Reducing feed now the spring grass is coming through

nelle

nelle

Member
May 27, 2005
525
0
16
South East
What's the best way to do it??

They are on 6-8 hrs turnout at the moment, if last year is anything to go by (I had a share then not my own) YO will suddenly say they can all go out and they'll be out 24/7 until November time.

Do I continue to feed the same until then or start reducing it now? Sonny is on 2 handfulls of hi-fi light with an apple given over 2 meals plus Baileys low-cal balancer and 6kg of hay per day. He's a good doer - a bit tubby, but not too bad as he's been on the above reduced rations for a couple of months.
 
I started reducing mine two weeks ago now, and he is out 24/7 throughout the year. Sorry i cant be of more help but it may give you some idea.
 
I would reduce it from now, but you still need to make sure for the hours he is in he has enough forage to browse on, so double hay nets or small holed ones can help reduce the ammount they get through :p
It won't hurt a horse to go into spring a little on the lean side, I like to see a few ribs for spring when I know they will be going onto good grass, they can afford to gain a few lbs during the spring flush that way :D
 
Issue has resolved itself :)

YO said this morning he can stay out until I'm home from work - 5.30ish. So I can just cut out the rations he would have had during the afternoon.

Already give him his hay in 2 small holes hay nets (1 inside the other) as he is sooo greedy!

Thanks for your advice everyone x
 
the feeds you are currently are great, as the balancer balances the forage-based ration, and the rest is all low-energy.
to reduce it further, by all means continue with the balancer, but you can phase out the hi-fi lite completely in about 7 days.
the amount of hay can be reduced as well, especially if your horse will be living out 24/7. if the grass is plentiful then hay isn't necessary. however it is a useful replacer opf grass should he go on restricted/rotated grazing.
it's important that he gets all the fibre and forage he needs, so make sure he is getting a total of at least 1.5%of his bodyweight in forage.
make any diety changes ove a period of at least 7-10 days, 2 weeks if he is particuarly sentitive/there is a lot to change.

by the way, if and when you do use hay you can feed it is either a large, small-holed haynet (or more regularly in smaller amounts), or feed it i 2 larger-holed nets, so thathe takes longer to eat yet isn't left without forage for long periods of time (if at all), reducing his forage intake without denying him of foiod for hours.

good luck, you sound as though you're doing all the right things!
:)
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence Puzzles, it much appreciated :)

It's our first winter together and I've agonised over his feeds. I was told when I bought him that he was a good doer that would live of fresh air, but YO threw her hands up in horror when she saw how little he was getting in terms of 'meals' and told me to give him more, she started giving him sugar beet and even a third meal when I was away over christmas.

He got fat and fizzy and when I told RI what he was getting she told me I was feeding too much. I took her advice, posted a thread on here and contacted Dengie feedline and started feeding the above.

Result is he's calmed down and lost weight. I still get comments at the yard hinting that I'm starving him and telling me how much weight he's lost.

Well - RI agrees that he's happy, healthy and there isn't a rib in sight so I'm not worried!
 
I'm in the process of reducing my mares feed, not that she gets much to start with.

From tomorrow her breakfast will be her 2 cups of Lo-Cal balancer only, and she only gets this because it gives me time to brush mud off her legs and apply barrier cream to them. Her evening feed will be just enough unmolassed sugar beet to absorb her supplements, approx 50g dry weight (1/4 of a cup!). I'm no longer having her brought in for hay during the day aswell as at night so she'll be getting 2.5kgs less of hay and straw, with a view to turning her out for longer periods from next weekend. I'm unsure as to whether she'll go back out 24/7 yet, it becomes a bit of a balancing act in terms of keeping her weight down when the grass kicks in and she's happier being off the grass for short periods vs muzzled during the day.
 
I've reduced our pair - I mean, they're not turned out 24/7 yet, but, Storm is ridiculously rotund (yes I am trying to get her weight off but its been hard) and Joe isn't in full time work yet - so, I've just been giving them a token gesture really in the morning and at night - half of what they normally have. They're turned out from about 12noon until 6pm - don't want them porking out any more!!!!! (Even tb Joe has a belly on him!)
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back