More feed advice please

OwnedbyChanter

OwnedbyChanter

With out my boys life would be bland
Apr 16, 2009
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Raininghamshire
OK so the boys look OK. Coats lovely and shiney hooves good no loss of shoes etc.

But I would like Ginger to have even more weight on him. I know with his breeding he will never have much coverage over his ribs as before I got him with time off over the summer on good grass he was still a very small fella.

he gets:
Hay twice a day in thier field, the grass is excellent but just not enough of it and I can't change fields or move yards to better grazing as this is the best place with the best facilities in the area.

1/2 scoop of dry fast fibre (which makes about 1 full scoop when wet)
2 scoops of apha A
200g of linseed
2 cups of Top Spec balancer
2 scoops of wind suck

This is split between 2 feeds. I can not up any more as he just will not eat more and I can't get there to do 3 feeds a day. He has been on this for about 2 months and I can see a small difference but I still would like to see more top line.

As you know he is worked well, varied and correctly.

Any ideas welcome even if you have an idea of another/differnet supplement or change of feed.

He is prone to uclsers so he can't have sugar, starch or cerals.
 
I was going to suggest the same as Trewsers a and p calm and condition instead .. I would probably swap out the fast fibre for a similar wet product but maybe something with a bit more in it?

Otherwise my friend has been impressed with topspecs cool condition cubes for helping keep the weight on her old TB (in fact she feeds almost the same as you are now but with some of them too)
 
I have friend with an older TB and she also feeds A&P calm and condition. He has held his weight really well over winter this year, last year he came out of winter looking rather poor.
 
My 15.2 Arab Mattie is fine in summer but can drop off alarmingly in the winter. We switch his one meal a day of Fast Fibre to two meals a day of Calm & Condition and it really helps him to maintain weight. I've just switched him to Veteran Vitality, but I would definitely recommend Calm & Condition for Ginger, plus up the linseed oil to as much as he will take.
 
How about Grass nuts?

I am putting Minnie who is old and a little too skinny on them, its natural, just what they would be getting on good grazing and is fibre based :smile:
 
I haved justed called simple systems to get feed advice as I use to use them a lot arrggg.

They recommended Top Nosh, Green Gold, total eclipise and grass pallets I did say that if over faced he will not get it and the amount they were saying were huge. Then I compared the values and costs they were all but the same values and more expensive.

C&C compared to FF
oil 5.5 3
Sugar 13 2.5
Starch 5.0 5.0
Fibre 14 26

So adding just grass nuts or the top spec conditioning cubes are the way forward. man I hate feeding problems I just wish we had more grazing like last year when I did not have to worry and they were as plump as anything

I think I have now looked at every combination and every make and I think Nat17 idea is the best
 
We swear by Power and Performance mixed with Fast Fibre

Oil: 6.0%
Protein:15.0%
Fibre: 10.5%
Estimated DE: 12.8 MJ/kg
Starch: 20.0%
Total Sugar: 5.0%

The enhanced protein helps them build muscle and ours have never fizzed up on it however we do feed a scoop of FF and 1/2 PP measured before soaking twice a day so this may be too much for yours if he is easily overfaced, ours tend to eat it all slowly but they are stabled so this might not be feasible for you?
 
Oil is supposed to be a good way of adding calories without bulk. I've just read an interesting article about it in a magazine that someone lent me, but can't remember which one it was. I'm sure there'll be loads of info on the net though.
 
EMl P&P is to high in starch and will trigger his ulcers the vet recommended at least under 10% but the lower the better.

Bodshi and FM I just had a google and they say linseed (which he is already on) and soya so I will buy some soya tomorrow.

Thanks guys
 
I would be cautious with soya oil obc - I know madam is a crazy one anyway, but I'm sure she is allergic/intolerant of it - it turns her possessed! It affects oestrogen/hormone levels and is a "cheap" oil.

I would be inclined to go with grass nuts, or perhaps have a look at a different hay format (halleys feeds do a range as do horsehage? Or something like ready grass which is dried chopped grass?)
 
I got a race trained TB in Nov, he arrived skinny, a BC socre of barely 2, we have spent all winter gradually trying to build him up, like yours if the feed was too big he would just wander off and if I put heavy weight rugs on he was just too hot and wouldn't settle to eat.
We started with Alfa unmollassed and adlib hay on which he maintained weight but didn't gain. We tried conditioning cubes but it blew his brains out. A&P came out and reccomended C&C and within a week he had noticably lost weight. So we reduced the C&C and added the alfa back in, again he maintained but didn't gain. Then I added equi-jewl, then reduced the C&C and alfa, added 400g of speedy beet to each (of 2) feeds, 400g of grass nuts to each feed (these seem to really keep his interest in eating it) and finally, within a week, we have weight gain and the buckets aren't so huge he looses interest, he gets a total of 4kg per day split between 2 feeds, I also moved him into a paddock on his own about this time so he can take his time eating.
 
I agree with PFB and Nat. I think the blue bag grass nuts with less sugar and starch would be a better way to go for a horse with ulcers.

Or you could try unmollassed sugar beet. I changed Tobes from Blue Bag grass nuts to unmollassed sb when he got very silly indeed during the winter. I soak it in a lot of water and then rinse it before I feed it. Only 5% sugar, no starch and Tobes held his weight better I think than with the grass nuts.
 
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