Loss of appetite for hard feed?!

[SW3]

Should I be worried - my young horse (4yo) seems to have lost his appetite for his breakfast / supper over the last 2 days? This is since I started adding more Alfa A Chaff to his food to bulk it up a bit. He has alfa already (which is why I am a bit discomforted) albeit not the Dengie stuff, but the 'fewer frills' version supplied by the yard (he is on semi - full livery but the portion sizes of the 'included meals' are not very big - well below quantities recommended by the feed manufacturers (although I realise they tend to be rather 'generous' in their quantities)- & he is a 16hh TB) but I bought some nice Dengie stuff and upped his portion size as the weather is getting colder and I want him to put some more condition on as he started looking a little skinny with the change of seasons (say down from condition score 3 to 2.5 - 2.75) so I wanted to give him more food. Although he has had Dengie before, this time, since I have added it over the last couple of days he has turned his nose up at his feed, just picking a bit but losing interest after a while & leaving most of it. He seems otherwise chirpy and has been noshing on his haylage and grass quite happily.

Before I bought the extra Dengie he was getting a mix of sugar beet (1/4 stubbs scoop), barley (1/4 stubbs scoop), standard horse and pony nuts (1/4 stubbs scoop), non-Dengie alfa (1 stubbs scoop) and Baileys No 4 conditioning cubes (flat stubbs scoop) twice a day (as well as ad lib haylage when in and grass when out - he is currently in over night and out during the day). The Baileys No 4 were my addition to the menu, again due to the loss of condition. He seemed to like this regime but once his condition is back up to 3 - 3.25 sort of levels I'd like to reduce the Baileys (happy to replace it with something less calorific though!) as I imagine he is better on not so much rich concentrate.

I'd be grateful for your views.... perhaps I am just over feeding? I rode him yesterday and he was perky as usual, does seem fine in himself so I wonder if I'm being a bit neurotic.... but at the same time, he is a bit on the poor side in terms of condition and I want to sort it out as he can't build muscle / keep warm etc properly. We're trying him without the Dengie tomorrow so perhaps his reaction will tell us something. Thanks and a big slug of vino if you got this far!

 

[be positive]

I think that you are, by giving him another scoop, making the feeds a] too big and possibly over facing him b] adding too many different things, he may just not like the new addition.
Is he getting plenty of hay that would be the first thing to up, as he is being fed by the yard they may be restricting it.
I would try Pink Powder or oil to help get some more into him without increasing the quantity.
The feed currently provided by the yard is rather mean for a horse of his size/age could you get a reduced rate and provide the feed yourself so you are not paying for barley that is not ideal and pony nuts also not doing much, 1/4 scoop is not enough to provide his vit/mins each day.Does he get a supplement, although now with the extra cubes probably will not need it.

 

[SW3]

Hi there, he does get ad lib hay yes, but tends to be a bit unexcited by it (although I think it is good hay... smells nice and sweet etc), whereas he does enjoy his haylage so he is getting a good portion of that (not weighed admittedly but a full nets worth) with a similar amount of hay to fall back on if he runs out of haylage. So far he has at times finished his haylage but as yet the hay has never all gone.

I'm hoping it is as simple as that he just does not particularly like the new addition. It certainly would be preferable to keep things simpler but in more appropriate portion sizes and think there is something to be said for your suggestion of seeing if I can get a reduced rate for his board and lodging and sort / source the feed myself. I forgot to say he does have oil and NAF pro feet in his evening feed and he has a mineral lick but no pink powder or similar multi vit supplement. The pro feet might be something to take account of actually, he was just having NAF Biotin (which does have zinc, calcium, methionine in it) until a few days ago but there was an offer on the Pro Feet so we went for that but perhaps he is being picky with it (although I'd be surprised if it was having that much effect seeing as the quantity of it is so small in comparison with the 'proper food'). Poor little sausage, it sounds like I have possibly over egged things. Will pare it back and see if he is happier with the sans Dengie version tomorrow. Hope that sounds sensible. Thanks for the advice Be P!

 

[sonjafoers]

My 7/8ths TB won't touch any Dengie products at all but she is very happy to eat other forms of alfalfa or alfalfa/oat straw.

I feed mine Topspec Top Chop or Top Chop Lite which they love, and whilst looking after a friends' horse recently I realised how 'clean' the TopSpec ones are. I had to feed the other horse Dengie Alfa A and it seemed so sticky & clumpy when compared to mine which I guess is down to the molasses in that particular version.

It could be that he just doesn't like the Dengie product but as be positive says it could simply be that he is overfaced. He seems to be getting quite large meals albeit of not great components! Could you not just feed the Baileys No4 alongside the alfalfa he is eating and the hay/haylage? If fed at the correct amounts he would be getting good quality vits/mins from the cubes so wouldn't need anything else.

I'd speak to your YO and come to an arrangement about this if you can. Good luck!