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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
   
| What kind of hay are you feeding? With a good quality hay and mineral blocks or protein tubs you could probably go without grain. We feed alfalfa to the horses that are being ridden regularly and they get a small amount of grain (1lb twice daily). If they aren't being ridden hard they don't get any grain and if they aren't being ridden they are turned out to pasture. We do not have a problem keeping weight on. In fact our biggest problem is getting weight off. And they all have plenty of energy. We keep trace mineral blocks out for the horses that are being fed hay, and horses on pasture get the mineral blocks and protein tubs or liquid supplement if they are out with the cattle. |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I'm just going to comment about the lick tubs. I have seen very very few that aren't made up of a ton of molassas. I hate that stuff and so do all the vets around here. I really don't think it is that great for them and the lick tubs we have tried that are low or have no molassas, the horses won't touch. If they do, they eat them up like they are candy. These are horses in good grass, 800 acres and given continuously for several months. They never back off of them like they are supposed to. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1284
Location: Oklahoma | Most of our mature horses in light training stay fat and nice looking on good hay alone. My appendix mare requires 5 lbs of TC Sr to stay at the weight I like and keep good rib coverage. We also have an older broodmare that needs the TC Sr to stay at a good weight. The young horses, my other barrel horse and the other broodmare are on empower balance ration balancer. I just moved from PA to OK and I was feeding TC 30%, but the emp. bal. is much easier for me to get here, and more cost effective. Of course, each horse only gets 1 lb of the emp. bal., so overall, we don't feed a lot of "grain." |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Free choice grass hay/pasture.
1 lb rice bran 2x daily.
3 lbs alfalfa pellets 2x daily.
Mineral block, Forco.
If still not holding, gaining, etc, add 1 lb Ultium for a week. Then go to two, etc.
Everything I've got looks amazing on rice bran and alfalfa pellets. I've got one getting over bleeding ulcers that gets free choice alfalfa, 2 lbs rice bran, and 1 lb Ultium for the day. He wasn't looking real swell until I started the Ultium two weeks ago, it gave him that nice little kick on calories.
I've got one mare that gets 15 lbs of coastal hay, for the whole day. She gets sloppy fat on free choice. She gets 1 cup of rice bran 2x daily for her supplements, which are DePaulo Essential, Excel, 1/3 cup of Purinas amino acid/protein, and Forco. I supplement her since she's not eating as much.
This has been kinder on my pocket book.
I do alfalfa pellets rather than feed alfalfa hay because I have zero waste, and know exactly how much everyone gets, it's uniform,, and takes up much less space. |
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 Crazy Chicken Chick
Posts: 36132
| I feed ADM Patriot Performance 12/10 and pay $15.25 a bag. It's good stuff. I don't have grass so they have round bales. |
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![](<a href="http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z470/alicat0909/?action=view¤t=yellaandcalf.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1191.photobu) Heeler Hater
Posts: 3014
Location: Texas | wyoming barrel racer - 2014-07-23 4:39 PM
How much are you feeding? I would say nix the grain if not needed. My prospects sure don't need it per se, but I feed them ADM PrimeGLO at $30 a bag for a 50# bag. They get 1lbs a day so it lasts me 50 days. Mine is about 60 cents a day vs yours if it were to last 10 days is $1.60 ($16/50=.32 cents a pound x 5lbs a day=$1.60. 50lbs/10days is 5# a day) Just a rough estimate for you.
OMG Im so glad Im not the only one who ads up what it costs per day to feed my horses lol!
It cost me .44 a pound to feed ADM Senior Glo. Starting august first it will cost me $2.64 a day to feed one horse and ill have three on that feed. That will go down with time but right now I am following their recommended feeding rates until they are back to a healthy weight (both of mine are thin because of lack of care from previous owners, I just bought them and one is a foster.)
It costs me $160 a month in alfalfa cubes for my stallion. He cant have hay because of bad teeth so he gets soaked cubes. Thats feeding a rate of 15 pounds a day.
It costs me $38 a month in alfalfa hay to feed my mare and the foster. Their mouths is in much better shape and can eat hay instead of mush.
They also get a daily loose mineral in their feed and since its so dang hot out right now they are also getting a daily electrolyte in their feed.
I no longer feed coastal hay due to no need for it. They have pasture and since Im feeding a complete feed to three idle horses the grass just keeps them busy.
Sometimes cheaper isn't better!
ETA: I forgot I also feed FORCO! It costs me .44 a day to feed them the FORCO :)
Edited by Alicat0909 2014-07-26 1:07 PM
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| wyoming barrel racer - 2014-07-25 2:14 PM
I'm just going to comment about the lick tubs. I have seen very very few that aren't made up of a ton of molassas. I hate that stuff and so do all the vets around here. I really don't think it is that great for them and the lick tubs we have tried that are low or have no molassas, the horses won't touch. If they do, they eat them up like they are candy. These are horses in good grass, 800 acres and given continuously for several months. They never back off of them like they are supposed to.
My husband has done the research and gets our tubs. I believe that they are cooked or baked or something so they can only consume so much at a time. I agree that there are some tubs that have so much molasses the horses eat them until they're gone. We've started using a liquid supplement because it is more cost effective with the cattle. They are able to bitter it and control how much the animals consume. |
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 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| wyoming barrel racer - 2014-07-23 4:39 PM
How much are you feeding? I would say nix the grain if not needed. My prospects sure don't need it per se, but I feed them ADM PrimeGLO at $30 a bag for a 50# bag. They get 1lbs a day so it lasts me 50 days. Mine is about 60 cents a day vs yours if it were to last 10 days is $1.60 ($16/50=.32 cents a pound x 5lbs a day=$1.60. 50lbs/10days is 5# a day) Just a rough estimate for you.
Holy smokes!! 30 for prime glo....you will die it's 18 for a 50 # bag here. |
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