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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
 
| I had always thought grain sorghum was bad for horses? I use Omega Fields Horseshine and like it so I was looking into their Grande supplement (in link below). I saw the third ingredient was grain sorghum. I tried looking up information on it but really didn't find much, but I recall someone saying once steer clear of it??? Anyone know anything about it?
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/omega-grande-horse-supplement-1329... | |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
 
| Sorghum is not common in equine nutrition as it requires processing before the horse can really utilize it. And, honestly, when there are other grains available that require less prep, why would a feed company spend the time and money on sorghum? The answer - starch levels, nutrient availability, and digestibility after processing.
A couple good links -
Merk Vet Manual, Feed Practices in Equines - http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/management_and_nutrition/nutritio...
Animal Feed Science and Technology (Peer reviewed Journal article) - Digestion of cereals in the equine gastrointestinal tract measured by the mobile bag technique on caecally cannulated horses, Rosenfeld et al., 2009. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377840108002976
This article discusses the availability of different key nutrients that come from cereal grains. They directly measured the availability of these nutrients, if the horse was actually absorbing them, and tested different processing methods for the grain before the horse consumed the product. It is a really well thought out study with clear, concise results.
Enjoy reading! | |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I've always heard sorghum--we call it milo--is a good feed if it's roasted (popped) first. | |
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Expert
Posts: 2457
| Milo is really good feed when processed or extruded first as I linked to above.
Equine's are hind gut fermentors - so they don't regurgitate or chew their cud like a cow or sheep will. Thus, horses need the extrusion and processing to be able to use the feed.
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Grain Sorghum?