After all this talk about the pros and cons of pelleted and cubed feed
stuff. I am in one hell of a situation since last week. Ordered 100 round
bails of nice gras hay and the idiot sent straight alfalfa(STEER QUALITY)
bailed wet........ Needless to say it happened to be a friend and I have
only lost my shipping costs and he can go take a hike. I am sure he sold
the good hay for more than what I had secured to pay for it this summer.
That s the kind of crap going around here.. (Am I negative or what?)
The hay shortage here has turned people and friends into Idiots. To hell
with them all. I am having a complete feed made up. It is the only thing
we can do at this point. It will be there for an alternative. If this ever
happens again.
We ran the beet pulp thing buy the mill and they are just not familiar with
whether the horses would be ok on a combination of 1/4 alfalfa meal mixed
with 3/4th beat pulp. in a 2 ton batch. The problem is pelletizing it. I
would add at least 8 to 10 percent fat. My vet has only herd of beet pulp
being used as a top dressing, not as almost a full feed.
The formula has been a tested.(which means nothing to me). Foundering and
gut problems are what the concern is during the winter (tested or not
tested) when some horses naturally drink less water. Don't think I can
soak feed for 25 horses twice a day. May be, may be not. Do you thinking
upping the fat to 6-8 % is enough? (need advice here) In general, my guys
need more fat than usual in the winter.........
I know some will be thinking well if you can't provide sell.
Well, there is NO market here this year.........................Most go for
slaughter in this neck of the woods and that is NOT an option. Sold my van
to feed the horses. There is always a way and they are my priority. The
hay we made this year will be feed to only 2 of the horses................
We are going over now to find out what companies formula it is, and then
run it buy you all. Hopefully some one will be familiar with it.
This is all very new to us. We have always had more than enough of our own
hay... I take nutrition very seriously.
Please! Please! Any advice, input, or moral support is needed. This is a
hashed subject on the list by now. It is a new problem for us, and I am
working threw being really upset.
Thanks in advance....
Sigrid
The Space Cadet