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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
  
Location: Missouri | For those who pasture your horses 24/7 and have them on a round bale what is your grain regime? Do you still grain and how much?
I have a mare on a round bale 24/7 and she is grained 1 time a day because I live about 30 minutes away (Wish I could feed twice a day). I am worried because she has a hay belly but you can still see a little bit of ribs and I would really like for her top line to fill out. She is an appendix but not hot.
What grain do you recommend or supplements to really make a horse blossom, or if you do not grain or make your own what is your daily routine?
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 Canine Carryout Queen
 
Location: Oklahoma | Absolutely!!! 14% protein, 7% fat ... two times a day ... probably 3-4lbs each feeding. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | I can only feed once a day because I do not live on the property. Her feed is a 14%. Maybe I just need to feed more?
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 World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | I have my horses in my backyard. They are out 24/7 on a round bale, and I only grain once a day. Been doing it for years, and they all look great! I feed a 12/12/12 feed, beet pulp and flax. My one appemdix is also on THE. I've never had any issues feeding once a day. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Mine are on round bales 24/7, and I feed grain once a day. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | Would a supplement like muscle mass help fill a horse out in her situation?
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | BRcwgrl81 - 2013-11-25 11:16 AM
I have my horses in my backyard. They are out 24/7 on a round bale, and I only grain once a day. Been doing it for years, and they all look great! I feed a 12/12/12 feed, beet pulp and flax. My one appemdix is also on THE. I've never had any issues feeding once a day.
How much beet pulp and flax do you feed along with the grain?
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I use round bales free choice and there's quite a lot of alfalfa mixed in. If I'm not really working them very hard I don't grain them until it gets into the cold winter months like January-March. Then I grain them all once a day. In the warmer months, I only grain the ones I'm conditioning and competing on regularly. |
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 Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
Location: Prosser, WA | Maybe she needs to be wormed? The ribs showing with a big belly can be a sign of worms. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | I have four horses that are turned out on a round bale 24/7. Two of those are fed outside and they split one scoop of 12%sweet feed and one scoop of rolled oats twice daily. They both stay fat (including top line) on that ration. The other two come in for more chow, because one is old (32) and the other is somewhat of a hard keeper. |
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Veteran
Posts: 172
| I'd be careful about bumping up her feed, unless she is on a very small amount already. Horses are designed to eat slowly all day, and their bellies can't take a large amount of grain (which is "unnatural") at one time. Ideally, you want to feed your grain 3 times a day, but if you can't do that, I would maybe think about putting out a better quality hay/round bale to help her fill out. |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | Rdcreations - 2013-11-25 11:13 AM I can only feed once a day because I do not live on the property. Her feed is a 14%. Maybe I just need to feed more?
how much fat is in your feed? with ribs showing sounds like she needs more calories. |
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World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | Rdcreations - 2013-11-25 12:24 PM
BRcwgrl81 - 2013-11-25 11:16 AM
I have my horses in my backyard. They are out 24/7 on a round bale, and I only grain once a day. Been doing it for years, and they all look great! I feed a 12/12/12 feed, beet pulp and flax. My one appemdix is also on THE. I've never had any issues feeding once a day.
How much beet pulp and flax do you feed along with the grain?
I soak about a half a scoop of pellets, and split between my 3. That gives me about a scoop soaked each. They each get a cup of flax, ground. And then I add their grain to that. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| mine are out 24/7 on round bale. I grain once a day. I use Total Equine. Love it and they all look great. I also use Equipase and Lubrysin as supplements. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | HorsesNHarleys - 2013-11-25 11:34 AM
Rdcreations - 2013-11-25 11:13 AM I can only feed once a day because I do not live on the property. Her feed is a 14%. Maybe I just need to feed more?
how much fat is in your feed? with ribs showing sounds like she needs more calories.
9% crude fat. She gets a full scoop of the grain a day and then I put healthy coat on top of her grain.
She is getting about 4lbs of grain a day but I looked up on the Safe Choice Perform's feed calculator and it says for light work (Which is what she is getting now) is 4-6lbs. Maybe try 6lbs?
Or would adding in another item such as flax or beet pulp instead of upping the grain be better? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | Anyone try this before?
http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/horses/empower-supplements/emp... |
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Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | Maybe you could try a complete feed high in fat like Triple Crown Complete or Triple Crown Senior. Then you could safely give more at once yet have the high fat. I would gradualy increase of course. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
Location: My own little world :) | My horses are on pasture throughout the growing season and then in the winter months I feed hay....obviously. Haha. They also get grained once a day but I do it more to give them their supplements rather than for the calories and what not in the grain. My horses seem quite happy, my vet always says they look nice, and they don't get hot on my feed plan but that could be because they are in a huge pasture and can run and play as much as they want.
I don't like feeding round bales but maybe that is because of the way I was feeding it. I was peeling it off with a pitchfork daily...sometimes a few times a day. I found it really hard to gauge how much hay they were getting but then if I just put a whole bale out with them they would make a huge mess and waste a lot of it. I didn't have a feeder.
As for my grain/supplements I try to give them the best while being very conscious of my pocketbook. I feed rolled oats with wet cob and I only feel maybe two cups of each. Then I put in rice bran meal, platinum performance, gelatin, and a liquid mixture of apple cider vinegar, honey, lemon juice, and water to bind everything together. I've also done a lot of research about equine nutrition and it is best to not feed them much grain and let them eat constantly. Free grazing is truly the best option for horses but that is not really plausible for everyone. I also feel like feeding the fancy grains are kind of a waste of money. They cost a lot and on the package it seems like the manufacture suggests you feel a large quantity...like I think I read one and it said 6lbs daily.
Through this summer I was pregnant so instead of feeding my grain mixture everyday I turned them out in a big pasture and just supplemented with a selenium block and an equilix tub. Then the horses can free feed and get the supplements they need when they feel like they need them. I like the equilix tubs a lot and think they worked great with my horses but my favorite supplement is platinum performance. I take it as well. The equilix tub makes supplementing very easy and simple. |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | Horses will have a "hay belly" for one or both of two big reasons (there are others, but these are common):
1. Lack of protein. If the horse isn't getting enough protein, their bellies will look bloated, but you can still see ribs. Make sure you're feeding the MINIMUM recommended amount each day of the feed you're feeding. If she's not in work, & usually an easy keeper, try a ration balancer. I DO NOT recommend the Purina version, as it is complete junk. But if you can get your hands on Triple Crown 30% or Buckeye Gro N Win, they are both awesome choices. You only feed 1-3lbs a day of it & that's all they need. You can add fat to it if you like whether you use the Healthy Coat oil for that or add in a rice bran supplement. Sounds like a ration balancer would be the best bet for your situation. It is NOT a good idea to feed more than 3-4lbs at a time to a horse. And if you can't feed the full 6-10lbs more feeds require, you're just wasting feed.
2. Junky hay. Really stringy hay or dry/not so lovely hay takes a long time to digest, so it stays in the gut longer, causing a horse to have a hay belly. Most round bales are grass hay, & not always kept nicely after being in the field, so that's usually what does it. Junky hay is fine, as long as you're not trying to win a beauty pageant. And most horses lose it when they're in good work. Exercise aids in digestion.
ETA: A ration balancer has a minimal amount of fat, so it's not good for harder keepers. A higher fat feed, like Triple Crown Senior, will give a good amount of fat without all the extra starches & other things. But again, you NEED to feed the minimum if you're going to see any difference.
I used to feed 1-2lbs of the 30% ration balancer along with about 2lbs of the Triple Crown Senior to my easier keepers who needed a little extra fat. The 30% is about $30 a bag, but you're only feeding 1-3lbs a DAY. Same with the Senior. So it ends up being pretty cheap in the long run.
Edited by hlynn 2013-11-25 12:02 PM
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I stopped graining now for the winter since I'm not riding. I do however feed a flake or two of alfalfa per horse during the evenings. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | All of mine get a gallon a day except for the old mare and she gets 2 gallons a day. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | hlynn - 2013-11-25 11:57 AM
Horses will have a "hay belly" for one or both of two big reasons (there are others, but these are common):
1. Lack of protein. If the horse isn't getting enough protein, their bellies will look bloated, but you can still see ribs. Make sure you're feeding the MINIMUM recommended amount each day of the feed you're feeding. If she's not in work, & usually an easy keeper, try a ration balancer. I DO NOT recommend the Purina version, as it is complete junk. But if you can get your hands on Triple Crown 30% or Buckeye Gro N Win, they are both awesome choices. You only feed 1-3lbs a day of it & that's all they need. You can add fat to it if you like whether you use the Healthy Coat oil for that or add in a rice bran supplement. Sounds like a ration balancer would be the best bet for your situation. It is NOT a good idea to feed more than 3-4lbs at a time to a horse. And if you can't feed the full 6-10lbs more feeds require, you're just wasting feed.
2. Junky hay. Really stringy hay or dry/not so lovely hay takes a long time to digest, so it stays in the gut longer, causing a horse to have a hay belly. Most round bales are grass hay, & not always kept nicely after being in the field, so that's usually what does it. Junky hay is fine, as long as you're not trying to win a beauty pageant. And most horses lose it when they're in good work. Exercise aids in digestion.
ETA: A ration balancer has a minimal amount of fat, so it's not good for harder keepers. A higher fat feed, like Triple Crown Senior, will give a good amount of fat without all the extra starches & other things. But again, you NEED to feed the minimum if you're going to see any difference.
I used to feed 1-2lbs of the 30% ration balancer along with about 2lbs of the Triple Crown Senior to my easier keepers who needed a little extra fat. The 30% is about $30 a bag, but you're only feeding 1-3lbs a DAY. Same with the Senior. So it ends up being pretty cheap in the long run.
She is 7 and is a harder keeper.
I have found a dealer that carries triple crown feeds. Which do you recommend for a feed? |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | Rdcreations - 2013-11-25 1:20 PM
hlynn - 2013-11-25 11:57 AM
Horses will have a "hay belly" for one or both of two big reasons (there are others, but these are common):
1. Lack of protein. If the horse isn't getting enough protein, their bellies will look bloated, but you can still see ribs. Make sure you're feeding the MINIMUM recommended amount each day of the feed you're feeding. If she's not in work, & usually an easy keeper, try a ration balancer. I DO NOT recommend the Purina version, as it is complete junk. But if you can get your hands on Triple Crown 30% or Buckeye Gro N Win, they are both awesome choices. You only feed 1-3lbs a day of it & that's all they need. You can add fat to it if you like whether you use the Healthy Coat oil for that or add in a rice bran supplement. Sounds like a ration balancer would be the best bet for your situation. It is NOT a good idea to feed more than 3-4lbs at a time to a horse. And if you can't feed the full 6-10lbs more feeds require, you're just wasting feed.
2. Junky hay. Really stringy hay or dry/not so lovely hay takes a long time to digest, so it stays in the gut longer, causing a horse to have a hay belly. Most round bales are grass hay, & not always kept nicely after being in the field, so that's usually what does it. Junky hay is fine, as long as you're not trying to win a beauty pageant. And most horses lose it when they're in good work. Exercise aids in digestion.
ETA: A ration balancer has a minimal amount of fat, so it's not good for harder keepers. A higher fat feed, like Triple Crown Senior, will give a good amount of fat without all the extra starches & other things. But again, you NEED to feed the minimum if you're going to see any difference.
I used to feed 1-2lbs of the 30% ration balancer along with about 2lbs of the Triple Crown Senior to my easier keepers who needed a little extra fat. The 30% is about $30 a bag, but you're only feeding 1-3lbs a DAY. Same with the Senior. So it ends up being pretty cheap in the long run.
She is 7 and is a harder keeper.
I have found a dealer that carries triple crown feeds. Which do you recommend for a feed?
I love the Senior for a hard keeper. And it's really low starch, so it's safe to feed to horses prone to ulcers. It's 10% fat. I've had really great luck with it, but I also feed at least 6lbs a day split into two feedings.
You could try the 30% with some rice bran added to it. The Empower Boost is a rice bran based supplement, along with the Omega Fields products. But I'm not sure if it would keep/put the fat on her that she would need if she's a harder keeper.
It can get pricey though, adding so many fatty things to it. I tried it with the hard keeper I had, then switched to the Senior bc it ended up being cheaper & a whole lot easier,
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | kakbarrelracer - 2013-11-25 11:30 AM Maybe she needs to be wormed? The ribs showing with a big belly can be a sign of worms.
I agree with this, you haven't mentioned your deworming schedule or if this horse is new. If you've dewormed her and she is still like this, I like to use a "modified" power pack. Instead of giving safeguard everyday for a week like the typical powerpack I will give a safeguard a week apart, has almost everytime helped with the ribs and topline. You may want to add some alfalfa for protein, easy enough to give a little more bang for your buck, but they can get hot. I feed minimal grain just to get the supplements into my guys. The get about 2 pounds of cob a cup of flax and a cup of woodys bloom n groom (pelleted mineral supplement) they seem to do well. Higher protein feeds generally are made for colts, so you might have luck with "futurity blend" or "jr" feeds, you might be able to add a little more protein with less bulk for her to eat. Sounds like you have enough fat......I would start with the deworming though and then make sure you are weighing you feed. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Mine are all on a round bale at home (hay bags or square bale flakes tossed on the ground at Matt's when we spend weekends there) and I grain them twice a day just like normal. My grain is about 11 percent protein and Joker had gotten a little thin this summer so about a month, month & a half ago, I started adding black oil sunflower seeds (maybe a handful per feeding) to his grain. He has really put on the weight and in fact, last weekend I had to let the cinch out a notch on him. Pretty good for a 20 year old who's not getting any special senior feed or supplements. The sunflower seeds cost about $15 for a 25 pound bag and one bag lasts my 3 horses close to a month. I was shocked at the results on him & Clifford (who was looking a little ribby late in the summer) and honestly all 3 of mine have put on some weight with the seeds.
Do you drive out to feed that one time a day? And if so, how long are you out there? Would it be possible to feed 3/4 your normal grain when you first get there, do other stuff for an hour and then feed her that same amount again?
As far as supplements go, I tried THE's Muscle Mass and didn't see any changes on Joker a few years ago. I'm guessing he just needed the extra fat (sunflower seeds) more than additional muscle. Matt has fed beet pulp and rice bran pellets to his Joker with great results. He actually has pulled the beet pulp because his Joker is bulkier and fatter now than I've ever seen him. He says rice bran pellets are pretty pricey but they've gotten him results. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | I feed off a round bale 2xs a day and just put a round out when bad weather heads our way. I use EquiLix tubs and give alfalfa pellets as the "grain". When one needs more calories i'll add whole oats or beet pulp. They only get "grain" once a day. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | HotbearLVR - 2013-11-25 11:28 AM I use round bales free choice and there's quite a lot of alfalfa mixed in. If I'm not really working them very hard I don't grain them until it gets into the cold winter months like January-March. Then I grain them all once a day. In the warmer months, I only grain the ones I'm conditioning and competing on regularly.
This is what I do also. I have one pasture of horses that aren't ridden - they have round bales and get no grain. I throw out a lick tub. My other horses are being ridden, 1 is a growing yearling and the other is my broodmare. They all get grained once a day plus a lick tub. I don't feel they need grain twice a day. |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Here's how I look at most routine "maintenence programs" when it comes to horses. Simplest is best. I think sometimes there's a tendency to come up with complicated approaches to simple problems. When it comes to feeding horses, I sort of turn the channel or gloss over when people make it too complex, and too exact. I can see minerals and salt and after that I think what is important is a good hay and plenty of it. Concentrates are fine if you are really working and conditioning a horse, but I am starting to think even that has become needlessly complex and analytical.....mainly because people fall for it and end up buying something that hasn't been really proven significantly effective. Pelleted feeds I think are a good example. Just toss in whatever junk you have sitting at the bottom of some bin, and grind it up into these nice pellets. We really don't know what goes into these pellets. For all we know there's sawdust in some of them. If I am going to feed grain, then I buy grain and let them enjoy it, whether it's a mixture of grains or not. Personally, I like feeds like the old Scamper's Choice, but I don't think it's one bit better than a good mix of fresh grain from a local elevator. Toss in a tiny bit of blackstrap molasses, and that's more than enough.
I draw a similar analogy when I read someone's explanation of a training method. If it is too precise, too rigid, and complicated sounding, I get turned off and lose any confidence that this person is as good as he says he is. |
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 Pokey's Honor Guard
Posts: 3041
Location: North Texas | I have three horses age 9, 14, and 24. They are all out 24/7 on pasture until I need to put out a round bale. They get fed 1/2 scoop each in the mornings and 1/2 scoop at night and I feed their supplements at night and only one gets Exceed 6Way and Bleed Block and the rest nothing. I feed an extruded feed from Muenster Milling called Xtreme 10/10. http://www.muenstermilling.com/content.php?page=Horse%20Feed%20-%20Extreme%2010 Its also high in Omega 3 and 6. My horses (even my older horse) all look great on this program. Out of the 3 horses only one is worked regularly and used for competition and I don't have to change anything on my feeding unless on the road and I up her 1/2 scoop to full scoop and increase her hay, but once back home its back to normal.
Edited by doc o lena bar 2013-11-25 4:28 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 323
| Sounds like your hay isn't the best. I feed round grass bales the year round and the horses are out to pasture part of the time as well. We put up our own so have more control over the quality of the hay. I adjust my feed program to the quality of the hay. Try not to over feed grain. I think a lot of problem start with too much grain. The one thing I have found that helps is keeping mineral in front of them. There are several brands that are good, everybody has their favorite, but that is an important part of a horses diet to me. The same with feeds, everybody has an opinion. You just have to try a few and see what works for you. Don't hear much about it, but I have had good luck with Patriot, by ADM. The horses do well on it and it doesn't make them hot.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 563
Location: Small Town Iowa | How good of quality is your hay. I grain my two once per day. And it's a plastic scoop of whole oats, and a half of scoop of 14% pellets and 2 oz of trace mineral in thier feed. And then I scrape off of my round bale, I hay twice per day. The only reason I feed the mineral because I had 14 round bales given to me but it is of poor quality, not moldy just not great hay. My two are very very round. And also another thought, what does your horses teeth look like? They may need floated, I had a gelding that had a great bottom line and a very poor top line. Got his teeth floated he filled out on the top line withing a few months, and I've always kept mine outside 24/7. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | HotbearLVR - 2013-11-25 11:28 AM I use round bales free choice and there's quite a lot of alfalfa mixed in. If I'm not really working them very hard I don't grain them until it gets into the cold winter months like January-March. Then I grain them all once a day. In the warmer months, I only grain the ones I'm conditioning and competing on regularly.
Do you have problems with horses performing and breathing issues feeding off your round bales? |
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 Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | Depends on the horses and how the round bales are fed.
I have those slow feed nets that go on my round bales.
I have a big bale in my weanling pen (4 babies) and still grain them 2X a day.
I've got the 3 year olds that I'm riding in with a round bale. I only grain them once a day, after I ride them. That is mainly to get their supplements. (They are all easy keepers, and kept UTD on teeth and deworming).
Then I've got a pen of other horses that are on a round bale and don't need any grain at all. I just keep a salt block and loose mineral out for them.
Our grass and our grass hay is really good where I live so we usually don't have to feed much grain at all.
In fact our yearlings and our broodmares are all still out on pasture and all of them are almost obese even though the grass is now dead. I won't feed them any hay until the grass gets snowed under. |
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 8:15 AM HotbearLVR - 2013-11-25 11:28 AM I use round bales free choice and there's quite a lot of alfalfa mixed in. If I'm not really working them very hard I don't grain them until it gets into the cold winter months like January-March. Then I grain them all once a day. In the warmer months, I only grain the ones I'm conditioning and competing on regularly. Do you have problems with horses performing and breathing issues feeding off your round bales?
The nets we use on them keep them from burying their heads into the bale too....I'm sure that helps.
Edited by rockinas 2013-11-26 8:45 AM
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | rockinas - 2013-11-26 8:44 AM uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 8:15 AM HotbearLVR - 2013-11-25 11:28 AM I use round bales free choice and there's quite a lot of alfalfa mixed in. If I'm not really working them very hard I don't grain them until it gets into the cold winter months like January-March. Then I grain them all once a day. In the warmer months, I only grain the ones I'm conditioning and competing on regularly. Do you have problems with horses performing and breathing issues feeding off your round bales?
The nets we use on them keep them from burying their heads into the bale too....I'm sure that helps.
Thanks Amy, I was actually wondering yesterday if I should try to a net on the colts bale to see if it would help with "dust management". I hate putting the net on by myself any tips? I LOVE the net for my broodies. |
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 Over Informed
Posts: 5372
Location: West Tennessee | I think that the one thing missed frequently on these threads is to:
Check the weight on your food if you haven't already
Grain is fed at recommended lbs per lbs/activity level of the horse -- a scoop of one kind of grain may not equal the same scoop of another kind of grain by weight.
Think of it this way if you fill the same scoop with pebbles it will weigh more than if you fill it with popcorn.
PS: I'm not fussing, because it sure took literal experimenting for me to get it through my thick head that a scoop isn't necessarily X lbs. We had a standard so scoop (3 qt, I think?) so 96 oz or 6 lbs right? One full scoop was only appx 1 lb of our SR feed and appx 2 lbs of moorglo.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 631
Location: Oologah, Oklahoma | My 5 easy keepers are on a round bale 24/7. They each get a pound of ADM Alliance StayStrong Metabolic pellets once a day and they are shiny, round, and happy. |
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 Left Out
Posts: 6795
Location: Silex Missouri | Every horse on our property with exceptions being the stallions who are in stalls, have access to round bales 24/7 regardless of the fact that they also have pasture. But here in the winter time the pasture has no real nutritional value. Our weanlings and one hard keeping mare is on Alfalfa round bales and our mares within 60 days of foaling are on Alfalfa round bales. The rest are on grass round bales. However, all of our horses recieve grain two times a day. A corn/oat soybean oil mixture. All of our horses are fat with creases down their backs. |
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Left Out
Posts: 6795
Location: Silex Missouri | uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 9:15 AM rockinas - 2013-11-26 8:44 AM uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 8:15 AM HotbearLVR - 2013-11-25 11:28 AM I use round bales free choice and there's quite a lot of alfalfa mixed in. If I'm not really working them very hard I don't grain them until it gets into the cold winter months like January-March. Then I grain them all once a day. In the warmer months, I only grain the ones I'm conditioning and competing on regularly. Do you have problems with horses performing and breathing issues feeding off your round bales?
The nets we use on them keep them from burying their heads into the bale too....I'm sure that helps.
I do not notice any breathing issues from the round bales. We don't have nets on ours and they can all bury their heads in the bale. They like to eat the center of the bale first ;-) But our bales are also put up dry. We don't feed any round bales that were not put up dry. Our bales are all under roof until they are put out to be fed. I think that is a big thing with ours. They aren't dusty from getting wet and dry and don't have the mold spores from getting soaked. |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | Mine are fed 2x a day off a round bale. I do not grain most of my horses & they all look fine. No ribs, nice toplines & good muscle. The only ones that are grained are my 2 old broodmares, the old retired gelding & the yearling. |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| Not trying to hijack the thread BUT......those of you who have more than a couple horses in each pasture...how do you grain them? Do you bring them all in the barn to feed then turn them back out when they are done? Or do you dump the grain in different troughs and let them fend for themselves? Or use feed bags? Trying to get an idea what others do...how do you get each horse the grain it needs without being ran off by his herd mates? |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Willy, I think that is my problem. I sent a load back to the farm got a much better lot, but only have room for my squares to be under roof. I asked for a new hay shed for rounds two years ago. Husband is not wanting to help me on this one as "rounds are to be stacked" per he. I believe the hay is the most important thing as far as quality that I need to assist my horses with. Have broodies staying here as the ranch has not enough grasss for cattle more or less mares. Really, I've have thoughts that my hay could be a part of the problems I had with a bleeder a few years ago and I didn't want to go that route again.
OP, we branched away from your main question-sorry. I will add that I get my hay tested and try to feed the best that I can. I grain mine, I have 3 mares going into the last 4 mo. of pregnancy. They have mineral and salt free choice. I feed them a 16% (it says its 14% on the bag, but tested by Equi-Analytical) feed. I feed twice a day.
My suggestion to you is try giving her either Equi-lix or Equi-pride to engauge the digestive tract to better utilize the hay.
Remember horses can live without us as long as they have a decent pasture to do so.
I started another tread off of yours, we feed lots of horses and never had all the issues I'm seeing today. We fed very simply. |
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World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | Used2B - 2013-11-26 11:23 AM Not trying to hijack the thread BUT......those of you who have more than a couple horses in each pasture...how do you grain them? Do you bring them all in the barn to feed then turn them back out when they are done? Or do you dump the grain in different troughs and let them fend for themselves? Or use feed bags? Trying to get an idea what others do...how do you get each horse the grain it needs without being ran off by his herd mates?
I do not have a barn. I have 3 horses and a pony in one pasture. I have 2 "stalls" made out of panels in my pasture. I put the pony in one "stall" and my hard keeper in the other. The other two horses get the same amount of grain, so they fend for themselves. The hard keeper gets the most, and the pony gets none. I've done it before where they've all been out, and surprisingly, they all stayed at their bins and ate their grain. Only after they were done did they run others off, but by then, they were all done also. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Used2B - 2013-11-26 10:23 AM Not trying to hijack the thread BUT......those of you who have more than a couple horses in each pasture...how do you grain them? Do you bring them all in the barn to feed then turn them back out when they are done? Or do you dump the grain in different troughs and let them fend for themselves? Or use feed bags? Trying to get an idea what others do...how do you get each horse the grain it needs without being ran off by his herd mates?
I have run-ins in my paddocks. The riding horses all come into the barn. My husband and I are "in talks" about what to do at the ranch. I hate a barn situation, much more comfortable with him building a long shed row with run in's. Our pasture is two miles long and we are fencing a long lane into the side of it. I want to make a small trap about 80-100 acres and put a feeding shed within it. (Frankly, as we get older I keep thinking of things to keep it simple and less time consuming.) The lane has gates into the three pastures it will serve. Husband is pretty handy with building anything and everything. He built a set of pens on a South Texas ranch that I loved as you had a sorting gate in the lane that narrowed coming in from the pasture. I could easily seperate horses (or cows) and put out feed in bunks so that everyone would get their fair share. |
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 9:15 AM
Thanks Amy, I was actually wondering yesterday if I should try to a net on the colts bale to see if it would help with "dust management". I hate putting the net on by myself any tips? I LOVE the net for my broodies.
Skid loader with pallet forks is the easiest way I've found.
Or if you have a bale spear on a loader tractor that would also be easy.
One person can easily load the net, either way if you have one of those devices.
Usually I just take the outer shell off and that gets rid of the outside few inches that get some mold/weathering on them. And put the net on the good part of the bale.
Fortunately we have cattle that will eat the yucky parts of the bale, but when we don't have cattle around in the summer to eat it, we just put the bad stuff on the manure pile and it composts. |
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | Used2B - 2013-11-26 10:23 AM Not trying to hijack the thread BUT......those of you who have more than a couple horses in each pasture...how do you grain them? Do you bring them all in the barn to feed then turn them back out when they are done? Or do you dump the grain in different troughs and let them fend for themselves? Or use feed bags? Trying to get an idea what others do...how do you get each horse the grain it needs without being ran off by his herd mates?
The ones I do grain all get the same thing so I just dump in individual pans and they all seem to do fine.
Except my weanlings, they dump pans and buckets out so they all get fed in one feed bunk. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1430
Location: Montana | Used2B - 2013-11-26 9:23 AM
Not trying to hijack the thread BUT......those of you who have more than a couple horses in each pasture...how do you grain them? Do you bring them all in the barn to feed then turn them back out when they are done? Or do you dump the grain in different troughs and let them fend for themselves? Or use feed bags? Trying to get an idea what others do...how do you get each horse the grain it needs without being ran off by his herd mates?
It depends on the horses. Sometimes we bring them in. Sometimes we can get away with a bunch of buckets tied to a fence or rubber feed pans on the ground. Sometimes we buy cow cake sized pellets and just dump them on the ground greatly spaced out. Sometimes we have to just use alfalfa instead of grain because we get less fighting with that. It's never trouble free, especially with some horses.
Years ago I had an older broodmare choke eating grain in a bunch. Scared the heck out of me! She ended up fine and never did it again . . . . |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | rockinas - 2013-11-26 11:06 AM uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 9:15 AM
Thanks Amy, I was actually wondering yesterday if I should try to a net on the colts bale to see if it would help with "dust management". I hate putting the net on by myself any tips? I LOVE the net for my broodies.
Or if you have a bale spear on a loader tractor that would also be easy.
One person can easily load the net, either way if you have one of those devices.
Usually I just take the outer shell off and that gets rid of the outside few inches that get some mold/weathering on them. And put the net on the good part of the bale.
Fortunately we have cattle that will eat the yucky parts of the bale, but when we don't have cattle around in the summer to eat it, we just put the bad stuff on the manure pile and it composts.
Well, I had it on a spear yesterday and fought it for a good 15 min. Husband is convinced there worth the trouble so no problems with him doing it either. I didn't think to just let the outside area drop off... will try that next time. He actually came home last night and said "I see you won the round bale fight" without me as he stepped out of the truck. (As I was stuffing small bags for the riding horses.) We made a pact to do it together since it's a 'cinch' as a team effort. |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | My hay guy is pretty exceptional and reliable. No, I haven't noticed any respiratory issues. I put out 2 round bales a week. The 9 horses have all learned their place and while they do jockey around some, it seems to work well. The fact that they seem to keep moving and shift around a lot probably keeps them from burying their faces and munching a deep hole where they can inhale dust. I don't even use a feeder, but I'm thinking I probably should get a couple, because there is quite a bit of waste. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | HotbearLVR - 2013-11-26 11:24 AM My hay guy is pretty exceptional and reliable. No, I haven't noticed any respiratory issues. I put out 2 round bales a week. The 9 horses have all learned their place and while they do jockey around some, it seems to work well. The fact that they seem to keep moving and shift around a lot probably keeps them from burying their faces and munching a deep hole where they can inhale dust. I don't even use a feeder, but I'm thinking I probably should get a couple, because there is quite a bit of waste.
I love the ABS plastic black rings! Going to get a few for the ranch cattle for winter feeding. See if the dang bulls can hurt them as they kill the metal rings. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I use above ground hay feeders for my horses. The dust and small chaff falls through so the horses don't breath it in, Whatever good hay falls through they eat it up. I found I had a lot of waste using a bale ring. The yucky stuff settles to the bottom and normally covers up some good stuff. The horses get towards the bottom and they start rummaging through the dusty hay to find good stuff. To keep them from doing so we put a new bale on top. By the end of winter we had a lot of waste. Last winter was our first year for only using the above ground feeders. We had far less waste than in years past. You can get them to hold single or double big rounds. |
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 The Crazy Mom
Posts: 2132
Location: Ainsworth, NE | our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri |  Thank you for all of the replies, I am not ignoring you all!
Ok here is my mare. She is 7 and an appendix.
With school I only get to ride 1-2 a week but she is out 24/7.
Along with the round bale she gets about 4-4.5 pounds of nutrenas safe choice perform. Its a 14% and then healthy coat on top.
She is due to be regular wormed. Last time I did a power pack was back in 2012.
Her top line is not bony but I would just like to fill it out more along with her withers and get rid of the hay belly as much as possible.
Edited by Rdcreations 2013-11-26 3:15 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri | Rodeowithjoker- Do the black sunflower seeds come in a 50lb bag at the feed store? |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | sonyawalz - 2013-11-26 1:07 PM our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
Your hay feeders sound like mine. I really like them. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | CYA Ranch - 2013-11-26 7:43 PM sonyawalz - 2013-11-26 1:07 PM our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
Your hay feeders sound like mine. I really like them.
My husband is not liking you gals right now... I put in another welding request. Yep, gonna try a cradle. Any issues around weanlings? |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Rdcreations - 2013-11-26 6:56 PM Rodeowithjoker- Do the black sunflower seeds come in a 50lb bag at the feed store?
I've only bought them in 25 pound bags but I know Matt bought a 50 pounder one time. He got it at the feed store in Bonner Springs. My local co-op only sells them in 25 pound bags. They're usually in the bird food section. And seriously with one horse, 25 pounds is going to last you a LONG TIME.
based on those pics, I think Will looks pretty good and personally I wouldn't be too concerned with her condition heading into winter. Shoot we have a 19 year old mare who is thinner than her and I was just thinking last week that Diamond looked pretty good this year compared to years past. |
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 Oh Quit Whining!
| First and foremost get your hay tested to see its nutritional value before adding supplements, upping grain etc. It's very cheap to do and some local feed co's/elevators have a hay probe you can borrow and will send the sample straight to the lab for you. Figure out what the nutritional value of your forage is and add what you need. Playing a guessing game of add this or that will only cost you $ in the long run. |
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 10:45 PM CYA Ranch - 2013-11-26 7:43 PM sonyawalz - 2013-11-26 1:07 PM our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
Your hay feeders sound like mine. I really like them. 
I still have the cradle but I only feed cattle in it now.
I use bale rings for horses now and I put my netted bales in them.
Very little to no waste and so far I haven't killed one.
Edited by rockinas 2013-11-27 8:41 AM
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7550
Location: In The Land of Cotton | rockinas - 2013-11-27 9:37 AM uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 10:45 PM CYA Ranch - 2013-11-26 7:43 PM sonyawalz - 2013-11-26 1:07 PM our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
Your hay feeders sound like mine. I really like them.
I use bale rings for horses now and I put my netted bales in them.
Very little to no waste and so far I haven't killed one.
Had the same thing happen with a bunk type feeder. The ones with the black palstic trough, low to the ground. The colt was all the way under it, laying flat, with legs everywhere. I only use rubber pans now.
If you have to feed trough style, I use plastic barrels cut in two. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 10:45 PM CYA Ranch - 2013-11-26 7:43 PM sonyawalz - 2013-11-26 1:07 PM our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
Your hay feeders sound like mine. I really like them.
I use mine on everything from weanlings to the old guys all shapes and sizes. Never had a problem and no one rubs their manes off. If you go to www.macksteel.com and click on the products, that will show you the single and the double bale feeders. The technical page will give your hubby hints on the sizes of tubing he'll need to use.  |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | rockinas - 2013-11-27 8:37 AM uno-dos-tres! - 2013-11-26 10:45 PM CYA Ranch - 2013-11-26 7:43 PM sonyawalz - 2013-11-26 1:07 PM our round bale feeder is like a "cradle" and the bale is held up about 3 feet off the ground. so i took our slow feed round bale nets and draped one over the top and tied it to the 4 corners. now we just take a round bale and set it right in the feeder and the net is already in place! we dont' even have to "bag" them anymore!
Your hay feeders sound like mine. I really like them.
I use bale rings for horses now and I put my netted bales in them.
Very little to no waste and so far I haven't killed one.
I'm so sorry to hear that Amy. I really think its a freak deal though and not the feeder. I've had problems with horses in the on ground feeders and most recently a friend around here lost a nice horse that got tangled in the tombstone style and somehow got inside it upside down. Horses will do whatever possible to hurt themselves. One of our hired men quit using his above ground feeder for his cattle because he had a calf get his head stuck and die. |
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | CYA Ranch - 2013-11-27 10:13 AM I'm so sorry to hear that Amy. I really think its a freak deal though and not the feeder. I've had problems with horses in the on ground feeders and most recently a friend around here lost a nice horse that got tangled in the tombstone style and somehow got inside it upside down. Horses will do whatever possible to hurt themselves. One of our hired men quit using his above ground feeder for his cattle because he had a calf get his head stuck and die.
That is the truth CYA. They will kill themselves on whatever. For some of my horses, I pitch hay off of round bales into turned tires and I've heard of horses getting stuck in those too.
I was just so mad at that stupid thing (bale basket) I put it in the bull pen hoping they would wreck it. 
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | rockinas - 2013-11-27 11:13 AM CYA Ranch - 2013-11-27 10:13 AM I'm so sorry to hear that Amy. I really think its a freak deal though and not the feeder. I've had problems with horses in the on ground feeders and most recently a friend around here lost a nice horse that got tangled in the tombstone style and somehow got inside it upside down. Horses will do whatever possible to hurt themselves. One of our hired men quit using his above ground feeder for his cattle because he had a calf get his head stuck and die. That is the truth CYA. They will kill themselves on whatever. For some of my horses, I pitch hay off of round bales into turned tires and I've heard of horses getting stuck in those too.
I was just so mad at that stupid thing (bale basket) I put it in the bull pen hoping they would wreck it.
I don't blame you one bit. Was it was from Common Sense or Macksteel? |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| My three pasture ornaments (plus pony) are on pasture/round bales 24/7 365 days a year. They get no grain and are fat, slick and shiny. They are on decent pasture spring and summer, not much grazing in the winter. The hay is fertilized improved bermuda I grow. They haven't been ridden in probably two years. They have a mineral/salt block and that's it. |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| All this talk about horses getting hung up in round bale feeders is making me nervous! I've been feeding round bales in feeders for 25 years and never had a problem(knock on wood) but I can see how easily it could happen. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Val, Thank you for your notes I will look into those specs. Amy, I'm so sorry for your lost colt. Now I'm thinking I might just get a few of those ABS pallets and some more of the ABS hay rings and feed that way. Got a few $ tied up in my coming foals. What I really want is Mother Nature to provide rain for some natural pastures! |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | Rdcreations - 2013-11-26 3:15 PM
Thank you for all of the replies, I am not ignoring you all!
Ok here is my mare. She is 7 and an appendix.
With school I only get to ride 1-2 a week but she is out 24/7.
Along with the round bale she gets about 4-4.5 pounds of nutrenas safe choice perform. Its a 14% and then healthy coat on top.
She is due to be regular wormed. Last time I did a power pack was back in 2012.
Her top line is not bony but I would just like to fill it out more along with her withers and get rid of the hay belly as much as possible.
Your horse looks fine to me. All that top line filling in that you're talking about won't happen with feed. It will happen with more work. If you're feeding plenty of protein & working the horse at least 4-5 times a week, then you'll see the top line fill in. It takes a lot of repetition to get results though.
But for only being worked 1-2 times a week, she looks fine! And what hay belly are you talking about? I don't see a belly. |
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 Shoot Yeah
Posts: 4273
Location: Where you need a paddle... Oregon! | I skimmed the previous posts so not sure if someone already said this, but if it were me I throw a flake of alfalfa to her. Do that for a couple weeks and see if there's a change.
I don't think she looks bad at all, but I can see where you would like her to be fleshier across the top. All of ours are leaner style horses with a lot of thoroughbred influence in them. 1-2 flakes a day really changes how ours look. |
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 As Good As I Once Was
Posts: 1211
Location: frozen tundra of pa | Mine are out 24/7 with free choice hay and get grain once a day. All are fat and shiny. We have a Hayhuts which cover the entire bale and have slots for the horses to get at the hay. There is nothing for a horse to damage themselves on and we can feed the roundbales year round without the worry of the weather ruining the bales. |
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | rodeowithjoker - 2013-11-25 12:59 PM
Mine are all on a round bale at home (hay bags or square bale flakes tossed on the ground at Matt's when we spend weekends there) and I grain them twice a day just like normal. My grain is about 11 percent protein and Joker had gotten a little thin this summer so about a month, month & a half ago, I started adding black oil sunflower seeds (maybe a handful per feeding) to his grain. He has really put on the weight and in fact, last weekend I had to let the cinch out a notch on him. Pretty good for a 20 year old who's not getting any special senior feed or supplements. The sunflower seeds cost about $15 for a 25 pound bag and one bag lasts my 3 horses close to a month. I was shocked at the results on him & Clifford (who was looking a little ribby late in the summer) and honestly all 3 of mine have put on some weight with the seeds.
Do you drive out to feed that one time a day? And if so, how long are you out there? Would it be possible to feed 3/4 your normal grain when you first get there, do other stuff for an hour and then feed her that same amount again?
As far as supplements go, I tried THE's Muscle Mass and didn't see any changes on Joker a few years ago. I'm guessing he just needed the extra fat (sunflower seeds) more than additional muscle. Matt has fed beet pulp and rice bran pellets to his Joker with great results. He actually has pulled the beet pulp because his Joker is bulkier and fatter now than I've ever seen him. He says rice bran pellets are pretty pricey but they've gotten him results.
I love the sunflower seeds for my horses too. I then get random flowers growing in my field all summer (lol). I feed timothy round bales all winter free choice and only grain in jan/feb when it gets really cold and even then they don't get much. A good worming schedule is key as well as GOOD hay. If you have junky hay and it's your horses primary source of food you will need to feed more grain to keep him looking good. I have 11 horses of varying ages on this schedule and it has always worked for me, I will only grain the babies all winter. |
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 Ms. Manners
Posts: 1820
Location: Oklahoma | Get your hay tested . . . I had mine tested and it was much lower in protein than I thought or was accustomed to feeding. I added some soybean meal and alfalfa pellets to up their total protein, and their toplines looked much better. Yes, working them in the right frame will build a topline but poor toplines are also an indicator of protein deficiency. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 632
Location: Missouri |
Those pictures don't really show it very well. Here is one taken today from a higher view.
I will check into our local 4-h extension center maybe they test hay? I know when I volunteered there they tested soil. I went out and looked at the round bale and its just not the best. I went ahead and moved the ring so what is left can get air on it. All of these stories are scaring me about it. We had purchased it to help with waste but im afraid of injury now.
Her feed is a 14% feed, isn't that pretty high for protein?
I am feeding her 4lbs a day which is at the lower end of the light worked horses (It says 4-6 lbs)
Edited by Rdcreations 2013-12-01 8:51 PM
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For those who feed roundbales
