Bought a scale!

[O So]

Today hubby and I went yard saling and I found a scale that I can use to weigh my feed!!

The vet told me she only wants me to feed a pound of hay. (along with the grain and grass he gets from grazing in the yard) So I weighed some hay and here is a pic of what a pound of my hay looks like!

The pics don't do it justice, but I can tell you, it's not much! I feed my guy hay 4 times a day, grain twice a day. So if I had to break that pound of hay into quarters to feed 4 times, he would get to chew for about 4 times and it would be gone! LOL Come winter I will only feed 3 times a day though, do to the shorter days!

I'm guessing right now I feed about 2 pounds to 2 and a half pounds a day. I will be able to tell more after tomorrow when I start weighing my handfuls as I feed!

Oh, and according to the new scale, I am feeding him a pound of grain a day. That is a cup of Strategy along with 3/4 cup of Omolene 100. I am trying to switch him over to Strategy only and was also trying to increase his grain all together. I was only feeding about a 1/2 pound of grain when I first got him. I am trying to get him more protein. That is the reasoning behind raising the grain intake. But now that I actually weighed it with an actual scale and not a gram scale, it sounds like a lot to feed the little guy! Total hay and grain for a day would probably come to about 3 pounds or so. Along with the grass in the yard, which is getting pretty short! LOL I am going to switch him to the other yard this week, so this one can grow back!

Yes, I am still trying to figure out a feeding plan for him! LOL I think I am getting closer though!

I think he is starting to look a lot better. Just need to work on that hay belly more and get the back bone to disappear a bit more! The exercise at the stables is helping too I think!! We're getting there!

 

[chandab]

That's great that you were able to pick up a scale, but as it was a garage sale find you'll want to calibrate to be sure its measuring accurately. Grab a new 5# or 10# sack of flour or sugar, or something else with a known weight and put it on the scale and check out how it measures up. I don't know with your particular scale, but most have a dial or something to turn for calibrating to a known weight. [Even if the dial says zero when you have nothing on the scale, you'll want to put a known weight in the basket, then adjust the dial til the weight reads the same as whatever your known item is while its in the basket, and you'll want to calibrate it periodically.] HOpe this made sense.

And, no his pound of hay sure doesn't look like much, but he's a little guy, so not likely to need very much. You might want to look into a slower feeder like the busy snacker or nibble net, so he can't just race through his hay. Here are the links: http://www.busyhorse.com/busysnacker.html http://thinaircanvas.com/nibblenet/nibblenetframe.htm

Both companies have options available with smaller holes, so less worry about a little hoof getting caught. Just something to think about.

 

[supaspot]

OMH Im definately feeding mine too much!

 

[Sue_C.]

OMH Im definately feeding mine too much!

If your horses look good, are not over-weight, and you are happy with what you see...leave your feeding program as it is. I feed my horses individually to what I see in front of me, and have to tell you...there is no way in heck I would feed my horses that tiny amount of hay, and not expect something as a result.

I definately recommend the busy snacker or some other form of slowing down the consumption of that rediculously tiny amount of hay. Perhaps I am the exception rather than the rule, but my horses each get pretty much as much hay as they will eat, and we've no "hay bellies" here. But, as stated before, I do not beleive hay to be the reason for big bellies.

If a horse doesn't get the proper roughage it requires, it will attempt to find it elsewhere, or find something else to spend it's time with. Cribbing, wood chewing, weaving and dirt eating are a few of the many results of too much cutting down on roughage, IMO.

 

[targetsmom]

Good idea to make sure the scale is weighing correctly. I have a scale and I admit I didn't calibrate it like that, and I admit I don't use it for every meal. Because I found that for MY hay, if I fill a square 10# Strongid 2X container with hay (fairly well packed) it weighs one pound. That is what most of mine get for breakfast and dinner. (Mine are all under 34" and also get grain, beet pulp, and hay "snacks" for lunch and bedtime).

Mares & foals are on pasture and their hay is not weighed.

 

[Loess Hills]

We use a scale (picked up at a garage sale, also) to weigh our hay. It makes quite a difference when you consistently weigh the hay, because when you just eyeball it and pick up a flake, that flake can weigh up to 2 pounds Their portions aren't going to vary, and they will maintain or lose weight when the diet is more consistent.

 

Most of our horses get a pound in the morning, along with their grain, some pasture time, and then 1/2 pound at night with grain. We use Progressive Grass Balancer along with 1/4" alfalfa pellets. Generally the mature horses will get 1 cup in morning and 1 cup at night. We like the KISS principle when feeding. That's Keep It Simple, Stupid!

 

[Mominis]

Feed scales are so great to have, aren't they? I use the heck out of mine! I weigh the chopped hay as well as the grain and put them in labeled Ziplocks right out of the scale. Talk about "easy button" feeding!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

If your horse were overweight that mightbe enough.

Since he is not, I do not consider that it is.

Is your Vet willing to do colic surgery for free?

 

[Marty]

The scale is a good starting point. I use it for the basis on where to get me started if I just don't know. I think your guy is little and pudgy from what I've seen.

However the proof will be in the pudding so to speak. You will learn how to eyeball his overall body condition and adjust and tweak amounts accordingly as time marches on and you get used to it.

Come winter, I throw caution to the winds and get very generous with my hay as that is the foundation of my feeding program. I also feed Strategy and like it a lot.

 

[HGFarm]

LOL, yes, the scales tell the truth!! And no, a pound is not much!! It is pretty shocking to see how much they should really be getting vs, how much we put in there!! That is a nice scale!

However I agree that horses metabolize their food differently, some are more active than others. You would have to eyeball their weight etc... as you go but if the horse is not overweight, then I dont know why cutting back would help. Also, every batch of hay you buy may be different as far as protein & nutrients go, and you may have to adjust for that too.

 

[~Lisa~]

I think a huge part of the equation is actually weighing your horse. Every time I bring a horse to the vet we weigh it and they are always way under estimating what the horses weigh. I have gotten pretty good and am usually within 10-15 lbs . My horses are pretty much just hanging out not working hard and the agv horse gets at least 2 percent of his body weight. My 29.50 inch gelding who is in good weight a tad chubby but right where I would want him to be if he were to start conditioning if that helps picture his weight - he weighs 180 lbs so he gets about 3 1/2 pounds of feed a day-(the vet and techs thought he was about 120-130)we usually do a bet before they step on the scale and everyone around wants to get in on it lol

Of course I have hard keepers who get much more and easy keepers who get a bit less you have to match the amount to the way the horse looks but just remember when figuring percentages and going with the avg 2 percent make sure you have a correct weight on your horse to start with.

 

[O So]

That's great that you were able to pick up a scale, but as it was a garage sale find you'll want to calibrate to be sure its measuring accurately. Grab a new 5# or 10# sack of flour or sugar, or something else with a known weight and put it on the scale and check out how it measures up. I don't know with your particular scale, but most have a dial or something to turn for calibrating to a known weight. [Even if the dial says zero when you have nothing on the scale, you'll want to put a known weight in the basket, then adjust the dial til the weight reads the same as whatever your known item is while its in the basket, and you'll want to calibrate it periodically.] HOpe this made sense.

And, no his pound of hay sure doesn't look like much, but he's a little guy, so not likely to need very much. You might want to look into a slower feeder like the busy snacker or nibble net, so he can't just race through his hay. Here are the links: http://www.busyhorse...usysnacker.html http://thinaircanvas...blenetframe.htm

Both companies have options available with smaller holes, so less worry about a little hoof getting caught. Just something to think about.

Thanks for the tip on the scale calibrating! I didn't do that, but will now! All I did was turn the knob till the needle was back on 0 !

Thanks for the tip on the busyhorse too!! I definitely will be ordering one of those very soon!!!

 

[O So]

If your horse were overweight that mightbe enough.

Since he is not, I do not consider that it is.

Is your Vet willing to do colic surgery for free?

Actually he isn't pudgy, he has a hay belly. We are thinking do to not enough protein. He actually has his back bone showing and looks pretty scrawny in his shoulders and all! Here is an updated pic!

I think his but is actually starting to fill out a bit now, since I have been giving him more grain and starting to switch to Stategy!

Oh, and I didn't like the vet that came out, so I'm going to be getting another vet in the near future. I have all ready been given a name of a really good one, supposedly, so I will check him out soon!! The vet I didn't like, didn't even look at his feet, or try to weigh him. She just took his temp and listened to his insides! She did flush his eye ducts out, they are a bit infected, can't remember what she called it, but she gave me some stuff to put in his eyes. She told me 3 times a day. She didn't say for how long to give it or anything. I did it for about a week. His eye's started to run again, so I am putting the stuff in his eyes again!! That just shows you how good she was! I have been told she is a great vet, but also been told that a lot of people don't like her!

I weighed to of my hay feedings today! So far they are a pound each. So if my other two feedings come out the same, I will be feeding him 4 lbs of hay a day.

Plus the lb. of grain. I don't think his last feeding of hay is a lb. though. I will find out later tonight. If I am right about that, I will be feeding him about 4 and 1/2 pounds a day! I guess if one "free choice" feeds, the horse would be getting more then 4 lbs a day of hay too?

Still confused but slowly getting there.

 

[O So]

If your horse were overweight that mightbe enough.

Since he is not, I do not consider that it is.

Is your Vet willing to do colic surgery for free?

Ok, I have a lot to learn! I thought that if you fed a horse to much, it could colic?? They can colic for not having enough food too??

Maybe I have it wrong as far as colic and founder! Founder is when they eat to much right.

 

[crponies]

Colic = belly pain

There are many causes to colic. What Jane was referring to is the fact that if a horse is not getting enough roughage (like they get from eating hay)in his diet, it can cause colic as things are not being moved through his system adequately. Over-eating could also cause colic and/or founder especially if it is a sudden increase over the usual amounts of feed.

 

[O So]

Colic = belly pain

There are many causes to colic. What Jane was referring to is the fact that if a horse is not getting enough roughage (like they get from eating hay)in his diet, it can cause colic as things are not being moved through his system adequately. Over-eating could also cause colic and/or founder especially if it is a sudden increase over the usual amounts of feed.

Ok, thanks! I am good then! I didn't change his diet like she wanted me to! I will most likely cut a feeding out eventually, as the days get shorter! He will always get hay (probably more then a pound, lol) and also will be able to graze in one of the yards for part of the day.

Right now I just want to get his hay belly down and his weight and figure up! If you look at all your guy's horses compared to O So. He looks pitiful! Your guy's are all nice and fit and trim! I want O So to look like that!!

 

[~Lisa~]

Have you thought of adding beet pulp to his diet? My horses only get hay once a day the 2nd feeding they get grain and beet pulp

 

[O So]

Have you thought of adding beet pulp to his diet? My horses only get hay once a day the 2nd feeding they get grain and beet pulp

No, I haven't. I am still trying to figure out a hay and grain schedule. That and I don't even know what beet pulp is, so I didn't want to tackle that quite yet! I need to read more on this kind of stuff. I will have to go ask my feed store.

 

[chandab]

Here's a pretty good website about beet pulp:

http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/beetpulp.shtml

Be sure to read the Squirrel Story, too, its pretty good.

 

[O So]

Here's a pretty good website about beet pulp:

http://www.shady-acr.../beetpulp.shtml

Be sure to read the Squirrel Story, too, its pretty good.

Thanks for the link! I love reading about this stuff!! The more I info the better!!!