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Ashley Metcalf
New Member
Username: Ashl
Post Number: 4
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 14, 2006 - 4:29 pm: |   |
Hey all,
We are having a heck of a time finding an affordable price for hay for our horses in my club at school. I was told that to substitute for hay, we should switch all the horses over to senior because it's a more complete feed, however, some of our horses are under 15, and I was also told that they should be getting 18 pounds of feed to substitute for the nutrients they aren't getting in feed. But, this worries me because our horses have a strong history of foundering and isn't large amounts of grain going to endanger them of that? So, i've begun to put weight builder and electrolytes in their feed and water. is there anything else I could be doing? I belong to a horse club, and I get a lot of different opinions about things. IT's just difficult because I don't know which ones are trustworthy. Any advice or comments out there will be greatly appreciated!
Ashley Metcalf
Baylor riding association |
Ellie Leo
Member
Username: Skye
Post Number: 120
Registered: 5-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 14, 2006 - 7:47 pm: | |
Blue Seal sells Hay Stretcher Pellets for about $6 a fifty-pound bag. As I understand it, your circumstances are among those these pellets are for. Plus, there's no soaking required. |
Melissa Thompson
Member
Username: Thomboy
Post Number: 51
Registered: 10-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 14, 2006 - 11:23 pm: | |
Where in Texas are you located Ashley. I have 502 bales after supplying our foster homes and it is only $4.50 a bale. If you would be interested, please email me melissa@thomboyfarms.com. I am in Copperas Cove, Texas, near Ft. Hood.
Melissa |
Ashley Metcalf
New Member
Username: Ashl
Post Number: 5
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006 - 6:42 am: | |
Thanks for your input. What's your experience or knowledge to Show Chow? I haven't heard great things about it but I hear that it's supposed to put on weight fast on a horse |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 14811
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006 - 8:16 am: | |
Ashley you need to carefully study the article Care for Horses » Nutrition » Equine Nutrition an Overview of Feeding Horses. It explains the importance of good quality forage in the diet. Equine Senior with its highly processed roughage will not substitute. After digesting this article go to Care for Horses » Nutrition » Forages for Horses, an Overview where you can read about other forms of hay and forage than can be used in your horse's diet. I am not sure what weight builder is but it does not sound like a substitute for good nutrition. Putting electrolytes in your horses water is probably not a good idea either as it may decrease water consumption in some horses and not a substitute for good nutrition.
Study the articles and find some good quality forage today!
DrO |
Lori
Member
Username: Maggienm
Post Number: 115
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006 - 9:01 am: | |
Ashely, a couple years ago when there was a hay shortage in my area I cut the hay quantity in half, and fed alfalfa cubes. They do need to be soaked but if you put a bucketful to soak at night they are ready in the morning and then you put your night feeding to soak in the morning.
Where I am I can get straight alfalfa cubes or mixed with timothy. I didn't soak them until they were mush, just swelling. That way no choke issue and they still provided some roughage.
If you have a horse low on weight add Canola oil to the cubes. Start with 1/4 cup; over two weeks you could work that up to 3/4 cup to 1 cup a day.
Another thing you can do to provide roughage is feed some good quality straw, stay away from fescue straw. There is little to no feed value in straw, it is something to chew only.
I didn't feed any extra 'complete feeds' as the horses were only being lightly worked and they had good energy and weight condition.
I encourage you to read the articles Dr. O mentioned, come up with a plan and post it.
Good luck. |
Debbie Green
Member
Username: Green007
Post Number: 189
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006 - 9:30 am: | |
Hi Ashley,
I agree on reading Dr O's excellent articles!
I have a boarding situation where it is field board only with no hay supplementation in a field of 25 horses. In the summer there is a lot of grass so less need for a lot of hay, but in the winter the field is a great big mud pit. My 3 year old QH was very thin when I got him last year. I decided to use Sr feed but didn't skip the hay because it is so important. I give him timothy/alfalfa hay cubes along with his grain twice a day (Triple Crown brand - they also have chaff available). I also supplement with rice bran pellets to add fat. Corn oil is also helpful to add weight without overdosing on the grains.
Good luck! |
Alden Chamberlain
Member
Username: Alden
Post Number: 261
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006 - 3:09 pm: | |
Cubes are a good substitute for hay, in fact our horses had nothing but cubes (30% oat hay/70% alfalfa) for years and did just fine. Better in fact than the other horses eating the local hay (it wasn't very good hay), I never did soak a cube either.
Good day,
Alden |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 14824
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, Feb 16, 2006 - 8:46 am: | |
I agree with Alden: soaking is not necessary unless your horse has tooth problems.
DrO |
Julie Ash
Member
Username: Jewel318
Post Number: 8
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 - 12:32 am: | |
How do you know how much cubes to feed? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 15357
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 - 7:36 am: | |
The article on Overview of Nutrition gives you guidelines for feeding forages in general and discusses alfalfa specifically.
DrO |
Judith L Gordon
Member
Username: Jgordo03
Post Number: 75
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 - 10:44 am: | |
I use beet pulp to supplement hay and grain. It's about $8.50 for forty pounds. It has high fiber, and the protein content is good, but still considered a forage. I feed my TB about 4 pounds, and my QH about 3 pounds dry weight daily. I use about half of the hay I would need to use if I didn't feed it. |
Vicki Zaneis
Member
Username: Vickiann
Post Number: 202
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 - 10:44 am: | |
We had to feed (no hay allowed in pens) the Triple Crown T & A cubes when at Parelli, and all did well on them. I have also used them to supplement poor hay. At Parelli they told us to take one of those five gallon, flat-backed buckets and fill about half to three-quarters full and then add water to the rim. My horses prefer them without the water and I think that is an issue of whether you feel the need to get extra moisture into the horse at any point in time, along with the dry cubes. I don't generally worry about that with my guys. I prefer to feed them dry out of floor pans because one horse has a tendency to choke and stretching downward to eat seems to help him stay clear. There are directions on the bag or on the Triple Crown web site for how much to give whether you are using them as a supplement or as the main source of forage. |
