I'm Impressed !

L

LittleWildOne

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I contacted a feed manufacturer for advice on a suitable diet for my in foal pony right through from now until the foal is weaned at 6 months old.
The nutritionist has given me a complete breakdown of the amounts of suitable feed for my filly during pregnancy, lactation and for the foal once he/she can start having feed. The diet is based on a chaff plus beet and a supplement.
The breakdown she has given me includes the daily amounts needed for a specified number of days, the number of bags/tubs of supplement she will need, and a breakdown of the approximate costs based on the recommended retail price !
I have to say I am VERY impressed with this service from Dengie ! :D
 
And did they recommend only their own products?

Take the advice with a big pinch of salt. The dengie nutritionist who came to our yard told me my mare needed more protein and more oil, and proceeded to recommend me feeds from the dengie range that contained less than what I was already using.

Be careful, their job is to sell feed, and their advice is not independent. Try a few other feed companies and compare all the advice you get.
 
Ditto kat. If I fed my 14.2 what feed companies recommended, she'd be morbidly obese. Or gone in a sugar fuelled cloud of dust. When I got daughters pony as a yearling, she was incredibly poor, & weaned very young. Having never had an emaciated yearling before, I did ring a few. And was shocked at the suggestions of how much hard feed she needed. Instead, I contacted a few charities & native stud yards. Who like I'd initially thought, suggested ad lib forage, & either a supplement or balancer.
 
Thanks Kat and littlelegs. :)
My reason for asking them was to get a breakdown of amounts "needed" and approximate costs is to have in writing (email) to pass on to a solicitor for working out the "damages" incurred as a result of my last YO's negligence. ;)

Best to have this information from a nutritionist for these reasons.
Yes, they did recommend another company's products too. :)

I've not heard back from other feed companies yet.
 
I can see the logic if its part of a case for damages. Try & get in touch with a few studs who breed similar types to your pony & ask their advice too.
 
Glad your happy :) it gives you peace of mind knowing they are getting the correct stuff!!!

Especially if someone else is paying..... Can spa days and chocolate be classed as 'damages' .. For the trauma caused.. Hehe :)
 
Kat said:
And did they recommend only their own products?

Take the advice with a big pinch of salt. The dengie nutritionist who came to our yard told me my mare needed more protein and more oil, and proceeded to recommend me feeds from the dengie range that contained less than what I was already using.

Be careful, their job is to sell feed, and their advice is not independent. Try a few other feed companies and compare all the advice you get.
Click to expand...

Actually I completely understand this sceptical and cautionary response, but I have to say that I contacted all the major food companies when my mare was poorly and all the nutritionalists were excellent... where appropriate they did reccomend their own feed... why wouldn't they if it will do the job, but they also reccomended more suitable products by their competitors... I found nothing but a fantastic service geared towards the horse... and this included the following companies:

Horshage/Mollichaff
Dengie
Allen and Page
Dodson and Horrell
Baileys
 
Yes LL, I've been to a course of feeding lectures by Dr Derek Cuddeford in the past. It is just useful to have a written breakdown in these circumstances. :)

I'm in regular contact with a number of breeders from Native pony studs around the UK, with some being specifically New Forest pony studs.

MrVelvet, Ooooh, what a good idea ! Lol :D.
I'll definitely be in need of a spa day or 3 and lots of chocolates after being on constant foal watch during winter. :D

The feed and amounts I was given by Dengie are -
Before foaling - 1kg per day Alfa-A LITE, 1/2kg (dry weight) per day Alfa-Beet and 60g per day Performance Vit/Min supplement.

After foaling - 1 1/2kg per day Alfa-A LITE or Alfa-A Molasses Free, 1kg (dry weight) per day Alfa-Beet and 90g per day Performance supplement.

When the foal is 3 months old - start introducing a handful per day of chaff (whichever one my mare is having) and Alfa-Beet plus 30g Performance supplement, then gradually increasing to 1/2 scoop per day of chaff, 1/2 scoop (soaked) Alfa-Beet and 90g Performance supplement by the time the foal is 6 months old.

Alfa-A Molasses Free is higher in digestible energy per kg than AA Lite, so if my mare needs extra energy during lactation (if she loses too much condition), this would give her more energy but is still a fibre only diet.

The amounts of chaff/beet are adjustable, depending on how well my mare & foal are doing.
They also recommended a different company's stud balancer if I prefer to use a pelleted product for the correct vits/mins. All of the above is based on a still growing (mare will be 4yo next May) Native pony and a Warmblood cross foal. Grazing and forage were also taken into account. :)
 
Thanks Queenbee :)
I'll give those feed companies a try too.

p.s. the total (estimated based on the RRP) cost from Dengie from now until the foal is 6 months old is just under £700. That's for 20 bags of Alfa-A, 20 bags of Alfa-Beet and 15 tubs of the supplement.
 
Got a reply back from Dodson & Horrell too now.
Theirs is Mare & Youngstock Mix, Fibergy and Ultimate Balancer, then Foal Mix for the foal. They have also broken the amounts down to daily rations and cost per day, allowing for adjustments to the amounts depending on how my mare & foal are doing. :D
 
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