank you. He will not be overfed cereals, and D&H were very helpful when originally sorting out a balanced diet for him. Everyone keeps telling me he'll be a different horse come next year. He doesnt seem to graze a lot at all and would much rather tuck into haylage, so who knows he may even pick up more once the winter sets in, he'll be rugged and stabled too so we'll see! Eek I cant even think about the winter yet.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thank you. He will not be overfed cereals, and D&H were very helpful when originally sorting out a balanced diet for him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Funnily enough so were Topspec when I enquired into their product! It didn't make their product right for my horse though!

As for cereals and growth problems, you also need to consider that alfa alfa based products and those high in protein also contribute to growth disorders developing, hense my recomending a very simple fibre based diet.

If he likes hay / haylage, there's your answer! allow him access to as much as possible..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top