Why do so many feed Fast Fibre

HazyXmas said:
Why is it all so confusing?

I feel as though you need a degree these days to be able to feed your horse. I feed 1/4 scoop FF, half scoop Pure feed easy plus linseed & joint supps twice a day to my 15hh connie mare that had ligament injury last summer.

She is walking & trotting out for 45-60 mins about four times a week at the moment & daily small paddock turnout with hay/haylage, then in at night with approx 5k hay/haylage mix, smallhole net. She is fatter than i would like & gets itchy (i believe with sugar) which is why i chose to feed FF.
I did try Simple feeds last year but she was really itchy on that!

What is the lowest sugar feed?
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If she is happy with what she is on - then fine, keep her on it.

I've never had any problems with FF.

If your mare gets itchy be careful with alfalfa....and maybe think about feeding some milk thistle for a bit
http://www.cotsherb.co.uk/botanical-herbs/herb-powders/milk-thistle-seed-powder/prod_352.html
 
tallyho! said:
I wasn't slating ff, I was actually trying to point out the amount of sugar in it... it can be misleading.

I agree with you - I'm sure lots of people love it and it's convenient.
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Sorry - mine wasn't aimed at you! Was more at some earlier comments! :-)
 
tallyho! said:
I would give it to a horse which did not have metabolic issues but definitely avoid it for a laminitic. There are better products out there for oldies with no teeth. Our oldie (35) at the yard has no teeth and is doing really well with graze on, purina and readigrass. She has cushings too so can't be too careful with sugars.
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Interesting about the Readigrass because wasn't it associated with increased cases of laminitis when it first came out as people fed it as a hay replacer? I believe it is cut from dairy grass (ie. rich enough to make milk) and you wouldn't put a laminitic of any description on that.

Just how available are true "grass nuts"? I think it has become a conventional term for hi fibre nuts which are largely made of hay and straw (low sugar) so fine to feed to fatties, laminitics and those who need lots of bulk.
 
fatpiggy said:
Interesting about the Readigrass because wasn't it associated with increased cases of laminitis when it first came out as people fed it as a hay replacer? I believe it is cut from dairy grass (ie. rich enough to make milk) and you wouldn't put a laminitic of any description on that.

Just how available are true "grass nuts"? I think it has become a conventional term for hi fibre nuts which are largely made of hay and straw (low sugar) so fine to feed to fatties, laminitics and those who need lots of bulk.
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Northern Crop Driers Graze On Pellets/Grass nuts seem to be just grass, hi-fibre nuts vary enormously with regards to ingredients from countrywide budgets ones to H&D fibre nuts.
 
Why are we once again having another "I feed this/you feed that" discussion when what works for one horse (taking into account intolerances, breed, work level, pasture condition, metabolism, etc.) will patently not work for another?

What to feed is very much a "how long is a piece of string" discussion in my (very) humble opinion.

Dons tin hat and sneaks off to the (relative) safety of the bar.

P
 
PolarSkye said:
Why are we once again having another "I feed this/you feed that" discussion when what works for one horse (taking into account intolerances, breed, work level, pasture condition, metabolism, etc.) will patently not work for another?

What to feed is very much a "how long is a piece of string" discussion in my (very) humble opinion.

Dons tin hat and sneaks off to the (relative) safety of the bar.

P
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Of course every horse is different but discussing sugar / starch content is a matter of facts and helpful when trying to choose a low sugar starch diet for any horse.
 
PolarSkye said:
Why are we once again having another "I feed this/you feed that" discussion when what works for one horse (taking into account intolerances, breed, work level, pasture condition, metabolism, etc.) will patently not work for another?

What to feed is very much a "how long is a piece of string" discussion in my (very) humble opinion.

Dons tin hat and sneaks off to the (relative) safety of the bar.

P
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Because relying on the feed company's advice isn't reliable and sometimes bouncing ideas off each other is helpful.
 
I tried it on my horse and although he loved it, I thought it was terribly expensive and made as much difference to my horse as feeding air!!

I think its really just a filler for fatties and lami prone types to make their owners feel happy that they are feeding them something. Its probably cheaper just to feed a straw chaff (like honeychop, its literally JUST straw!) with a handful of kwick beet, mind you even that is probably pointless.. probably actually cheaper to feed nothing at all except a mineral lick and a slice of hay! lol.
 
Is this better, i know D/E energy is more than fast fibre but still low.

HoofKind

Energy MJ/kg 9.0
Protein % 6.5
Crude Fibre % 28
Oil % 7.5
Ash % 7.0
Calcium % 1.0
Phosphorus % 0.35
Magnesium g/kg 1.0
Vit A iu/kg N/A 11,250
Vit D iu/kg N/A 1,150
Vit E mg/kg N/A 100
Selenium mg/kg 0.35
Zinc mg/kg 100
Manganese mg/kg 100
Iron mg/kg 100
Cobalt mg/kg 0.2
Copper mg/kg 5
Dry Matter % 84
Starch % 2.7
Sugar % 4.0
Biotin mg/kg 6.0
 
rose bud said:
Really, avoid it for laminitics?? That's a bit of a worry as I thought it would be ok!
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We use FF for ours - except for a pony we have on loan who puts on weight with fresh air I think... She's not laminitic as such and hasn't been at all footy with us (hooves like cement) - but she is terribly cresty (fallen to the side) and, according to her owner, if she's not worked during the warmer months the crest fills right up and she'll go lame shortly after...

We feed her the A&P's L Mix which has no sugar and only 3.75% starch... It does contain alfalfa and chaff but she's been sound as a pound on it, lost the cellulite on her back end and although the crest still hangs, it's no where near as heavy...

PS...she hasn't worked as such over winter as it's been too dark for the kiddies after school and too slippery once the weather broke... I personally like giving her/them a hard feed... A bit of warm grub in the cold weather and it's something I can add the micronised linseed to or any supplements/medications as required...
 
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I tried jumping on the bandwagon and bought a bag a couple of years ago but my horse disliked it. I ended up giving the bag away and making a mental note to myself not to bother with the Allen & Page feeds. I had the same problem with their Foal Creep feed donkeys years ago. It was totally rejected. Twice bitten - extra shy of trying their feeds again. Lots love the stuff though. It's just my personal experience that's put me off trying it ever again! I'd rather just up the hay ration and/or add unmollased beet to the diet, rather than feed FF.
 
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My horse loves it, and has really enjoyed it made with warm water during the freeze. I have hidden bute and wormers in it and all have been eaten. Also , I am very short of storage space, and a bag of the chaff product I used to feed took up more space and would not fit in a dustbin but I find ff easy to store.
 
ahhh - I was all set to go and buy a sack of FF for Connie today, now I'm not so sure... she has had lami (in one foot) and I was looking to put her on the FF and a vit/mineral supplement in preparation for her going barefoot at some point in the relatively near future.

Why is everything so confusing these days!
 
Just a quick question.....
Has any one stopped feeding fast fibre as it made their horse too fizzy/have too much energy or just a bit daft?
And what quantities did you feed it in?
 
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