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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
  
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | little_bug - 2016-10-20 9:50 AM
RockinGR - 2016-10-18 12:13 PM I love the color! Spots will always hold a special place in my heart. As far as feeding...my now 2 year olds have gotten 1# alfalfa pellets + 2# Strategy GX, twice a day since weaning. And lots of good brome. Best looking colts I've ever had! Never got gangly or pot gutted, great muscle and balance. Good feet. I've been extraordinarily happy with the results.  
Editted to add: I do feed Platinum Performance and from what I have read it is safe for young/growing ones. I do want some extra calories though whether it be through pellets, more hay, or grain.
The only hay I feed is high quality brome, and plenty of it.
To add extra calories, you're always better to do that through good hay if at all possible. But there are good calorie products available such as Amplify or Max-E-Glo. But you do not get the fermentable fiber with them, which is what will keep your horses warm and the gut functioning properly. Beet pult is a great fermentable fiber, however it comes with it's own set of challenges when feeding, such as an upside down cal:phos ratio that needs to be corrected--ESPECIALLY in a young horse. I usually shy away from supplemental beet pulp in growing horses for that reason. Good hay is essential for a young horse, but IMO grain holds great importance for it's source of protein and balanced vitamins and minerals that they typically cannot get out of hay, alfalfa being the exception. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | I have access to good quality alfalfa hay which is a plus. It does come at the cost of a pretty penny but it is worth it. I am familiar with over feeding protein though - especially in an already large and fast growing colt. So between alfalfa and Platinum do I need to add the Strategy? I feel like that is quite a bit. Maybe just some rice bran? |
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Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | little_bug - 2016-10-20 11:12 AM
I have access to good quality alfalfa hay which is a plus. It does come at the cost of a pretty penny but it is worth it. I am familiar with over feeding protein though - especially in an already large and fast growing colt. So between alfalfa and Platinum do I need to add the Strategy? I feel like that is quite a bit. Maybe just some rice bran?
Are you feeding hay besides the alfalfa? Alfalfa is a great feed source, but I don't believe it should be fed as the sole fiber/roughage source because you cannot feed enough of it without creating problems. Personally, if I had the access to the good alfalfa, I'd feed Strategy for the vitamin/mineral package with the amino acid/protein benefits, a flake of alfafa for the protein and calcium and free choice brome for the fermentable fiber. But that's just me as a nutritionist...  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | My young one was fed Muscle Mass with some triple crown growth and Alfalfa hay. |
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Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | RockinGR - 2016-10-20 8:17 AM little_bug - 2016-10-20 11:12 AM I have access to good quality alfalfa hay which is a plus. It does come at the cost of a pretty penny but it is worth it. I am familiar with over feeding protein though - especially in an already large and fast growing colt. So between alfalfa and Platinum do I need to add the Strategy? I feel like that is quite a bit. Maybe just some rice bran? Are you feeding hay besides the alfalfa? Alfalfa is a great feed source, but I don't believe it should be fed as the sole fiber/roughage source because you cannot feed enough of it without creating problems. Personally, if I had the access to the good alfalfa, I'd feed Strategy for the vitamin/mineral package with the amino acid/protein benefits, a flake of alfafa for the protein and calcium and free choice brome for the fermentable fiber. But that's just me as a nutritionist...
Yes, he has access to our home grown grass hay 24/7. I think I will give the Strategy a chance! Thank you so much for all of your help!! I really appreciate it. |
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| Stunning guy! My mare is half Appaloosa and the mare I had before her was full Appaloosa, love the breed. |
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  Elite Veteran
Posts: 1176
Location: Nor Cal | I am not usually a big happy fan.. but he is gorgeous!!  |
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