My experiment with oats and a rant against the feed companies (UPDATE)

[Marty]

Maybe I’ll be back here in 6 months ranting that my oat plan didn’t work out but that remains to be seen.

Hi Guys!!!!

So its not 6 months but its 5 so here's my progress oat update: no problems, no complaints. We had a summer of very lush grass, lots of rain and my new orchard grass hay that i am about to pick up tests out at a very good quality as it always does. Glad of that because forrage is the basis of my food program around here. .I had two horses loose their topline at first when I began to feed the oats, but an increase fixed it. The hair coats are brilliant and everyone feels good. I'm still feeding the cheap $12.50 whole oats from our local general store. Never purchased the expensive oats. But I do have something kinda weird to add: I have one itchy mare in the barn. She's been itching for a couple of years to no avail. Never could put my finger on what was wrong and I did everything from medicated baths to special fly spray to stall stripping, you name it and she never stopped itching.........until I put her on oats. Now I'm not saying that oats cured her, but she has not itched since about the time I took her off the fancy feed and shoved her on the cheap oats. But then I couldn't leave well enough alone. This is the part where I want to smack myself upside the head. I decided that as a treat I would buy a bag of Tractor Supply pellet food called Dumor Equistages for $14.99.. So that's what I use for when I go in the field and call them and get ignored. Let's face it, they only like me when I have a bucket of food. So now since I've been shelling this stuff out like candy for treat purposes only for the past 2 weeks....itchy mare is itching AGAIN! Process of elimination and my brains are telling me she cannot have it. There is something she is allergic to somehow in processed food. So at treat time now I have to bring her treat in a little cup which is only oats. Boggles the mind.

And I'm still on quite the rant about the prices of feed and moreso, the new lines of feed they are coming up with. Just how many types of feed does one company have to make? Please. I mean to tell you really, this is insanity. They think we the consumer are idiots. Purinia, Nutrena, Safe Choice, every major company ojut there is in such competition with each other its crazy. They all have more selections of food than you can possibly count .Stop the insanity. Like Fizzy says, this is not rocket science. And I say, less BS is more.

Oh and before I forget, not sure if I mentioned this before but if you are finding any wevilles in your grains, plunk some bay leaves around your feed containers. They won't go near bay leaves. I also used them in my kitchen cabinets just in case.

So not to disapoint: Let's continue to rant: How about those beautiful pictures on those shiny bags of horse food? OMG Wonder what we would pay for the same contents in a plain brown rapper or a burlap sack? How's about we all just bring our own bag and have them fill it? Now, there's the idea that will go over like a lead balloon. Yes people, the feed companies are testing us, taunting us, padding their grain price due to fancy packaging and putting us on a guilt trip to buy buy buy and spend spend spend and I for one am way too old to fall for this. And speaking of the pretty feed bags, take a look at this!!!! Some of my friends are making these feed bag totes from them. Probably to re-coop some of the ridiculous amount of money they spent on the feed.

Click this: (hope link works) If not, copy and paste it. Then keep going down for my picture ok?



Last but not least, here is a picture of my two year old fillies after being on oats for about 2 1/2 months or so. I don't think they look half bad for cheap oat horses do you?

Click to make it larger ok? Thanks

View attachment 23434

 

[Marty]

Maybe I’ll be back here in 6 months ranting that my oat plan didn’t work out but that remains to be seen.

Hi Guys!!!!

So its not 6 months but its 5 so here's my progress oat update: no problems, no complaints. We had a summer of very lush grass, lots of rain and my new orchard grass hay that i am about to pick up tests out at a very good quality as it always does. Glad of that because forage is the basis of my food program around here. .I had two horses loose their topline at first when I began to feed the oats, but an increase fixed it. The hair coats are brilliant and everyone feels good. I'm still feeding the cheap $12.50 whole oats from our local general store. Never purchased the expensive oats. But I do have something kinda weird to add: I have one itchy mare in the barn. She's been itching for a couple of years to no avail. Never could put my finger on what was wrong and I did everything from medicated baths to special fly spray to stall stripping, you name it and she never stopped itching.........until I put her on oats. Now I'm not saying that oats cured her, but she has not itched since about the time I took her off the fancy feed and shoved her on the cheap oats. But then I couldn't leave well enough alone. This is the part where I want to smack myself upside the head. I decided that as a treat I would buy a bag of Tractor Supply pellet food called Dumor Equistages for $14.99.. So that's what I use for when I go in the field and call them and get ignored. Let's face it, they only like me when I have a bucket of food. So now since I've been shelling this stuff out like candy for treat purposes only for the past 2 weeks....itchy mare is itching AGAIN! Process of elimination and my brains are telling me she cannot have it. There is something she is allergic to somehow in processed food. So at treat time now I have to bring her treat in a little cup which is only oats. Boggles the mind.

And I'm still on quite the rant about the prices of feed and more so, the new lines of feed they are coming up with. Just how many types of feed does one company have to make? Please. I mean to tell you really, this is insanity. They think we the consumer are idiots. Purina, Nutrena, Safe Choice, every major company out there is in such competition with each other its crazy. They all have more selections of food than you can possibly count .Stop the insanity. Like Fizzy says, this is not rocket science. And I say, less BS is more.

Oh and before I forget, not sure if I mentioned this before but if you are finding any weevils in your grains, plunk some bay leaves around your feed containers. They won't go near bay leaves. I also used them in my kitchen cabinets just in case.

So not to disappoint: Let's continue to rant: How about those beautiful pictures on those shiny bags of horse food? OMG Wonder what we would pay for the same contents in a plain brown rapper or a burlap sack? How's about we all just bring our own bag and have them fill it? Now, there's the idea that will go over like a lead balloon. Yes people, the feed companies are testing us, taunting us, padding their grain price due to fancy packaging and putting us on a guilt trip to buy buy buy and spend spend spend and I for one am way too old to fall for this. And speaking of the pretty feed bags, take a look at this!!!! Some of my friends are making these feed bag totes from them. Probably to re-coop some of the ridiculous amount of money they spent on the feed.

Click this: (hope link works) If not, copy and paste it.



Last but not least, here is a picture of my two year old fillies after being on oats for about 2 1/2 months or so. I don't think they look half bad for cheap oat horses do you?

 

[chandab]

My MIL made a few of those feed bag totes, but quite after awhile, cause they really eat up the needles, or at least they did for her.

Marty, are you using a vit/min supplement? If so, what?

 

[Marty]

Hi Chanda, no supplements. I don't see the need and I'm actually looking for problems but no one is lacking. I have out a 50 lbs red mineral block, a 50 lbs white salt block, a big thing of Purina 12 12 free choice minerals. I keep them inside the main barn so they don't get wet from rain. They can take it or leave it as they want/need.

My old Quarter Horse is a different story. He gets Purina Equine Sr. vita plus vitamins and arthritis supplements and the same blocks and minerals as the others, pasture all day long and hay. He also gets some of that pre-packaged alfalfa hay from Tractor Supply mixed in with his orchard grass hay during the winter months and warm beet pulp with carrots or equine sr. for lunch. At 33 years old, I'm not messing with his recipe.

 

[wingnut]

Great update Marty!

 

[ruffian]

Check with your local elevators or farmers for oats. TSC around here has always been the most expensive. Inspect any oats you get from farmers, just make sure they are cleaned otherwise you get too much chass, dust, and straw bits.

 

[Helicopter]

My freaky old Arab mare has returned to her old sweet self after removing a "cool" pellet from her diet. She is the one I accused of going senile and who freaked, knocked me over, freaked some more, slipped then fell on my leg and broke it big time.

Hope she stays that way. Poor old thing.

So Marty I like your style.

 

[Shari]

I do feed some of my Horses Triple Crown products, one gets Low Starch, the other needs senior feed..

Only bagged feed I can find in VA, that doesn't have bugs in it in summer. And the quality is constant.

Yes, it is spendy but every thing is super spendy in this state.

If I could find good crimped oats, would get that... but sadly, can't find any in my area.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I think can go one cheaper than Oats, Marty. I do not feed. In summer, all summer, they graze, they get no extras no supplements, nada. In winter they still graze as I am knee deep in grass, but obviously they need a bit extra to make up for the lack of much in the grass. In winter they get beet pulp soaked, chaff and barley + a few bits and bobs (flax seed ground and micronised etc) I am a great believer in KISS and if it works for you why change it??

 

[iowa]

Hi. I just started reading this topic and feel much like Marty about the confusion the feed companies try to put us in. Luckily, I live in Iowa so have a neighbor farmer from whom I buy a 300 bushel wagonload of oats every year. I paid $3.70 per bushel this year.

I found someones post interesting. They said the farmer had to charge more for oats because fuel and machinery, etc. have gone up. Being raised on a farm with a farmer Dad, I would like to point out that the farmer has no say in what the price of grain will be. They are not like a clothing or grocery store that can raise their price if expenses have gone up. They take what they get, plus they have to deliver it as well!

In the long run, price is determined by the Chicago Board of Trade commodity prices. Farmers can go to the board of trade and fix a price for their crop if they like for a fee.

Being a farmer's daughter I just feel I must correct misconceptions about farming.

 

[Tab]

Marty, I think the biggest asset to your feeding program is grass. Here is why I say that. I experimented with oats this year also. My horses get minimal grass, so we are hand grazing to supplement, until we can (very soon) put in another pasture. I've given pellets and sweet feed in the past, always grass and grass hay. After many months of oats I have come to the conclusion that straight oats and grass hay alone are terrible for hooves. I trim my own, so I can tell you that this is fact. I have to evaluate my feeding program again. Best to stick with what works best. Now that may be oats for some, complete feed for some, grass pellets for some, and maybe just grass and hay for others. The kicker is going to be access to grass. Nothing else does for a horse what grass can. That is really going back to nature. I think it is what my horses have missed out in the past. Especially Joe, my little man, that is always so skinny. He needs grass to maintain health. Obviously, gradual introductions to feed and grass. Watch minis closely on grass and any starchy feed! I started my herd in a very grassy locale. With grass and exercise they were almost always in show shape. I came out here and my back yard is a dry-lot and my pasture is damp and shaded by woods. It is more moss and weeds than grass. No amount of grain or supplement will do what grass will. Jmo

 

[rabbitsfizz]

If you get good enough grass hay and soak it, it goes back to virtual grass in a few moments. I soak everything, literally. In winter, since my horses water source is a river and thus does not freeze at any time, I do not, I must admit, soak any hay I give, but all grain is soaked either overnight or in hot water immediately prior to feeding. Whole grain has a cellulose coat that is indigestible to horses, so any grain that is not very well chewed will go straight through. Whole oats has a better "jacket" (that provides fibre as chaff does) than barley, but barley makes down into porridge much quicker and better than oats, so it is swings and roundabouts there. This winter I do not think I shall be feeding any hay at all- of course it will be on offer, but looking at the stallion field, it is knee deep and still growing, so I honestly think they will not want the hay! In this case I use grain as a supplement as obviously there is not enough in the dead and dying grass over the winter to sustain them. I have kept the mares this way for the past two winters and, if anything, they are too fat coming out of the winter, so this year I have promised myself to try to be more careful, and to ignore the "Oliver Twist" eyes at the feed bins!!!

 

[cretahillsgal]

I am just now seeing this post, Marty. I'm not on LB as much as I used to be. But now I'm REALLY wondering if this is not what is/was up with Momma's itching. I couldn't maintain her weight on grass hay alone, and heaven knows we haven't had any real grass for years. So I've always maintained her weight with feed. She has been fed 3 different kinds to see if it made a difference, but they WERE all still commercial horse feeds. If she were still going to be here, I think I would have to try your oats feeding regimen on her.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I am happy with my current program of grass hay, beardless wheat hay, a portion of alfalfa once daily, and Nutrena's 'Empower' ration balancer for grass formula, along w/ once daily stabilized ground flax and soaked beet pulp pellets. Since my 31 YO mare can't chew hay and won't touch soaked hay or hay pellets, she gets a mix of Total Equine and a tiny pelleted product known as 'hay stretcher' from Purina, along w/ the flax and beet pulp. Keep salt blocks out at all times, of course...and fresh water(now into 'heated bucket' season here.)

For the first year in several, there is enough grass on my 10 acres to let them graze, and they LOVE it, of course! I reintroduced them to it gradually, even though it is all native grass. The past three or four years, I've had a 'volunteer' grass show up, which with the most rain we've had in years, is thick and covering much of the former bare areas this year; it is an annual variety of grama, known as 'six weeks' grama.In loose soil, it pulls up when grazed, but this year, it is thick enough, and the soil compacted enough by rains, that they are grazing it very successfully, and seem to prefer it to the 'standard' local pasture grass, black grama, a perennial, which seems more palatable after it cures in the winter. This isn't bad soil, all this country needs is ENOUGH RAIN...which admittedly, it seldom gets. I fully agree about the value of grass to graze; however, here it seldom happens.