help and advice re: youngster weight gain

Queenbee

Queenbee

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 August 2007
Messages
12,020
Location
Cumbria
Visit site
well,

ex OH has agreed to back off and let me get on with my horses relatively unhindered so they can stay where they are for the time being. As a result I went up and had a good horsey couple of hours today but ben has had another growth spurt and looks like a neglected hat rack :(he does this from time to time but I am in a bit of a quandry, t'is spring grass season and the fields were fertalised a couple of weeks back and are green and growing rapidly. He generally has a handful of chaff, 1/2 scoop fast fibre soaked and his vitamins and minerals. this is normally more than enough, if he has a spurt I normally up the hard feed.

My question is, with fertalised, spring grass zooming up out of the ground should I up his feed or wait for the grass to do its job, I am also just about to worm him tomorrow which will help, but I see little point in chucking extra food down his throat if the grass will do its job.

Advice and opinions please :)
 
what age is he? also height and breeding/rugs. my youngster is in still but shes on adlib hay with 2 feeds of happy hoof and mare and youngstock. i've used suregrow in the past which was excellent for condition. would rather they looked gangly through their growing than risk their legs.
i think maybe in your situation id compromise with myself and up the feed half the amount i usually would more for my benefit haha
mya looks like shes a few different horses put together just now.
any pics?
 
Last edited:
liannexsx said:
what age is he? also height and breeding/rugs. my youngster is in still but shes on adlib hay with 2 feeds of happy hoof and mare and youngstock. i've used suregrow in the past which was excellent for condition. would rather they looked gangly through their growing than risk their legs.
mya looks like shes a few different horses put together just now.
any pics?
Click to expand...

he's sports horse type but fluffy :D and with a bit of feather. He is 22 months and now standing about 15hh, he is now unrugged and moulting so I am nice and white and fluffy too :eek: he is out and was only really stabled through really bad weather or continuous downpours, adlib hay is not an option, I am not allowed to put it in the field (ex is a tit!) The grass is well fertalised and is just springing up, i suspect that in a couple of weeks there will be too much! My mare is also in the field, 15 1 17yrs tbx friesian, she is just showing her ribs (as you would expect in the onset of spring) but is tbh just right.

I think it is because he is due for worming, moulting and just grown again. I know he is getting all the nutrients he needs, but I have now run out of chaff so he turned his nose up at the FF today (he hates soaked food, hence why I use chaff too!)

There are also 2 other horses coming to the field next week so I can't put haynets out in the field, I won't feed theirs too, if I do anything it will be upping the hard feed, but I am just not sure it is needed with the grass growing as it is.
 
TBH, I won't touch calm and condition with a barge pole, I generally try and feed the two of them the same and my girl blows her nuts on it :D also, that has to be soaked too so if I swap to another hard feed, ideally it will suit them both, although I don't really mind keeping her on the remaining FF, she does well on it, but whatever I choose for him, I would rather is an 'all in non-soaked food' he hates sludge! I was thinking perhaps chaff and baileys outshine or baileys youngstock type mix, but with the grass coming through I don't want to overload him. Arrrrgh, its all so difficult nowadays!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top