Using fibre to put weight on

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TwoStroke

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Every winter I end up thinking up cunning plans to try and get weight on my TB. Sometimes they fail, sometimes they fail SPECTACULARLY. So this year, I'm going to play it safe. Fibre only! (And linseed ;)).

He already gets ad lib haylage, he just doesn't stuff himself. He eats the best bits and then waits for me to bring the fresh stuff. So I was thinking of trying to put weight on using chaffs - just by getting him to eat more fibre in addition to his haylage. He can't have grass nuts or flash dried grass, so I was thinking of starting with something like dengie healthy tummy and mollichaff calmer.

Has anyone tried putting condition on this way? Am I going to end up spending a lot of money for no return (again)?

TIA
 
I'm trying high fibre but also high oil, low sugar and low starch. Not sure if the chaff alone will have the calories needed to for weight gain in the middle of winter, maybe something more oil based and get all her weight on her in spring/summer and maintain so winter won't be so hard? that's my plan anyway.

At the moment mines on alfa a molasses free, speedi beet, barley plus and veg oil and ad lib haylage. ideally I want her to be on the chaff, speedibeet, micronised linseed, codlivine, mag ox and brewers yeast but I don't want to fix something that isn't broke! so will try after winter when she isn't prone to loosing weight. if she does loose weight I want to try saracens releve.
 
Hmm, he's already on linseed which is high oil. Not sure more oil is the way to go... Over 50% of calories are gained from fermenting fibre in the hind gut. So more fibre = more calories. At least that's the theory I'm working on... May not work out that way, of course!
 
I find mine eats more forage if I give him a choice of hay and haylage, sometimes goes for one then the other.
You could also try those forage blocks in his stable too, I think Feedmark and Halley's do them. Many of them are hay based not grass so should be OK.

The problem with chaffs is as they are straw they are very low in calories, you only get more calories into them by adding either molasses or oil and you are already feeding Linseed which is better than veg/soya oil.

What about unmolassed sugarbeet as your base feed, it's high fibre but reasonably calorific. Or I am assuming yours is OK with Alfalfa as you are looking at Healthy Tummy, something like Fibrebeet.
 
I always manage to keep a good weight on my 23 year old TB through winter with HiFi and Simple Systems Lucie Nuts and their Pura Beet (unmollassed beet)
I must admit I do add some Hi fibre cubes too to make it more palatable.

Have 4 horses and they all look well on it.

Doesn't cost a fortune which is the added bonus!

They do have adlib hay as well.
 
TwoTurtleDoves said:
Hmm, he's already on linseed which is high oil. Not sure more oil is the way to go... Over 50% of calories are gained from fermenting fibre in the hind gut. So more fibre = more calories. At least that's the theory I'm working on... May not work out that way, of course!
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Sorry I skim read the post :o if your feeding the linseed that should work but I'd be inclined to add another layer if all else fails. The joys of a tb, eh?
 
Definitely one of life's 'speshul' TBs.

He ate half a sack of speedibeet and went off it :(. Didn't do anything for him, either. He's on fast fibre atm, which would continue to form the base of his grub.

Fibrebeet may be worth a squiz, and I like the idea of offering hay and haylage - will def give that one a try, as I think it's mainly a boredom thing with him - he gets tired of the same old haylage. But it's the only thing that has ever really stacked weight on.
 
We have TB's they have all put on weight on a fibre diet (and the non TB's)

We feed molasses free alpha a, marriages laminitic, beet and linseed, everything is glowing.
 
What is marriages laminitic? I haven't heard of that.

He'll eat a little copra, but not enough to put weight on. Most of it ends up on the floor :rolleyes:.
 
TwoTurtleDoves said:
He ate half a sack of speedibeet and went off it :(. Didn't do anything for him, either. He's on fast fibre atm, which would continue to form the base of his grub.
Click to expand...

Mine can be a bit meh about Speedibeet on its own but with Linseed and a sprinkle of Copra (doesn't need the weight atm) he scoffs it down.

However the two main ingredients of Fast Fibre are straw and unmolassed sugarbeet so adding more of either of those isn't necessarily going to achieve much as it's doubling up really.
 
I had this problem with my lad and have now stopped all hard feed as he was feed topline cubes, sugar beet and alfa a oil and cost shed loads but still ribby.

Now he's on at lib hay with 2 tiny feeds of fast fibre ( half topspec measure) with linseed and equimins advance complete ( money back if it don't put condition on) and he's now a tubby bear it's actually nice to see
 
Ooh, that solutions mash looks worth a pop! Thanks OB :D

Shame the marriages laminitic has cereals in... Oats are ok for my thoroughly-in-bred, as I like to call him, but no other cereals.

I've got a couple of things to go on now, so thanks guys :D
 
my sister's tb is on spillars conditioning chaff and does really well on that - so far he's not had any need for hard feed since being put onto that and he can be difficult to keep his weight up
 
I used to use spillers conditioning chaff with good results,for various reasons have swapped to dried grass this yr but would use spillers chaff again if I need to. I've just started my super fussy TB on the readymash solution feed & it seems very palatable. I find the top spec conditioning cubes seem to go down well & put weight on without heating mind up. Have you tried rice bran? I tried simple systems but he hated it & wouldn't eat much , also tried pure but he looked awful when on that.
 
50% alfalfa would be packing some serious calcium, I reckon? Would have to feed industrial quantities of MgO to balance that :D. He's ok on alfalfa though, so I will try a little, I think.

Anything with molasses is a no go, though.

Veteran vitality looks interesting, but total NSC is nearly 15%, which I think will be too high for him.
 
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