Hard feed this winter

horsesfornow

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I have many horses to feed this winter with some horses that need putting on weight as we buy & sell but also do rescue cases too.

The horses that need putting on the weight I do feed chaff, sugarbeet, calm & condition, pasture mix with a cup of corn oil which works great. And the other horses get all the above but without the corn oil and calm & condition.

Is there a cheaper way of replacing the pasture mix as a bag only last about a day with all my horses?
 

kirsty 1

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you didnt say weather you were feeding a named brand but i found that the econamy mixes have the same vits and mins in but are about half the price country wide ,toomers ,d&h all have a good econamy range and are good mixes i dont think horses know its not branded as long as there fed i also feed barly wich is a huge bag for about 6 quid and puts on condition
 

kittykatcat

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'Pasture Mix' (as in the D&H variety) isnt very conditioning...it's just meant as a maintenance type feed or for horses in light work. I'd save your pennies and cut this out completely as the amount of weight that it is actually putting on will be negligable. I would agree with ISH mad an ensure they have access to ad lib good hay or haylage, possibly up the calm and condition and keep well rugged :)
 

Sanolly

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you didnt say weather you were feeding a named brand but i found that the econamy mixes have the same vits and mins in but are about half the price country wide ,toomers ,d&h all have a good econamy range and are good mixes i dont think horses know its not branded as long as there fed i also feed barly wich is a huge bag for about 6 quid and puts on condition

What would the difference between a named brand and an economy brand be then? I always thought it was because they didn't have the extra vits & mins in?
 

posie_honey

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i'd always start with ad lib hay and then only add hard feed if necessary....
also i'd go for fibre base diet so cut out the pasture mix and for the ones that don't need the C&C maybe give them fast fibre instead?
what do you add the chaff for? if its just for bulking and they have ad lib hay you may be able to cut that out too as its really just a bulker
 

posie_honey

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What would the difference between a named brand and an economy brand be then? I always thought it was because they didn't have the extra vits & mins in?

and i thought it was to do with the quality of the raw ingredients :eek:

so i wonder what does make it cheaper?!
 

Maesfen

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I have many horses to feed this winter with some horses that need putting on weight as we buy & sell but also do rescue cases too.

The horses that need putting on the weight I do feed chaff, sugarbeet, calm & condition, pasture mix with a cup of corn oil which works great. And the other horses get all the above but without the corn oil and calm & condition.

Is there a cheaper way of replacing the pasture mix as a bag only last about a day with all my horses?

I would cut out the compound feeds and feed rolled oats instead with sugar beet or soaked alfalfa pellets alongside either Brewers Yeast or an all round supplement, even something like CLOP. Contrary to opinion, oats do not make them fizzy usually and they can give a good covering, they're a good base for a feed like yours IME. You could use micronized barley instead of the oats or you could buy Barley Rings that already have added linseed and vitamins added which you can soak to almost a mash or feed dry mixed with the SB and oats. I'd also feed a decent chaff like Graze On, it's worth it for the difference it makes. Ad lib hay/haylage and rugging if neccesary too as a full warm belly doesn't lose weight as much as an empty cold one would.

Sorry, cost wise, farm rolled oats and micro barley from my merchant are about £5.50 for 25kg and should go a lot further than a bag of compound feed.
 

nativetyponies

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I would cut out the compound feeds and feed rolled oats instead with sugar beet or soaked alfalfa pellets alongside either Brewers Yeast or an all round supplement, even something like CLOP. Contrary to opinion, oats do not make them fizzy usually and they can give a good covering, they're a good base for a feed like yours IME. You could use micronized barley instead of the oats or you could buy Barley Rings that already have added linseed and vitamins added which you can soak to almost a mash or feed dry mixed with the SB and oats. I'd also feed a decent chaff like Graze On, it's worth it for the difference it makes. Ad lib hay/haylage and rugging if neccesary too as a full warm belly doesn't lose weight as much as an empty cold one would.

Sorry, cost wise, farm rolled oats and micro barley from my merchant are about £5.50 for 25kg and should go a lot further than a bag of compound feed.

excellent advice
 

BigRed

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I don't agree that economy brands are just as good as a brand leader. I think you get what you pay for and the cheaper brands are not as good. If you want to save money go back to feeding straights because then you do get more for your money.
 

ossy

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I'd give them more sugarbeet and ad lib hay or haylage and cut out the Pasture Mix personally.

I'm another one for this, and also the old saying feed little and often, especially if feeding to maintain weight, try 3 smaller feeds a day rather than the usual 2.
 
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