Very high calorie feed for horse with little appetite

a kind of magic

a kind of magic

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A bit worried about my boy, he is out 24/7 with plenty of grass still, although I do think the nutritional value has dropped off so I've put an order in for some haylage. I have also just started to rug him to try and help him along. He's nice and shiny but just not putting on weight. He is not overly skinny but is definitely lean, you can see his ribs and his behind is a little slim but he's still got lovely muscle tone.

I am waiting for results on a worm count and will then have bloods done if the worm count comes back clear, as I've asked the vet for their help. He has his teeth done regularly and they are due next week.

The thing is, he never really seems to eat with gusto. He's very fussy, in fact, he loves Happy Hoof but it's not conditioning enough! He gets two meals a day of Baileys No.4 but he eats very, very slowly and normally leaves some. Is there a high calorie feed that he can actually have less of, mixed in with a food he actually likes? Any recommendations?
 
I would start him on Top Spec balancer, see how he does, and then add non cereal straights if he needs more eg beet and linseed. If he really is fussy you could try Top Spec Dr Green.
 
I used baileys outshine last winter with very good results on a tb who dropped so much after a accident.
http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/supplements/outshine.htm

It's fed like a balancer so only small amounts needed. I added it his normal feed with some fast fibre.

It is dear but having spent a ton of money on feed for the silly thing this was the only thing that put on the weight.
 
Add a couple of measures of linseed to whatever your feeding him, im doing that to my horses and the shine and weight they are keeping is fabulous and a 3kg bag of the equimins only cost me 8 quid!! :D
 
Sugar beet
Baileys 17 mix or 4 cubes
Definitely outshine, helped my old girl put on and hold weight
Alfa a oil

Feed 3-4 small feeds over the day rather than a couple of big feeds
I also gave a big bucket of readi grass in with her haylage at night as my old girl wasnt eating her long fibre for a wee while.
She now scoffs her feeds and is eating soaked hay again
 
NiknKia-How much linseed do you feed?

Last winter he had some Baileys Cereal Meal as a warm mash in the snow and he loved it but it's the only thing sloppy he's ever eaten. All the others are on 'natural' feeds but if it's plain chaff, grass nuts or beet he won't touch it.

I can't always get up more than twice a day which is why I had him on two dinners, did think about shutting him in a different paddock at night or during the day so that he can have ad-lib haylage and something to pick at, would this help? His two field mates are fat lumps!
 
I would seriously conside shutting him on his own - forage is the very best way to get natural condition on. I recommended a balancer to ensure that, with a small feed and high DE, he is getting all the vits and mins. Outshine is a great feed to add to other stuff, but cannot replace a balancer as it's not a full spectrum feed.
 
when one of my mares had a virus just over a year ago .

she stood all day in field not eating


she stood all night in stable hardly eatring

lasted 3 months


in the end the only way we got her to eat again
is


ALPHA A OIL

and
build up cubes
 
Mucky Shavings said:
I used baileys outshine last winter with very good results on a tb who dropped so much after a accident.
http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/supplements/outshine.htm

It's fed like a balancer so only small amounts needed. I added it his normal feed with some fast fibre.

It is dear but having spent a ton of money on feed for the silly thing this was the only thing that put on the weight.
Click to expand...

This is brilliant stuff and you only feed 1 cup full a day, it is high in oil and also comes in a spearmint flavour for fussy eaters. It is expensive per bag but feeding only a cup at a time, it lasts for ages so is actually not that expensive per feed, in addition you can get smaller tubs so you could buy this to trial it with your ned :D

Id also possibly look at Hi Fi or Alfalfa oil, top up a bucket and leave in your horses stable when he is in so he can 'graze on it'
 
I'd suggest Burgess Supa Barley rings. I'd also up his feeds to three a day, give ad lib good quality hay/haylage, get his teeth checked, do a worm count and get the vet to check whether there are any pain issues with him that may result in him not thriving and putting on weight. I'd also give him a cup of oil a day, soya or corn oil is best. I'm not sure if you need to increase the calories so much as the protein content (might be the same thing though) but I think the DE (Digestible Engergy) needs to stay right down.

Sorry if these points have already been covered by previous posters, don't have time to read, its 4.28 and I'm going back to bed.
 
applecart14 said:
I'm not sure if you need to increase the calories so much as the protein content (might be the same thing though) but I think the DE (Digestible Engergy) needs to stay right down.
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I'm sorry, this is totally incorrect! If the horse is a poor doer then the OP needs to INCREASE the amount of Digestible Energy (ie calories) in the diet, not reduce it!

As mentioned in some of the posts above, oil-based feeds tend to be very rich in calories so can promote weight gain even if fed in smallish amounts:

Bailey's Outshine 24 MJDE/kg
Micronised linseed 20 MJDE/kg

I would consider adding some sort of balancer containing a probiotic yeast to his feed, to improve conditions in the hind gut so the horse can make the mostof the food he gets. (Note that Outshine only contains a prebiotic not a probiotic). A probiotic may also help his appetite - I had a horse that went off his feed this winter, but was eating up properly again after being fed Pink Powder.

If he likes Happy Hoof, perhaps you could try him on Spiller's Conditioning Fibre instead, as will be similar but with a higher calorie content. Is there any particular form of food he prefers or dislikes - ie nuts, chaff, mash, mix etc? Or do you think it is more to do with taste?

Even if the worm count comes back negative, be aware that there may be a tapeworm burden, so worming or bloodtesting for tapeworm should be done.

If it is feasible to put him in a separate paddock with adlib haylage then I would definitely consider it - I have just done this with a new horse who arrived rather lean but has significantly improved in condition in just three weeks on such a regime. Make sure the horse isn't stressed being separated though (as he might lose weight rather than gain it) - try and make sure he can see and be relatively near the others at all times.
 
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I would defintly be feeding Outshine, as other suggestions above. Topspec balancer is good, and split over two feeds, you could have the max amount of Outshine, and recommended balancer amount. Both of these would amount to a smallish feed.
 
My mum horse is the same and we are about to try him on spillers conditioning mix with Alfa, linseed oil and a balancer will let u know of it works x
 
Quick update so far: Worm count came back with no eggs in the sample so at least we can scrub redworm off the list. Will get bloods done for tapeworm when the vet comes next week to do his teeth.

I am not sure if it's to do with taste or texture to be honest, he HATES neat oil and won't touch even the tiniest amount, he also didn't like C&C, I think it was too runny but then as I said he loved the warm cereal meal mash. He likes the texture of cubes but not mix, and certain 'tasty' chaffs...he won't eat Alfa Oil but loves the sugary showshine stuff! I have this theory he is like a stubborn child that likes junk basically! *rolls eyes*

Will add a probiotic in his feed as that may well be what he needs. I did fancy he was pooing a bit too often although they were all healthy and firm, perhaps things aren't staying in him long enough to do much good. He is lovely and shiny and has a healthy coat, just not as well covered (going into winter) as I would like. :)

Going to get a bag of Outshine tomorrow as it seems like the sort of thing he would eat, will see what balancers there are at the feed merchant. If they don't have Top Spec, is Blue Chip any good? It doesn't matter if he goes a bit fizzy as he's not being ridden at the moment (I'm expecting).
 
The thing is the fizziness is only a symptom - the problem is that starch is porly utilised by the horse - the fizziness is the discomfort as undigested starch reaches the hind gut. I'd stick to Top Spec as Blue Chip is about 40% starch. TS is under 10% NSC ie starch and sugar combined.
 
If you can get it, Coolstance's Copra feed (from coconut) is good for weight gain without starch or fizziness..... it's just sourcing it that can be tricky...
 
hi if i were you id use spillers cool concentrate its six times as concentrated as a regular cool mix so you feed much less which is good news for horses like yours that wont eat a big bucket. baileys outshine is just a high oil cube not a balancer! have you tried cider vinegar or mint theyre both ment to tempt fussy eaters.:D .x
 
archiepoo said:
hi if i were you id use spillers cool concentrate its six times as concentrated as a regular cool mix so you feed much less which is good news for horses like yours that wont eat a big bucket.
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Just to clarify, whilst Spillers Cool Concentrate is much more concentrated in vitamins and minerals than a standard mix, it is not more concentrated in calories, containing only 10 MJDE/kg. So whilst it is great for good doers who don't need much hard feed, on its own it is unlikely to be enough for a poorish doer.
 
I can't get hold of the Coolstance unfortunately. :(

Hoping they have the Topspec balancer in then, as I said back along my others are all fed naturally ie grass nuts, chopped grass or alfalfa and beet with vits and mins (PP at the mo) but he just flatly refuses to eat it. Fussy git he is! Missed the Spillers Conditioning fibre suggestion...that may just be the ticket for the bulk as well! :)

Haylage is ordered so he will have ad-lib all during the day and go in with his friends at night with haylage in nets. :)
 
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