how much to feed

[Karen in NC]

Hi and thanks for all of your warm welcomes! I curently have:

1 two yr old colt

1 5 yr old mare

2 almost a yr old mares

The person I got them from said to feed them a quart of grain a day and some hay. I think a quart of feed is too much. All of them are heavy (personal opinion) except the 2 almost yr olds. All of them are not eating much hay. They are also on pasture(well it ws unitl the cold weather came). The pasture has very little grass growing.

I want to do what is right for them. When I bring them into feed the go right for their feed buckets so I know they are hungry.

Oh the little ones are fed grain 2x a day the 2yr old and 5 yr old once a day. And we put out a pat of hay ( timothy and orchard) in the pasture 1x a day. Please advice needed. Thanks

 

[FairytailGlennMinis]

bump :bgrin

 

[kaykay]

what kind of grain?? Also what size are these guys?? Its really hard to tell someone how to feed without knowing the size and exercise level of the horses.

for example a mature idle horse that is not showing or breeding really doesnt need much besides hay

but a young growing horse like a yearling needs a good hay and feed such as a jr feed.

also i am really loathe to tell anyone to cut a horse back unless i see a picture that shows the horse is overweight. Too many times they are actually underweight (which causes a big bloated belly) and this is mistaken for fat.

 

[angelridge]

My weanies up to 2 and sometimes 3 get a good jr or growth feed. ie Purina Equine Jr or Triple Crown Growth.

Weanlings, as much as 6 cups a day depending on their growth and personal needs. That is split with 3 cups a.m. and 3 cups p.m.

Mares in foal get the growth feed plus pasture and orchard grass hay, about 1 to 2 cups each,, 2X a day.

In the last 3 months the mares feed gets bumped up by as much as 1 cup per feeding and they are taken off the pasture as we have some fescue in the fields. They will get a flake a piece a.m. and p.m.

Idle horses just hangin out get Triple Crown Lite if they have weight issues. Some of mine get as little as 1/2 cup a day plus pasuture for about 9 hours.

Mine also get soaked/drained beetpulp in the evening only mostly 1 cup each and a couple get 2 cups. Plus electrolytes sprinkled on it to make sure they are drinking enough especially in winter.

If a horse has a large belly, it is usually a sign of not enough protien or the horse may have worms. I deworm my horses every two months rotating between Ivermectin, Safeguard and Panacur.

An overwieght horse will have fat areas along their withers and back and across their but. This can be a health issue for some horses if they get too obese.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

It does depend on the "grain" so we need to know a lot more.

Also of course a horse that is actually pig fat and heading to founder will still knock you down to get at it's feed- it has NOTHING to do with being hungry and all to do with a natural greed!! (And my smallest mare is the greediest little piggy in the bunch- heading towards being 27" high and 37" WIDE!!!)

 

[jdhand]

It also depends on the horse. I have some that are just really fat and require very little feed and some need more to stay fit. It you feel they are too fat, cut them back until they lose a little. In the winter I feel around their hips and and all so I can tell if they are too thin or too fat. When they have so much hair it is hard to tell. If they start feeling thin I up the feed some and if they feel to fat I decrease it some.

 

[Ronnie]

Hi Karen,

What part of NC are you in? If you have questions we could help you with we would be glad to help and we would love to have you come for a visit.

 

[kaykay]

ronnie i wanna come visit too!! :bgrin

 

[Ronnie]

ronnie i wanna come visit too!! :bgrin

You are welcome anytime!!

Ronnie

 

[Karen in NC]

It also depends on the horse. I have some that are just really fat and require very little feed and some need more to stay fit. It you feel they are too fat, cut them back until they lose a little. In the winter I feel around their hips and and all so I can tell if they are too thin or too fat. When they have so much hair it is hard to tell. If they start feeling thin I up the feed some and if they feel to fat I decrease it some.

Hi, I am in northeastern NC, a little town called Corapeake, just over the Virginia line. Is that close to you?

 

[jdhand]

I am in South Alabama. However if you ever come this way you are welcome to stop buy or spend the night. We have about 25 minis. 6 of them are show horses and the others are babies and broodmares. Talk to you later,