Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Feeding more natural

> We want to switch from a very non-consistant big name pelleted feed to a
more natural approach.
>
> What is a good basic feeding program for moderate to sedentary horses,
yearlings, broodmares, stallions and the elderly?
>
> Can we feed just oats and hay?  How do I maintain the breeding horses and
the young ones?  Is supplimentation necessary?


My Short Answer advice would be to switch from the non-consistent quality,
big name brand to a *consistent* quality brand.  There are plenty of them
out there.

The Long Answer advice is that I don't have any quibbles with feeding
commodity feeds (ie, hay and oats), but there are a few things you need to
keep in mind.  One, you can look up average nutrient values, but in reality,
those numbers may bear very little resemblance to what *your* batch of feed
is actually providing.  The only way to be sure is to have every feed
analyzed and balance the ration from there, but that doesn't usually work
out particularly well for a variety of reasons that I won't bother to go
into here.  Suffice it to say that just hay and oats *might* provide
sufficient nutrition in the right amounts, depending on the type of hay,
etc, but I wouldn't count on it by any means.  I would personally have
trouble coming up with any combination of hays plus oats that I would be
comfortable feeding to yearlings or broodmares.  But that's just me.

Two, you really do have to know what you're doing to really balance a ration
well.  Not to sound all elitist and ivory towerish, but there are all kinds
of little details to keep track of, and especially when you're feeding a
mixed group like yours (everything from young'uns to senior citizens and
everything in between), there are a lot of little ratios and specific levels
of this and that that can make a big difference in the long-term health of
your horses.  Not quite so much to the sedentary and retired horses, but
more to the growing horses and pregnant broodmares and their foals.  There
are sometimes a few little picky details in commercial feeds that I
personally might change, but for the most part, the nutrition balances are
pretty good.  From the big companies, they're usually very good---those guys
pay for a lot of research, and they use it.

Three, if economics are one of your driving forces, it usually just works
out better all 'round to go with the commercial mix.  By the time you add
together the commodity feeds, the supplements to get it all balanced and
(usually) the increased feed waste because horses are more likely to sort
through to get their favorite tidbits and dump the rest, it just works out
better money-wise (and nutritionally) to feed the commercial mix.

Having said that, there are things to look for in getting a good commercial
mix.  One, it doesn't have to be a big name brand, but personally, I've
found the quality to be more consistent with the name brands.  I tend to
have more trouble with the local feed mill's generic mixes---they're just
too likely to have just finished using the mill machinery to have put
together a batch of livestock feed with ingredients I don't want, but
dribble into my batch of feed anyway.

Two, find a brand that sells a lot of product in your region, and also a
retailer that sells alot of that feed.  It's more likely that the product
won't have been shipped halfway across Timbuktu, and won't have spent six
months sitting in a warehouse getting elderly.  That goes double in the
summer, when high temps break down nutrients that much more quickly.

Three, skip the high fat formulations feeds.  Most of those (aside from
straight rice bran) are around 8-10% fat, which equates to only about 4-6%
added fat---straight commodity feeds inherently contain about 3% fat
already.  So those high fat rations really don't add all that much in the
way of calories, but are that much more likely to go rancid fairly quickly
if they weren't handled right.  My suggestion is to get the "normal" fat
level feed and if you want higher fat, add your own fat source yourself.
Yeah, most feeds contains extra vitamin E as an antioxidant, but that
vitamin E doesn't become active until it's in the horse's gut.  It will help
quench free radicals from rancid feed and prevent tissue damage that way,
but it does NOT prevent rancidity in the first place.

Four, learn how to read a feed tag.  Most importantly, understand that as
crude fiber content goes up, digestible energy content goes down (and vice
versa).  A bag of feed with crude fiber of 18% or higher is just basically a
bag of hay.  Which is fine, if you're looking for a fiber source, something
for the horse to munch on, or as a long-stem hay substitute in drought
areas.  But, if you're looking for a lot of bang for your buck, then look
for a feed with a crude fiber content of around 10%---that bag is mostly
grain and will have a higher energy content to match.  Personally, I like
the middle ground of around 12-14% crude fiber---a fair proportion of grain
mixed with a roughage source like beet pulp, so that I can spread out a
fifty pound bag for my six kids once a day and not be too worried if one
horse gets more than his share.  That's what I'll be doing this winter to
stretch out my hay and provide more energy and protein.

Hope this helpful.  Good luck.

Susan G





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