Posted 2015-07-24 10:50 AM Subject: How old are your foals before...
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
Switching them from a growth feed to a normal feed . I currently have a 1 yr & 3 month old filly I have her on ultium growth now. The feed companies say 2 yrs old you can switch them but idk ? I planned on putting her on strategy healthy edge when she's 2 bc the bag says 2 yrs & older .. But would it be ok to switch her now or keep her on the growth ?
Thanks!
Posted 2015-07-24 11:13 AM Subject: RE: How old are your foals before...
You get what you give
Posts: 13030 Location: Texas
I feed mine safe choice 14/6 from the time they start eating grain. If I want more i add alfalfa. so I'm not sure about growth feeds as I usually don't feed them that.
Posted 2015-07-25 11:18 AM Subject: RE: How old are your foals before...
Expert
Posts: 2685
personally, I feed a growth feed until 2.5/3yo. I feed it because of the copper in it. I have done a lot of random research while bored at work and supplemented copper has been linked to healthier joints/ less OCD lesions ect. The growth tends to have higher protein/fat, higher copper and higher lysine. That and my growth feed doesn't cost anymore than my normal grain I feed so cost nor availability isn't really a problem for me.
Posted 2015-07-25 1:07 PM Subject: RE: How old are your foals before...
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
RoaniePonie11 - 2015-07-25 11:18 AM
personally, I feed a growth feed until 2.5/3yo. I feed it because of the copper in it. I have done a lot of random research while bored at work and supplemented copper has been linked to healthier joints/ less OCD lesions ect. The growth tends to have higher protein/fat, higher copper and higher lysine. That and my growth feed doesn't cost anymore than my normal grain I feed so cost nor availability isn't really a problem for me.
What do you feed ? I'm feeding ultium growth but I'm sick of spend $23.95 a bag :(
Posted 2015-07-25 1:58 PM Subject: RE: How old are your foals before...
Expert
Posts: 2685
My filly has physitis in her hind pasterns pretty bad so I feed under the recommended amount due to protein content. I feed Blue Bonnet Intensify Growth. Its $21/bag and she gets about 5# a day eating right at 3 bags a month. I add 2 cups of rice bran to keep her fat and free choice grass hay and she is a wee chunky. It keeps her back flat and hiney round while still getting the goods. I think the recommended for her is 6-6.5lbs a day. Its 1# per 100# of body weight and shes a shorty.
Editing to add if you aren't where you can get Blue Bonnet, Progressive Nutrition's Growth feed is comparable to it for a little less per bag, it just has a lesser amount of copper in it but I think it is more available elsewhere.
Posted 2015-07-25 3:02 PM Subject: RE: How old are your foals before...
Elite Veteran
Posts: 600 Location: Oklahoma & Texas
Here's my two cents.... i love ultium growth...i feed to mine and start with the broodmares in last trimester and then by the time the babies wean they are eating mommas food out of her bucket and the transition during weaning from milk and grain to just grain is easy..no weight loss...then I transition my broodmares off of it and back to normal feed..I'll discuss later....the babies i keep on the ultium growth following label for amt based on weight and age.. as well as msm and free choice coastal hay and then alfalfa they get a flake morning and night...i feed them this way til they are yearlings..once they hit yearlings I transition them to renew gold..hay and alfalfa staying same or bumping up alfalfa if they lose weight...as well as the msm..then feed them thisway on up...once they get started in training at 2 1/2 I add platinum for joint and gut support because of stress of it...but they stay on renew gold and alfalfa and free choice grass....
Ultium growth is an awesome feed but you have to be careful with developing foals because you run the risk of epiphysitis if fed too much protein....it doesn't really get higher risk til they hit that 1yr mark but once they hit 1 yr development really progresses and I don't want.to risk it...so that's when I switch to RG. Grain wise...Ultium serves a great purpose though that first year...it is a fixed formula quality feed with everything they need..
MSM is one of the best things you can feed any horse...especially a baby/weanling/yearling etc on up...it's an old horseman trick I learned from being around breeders of warm blood and 3 day eventers growing up...main reason being it reduces inflammation which is what epiphysitis is..it's inflammation in the growth plates and joints...msm will help keep that risk down significantly . ..it's also has the added benefits of being a carrier of molecules into the cells so you tend to see great manes n tails on horses fed msm and nice feet...it is also cheap...you can get Animed pure msm for 1 horse that will last a month for less than 10 dollars a month...
Renew gold is a great feed.its been talked about on here to a great extent..I'm a believer ..I've fed other feeds in past none with the results I have now...it has everything one needs for yearling on up...it do tend to feed 1.5-2lbs a day for a growing horse or horse in training but my horses look amazing...the flax in it is awesome for horses that don't have access to fresh pasture. The fat in it is great for them too.
Alfalfa is a mainstay for me too...there are a lot of myths about alfalfa but it is one of the best things you can feed a horse. It will not make a horse high it has less starch/nsc than grass or coastal hays...it's high in protein so you do have to monitor intake on young horses but a flake morning and night is not too much and they do wonderful on it...because it's high in calcium you need to be sure you are feeding enough phosphorous but I find with free choice coastal they don't eat a ton of it but they get what they need between that and the grain...another perk of good alfalfa is reducing riskof uulcers..I'm a firm believer it's one of the reasons I don't have that problem with any of my horses.
My broodmares once they come off the ultium growth at weaning I transition them back to renew gold til they hit that last trimester again...i also feed them alfalfa two to three times daily and free choice coastal throughout pregnancy...if I have a hard keeper broodmare I'll keep her on the ultium growth longer but I find they tend to keep their weight on the ultium growth well during lactation and whatnot..better than alternatives...alfalfa also helps not just with milk production but keeping them from getting drawn down ....
I'm sure others have programs that work for them..this works for me...I don't have great pasture being in West Texas but I do have access to top of the line premium alfalfa..i also have a degree in animal science so I've put a lot of thought into what I feed and have my feed and alfalfa and coastal hays tested at a &m regularly.so far I've been very happy with how my horses look and feel and so are my vets!
Posted 2015-07-26 1:07 PM Subject: RE: How old are your foals before...
Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555 Location: sunny california
I haven't had a baby in a while, but i am getting one and plan on feeding the bones and tendons until 18 months. i will worry about muscle after that. thinking of just a ration balancer with excellent timothy hay and alfalfa. if i need extra calories i will adjust a growth formula and the ration balancer together. I have never had to feed the recommended amounts of any kind of feed with quality hays. generally I only use feed to get vitamins in there and still I never feed the higher rates of feed or vitamins
How old are your foals before...
