Important Feed Question

[halfmoonfino]

We went out to the barn tonight to put a new blanket on Ebby (and to love all over Pitty), and we found Ebby's morning feed left sitting out. Apparently he hadn't come in to eat this morning, and his grain had been left out for him. We went ahead and gave him the same grain as his PM dinner, but he was VERY reluctant to eat it. He was in the stall for almost 45 minutes picking at it. Eventually, he did finish it though. Ebby currently eats 2 qts. grain, 1 qt. oats, and 2 cups beet pulp 2X a day. We called the barn manager and she said Ebby did come in this morning but didn't eat his food.

We just bought him a few weeks ago and have changed his feed from 3 qts. grain 2X a day to what he is currently on now. He goes crazy for oats and beet pulp, but we're thinking the grain is the issue. The barn manager recently switched (as in a week ago) from Purina Strategy to a no-name feed of the same type. Since then several horses have become reulctant to eat. She thinks Ebby doesn't like oats, but every time we feed him oats plain he gobbles them up. We want him to eat, but we're not sure what to do. Tomorrow we're going to give him only oats and beet pulp and see if he eats it. He needs the extra fiber and digestibility of the beet pulp and oats b/c he is a hard keeper.

Any suggestions on what to do? Should we take him off of grain completely? If so, can we up his oat/BP ration? This is our first experience feeding oats so we're a little unsure. We're used to our easy keeper Paso ;-) If there's anything I forgot to mention that might help you advise me, just ask for more information and I'll be happy to give it. THANKS!

:D

[DebbieS]

If he likes oats, maybe you can mix the pelleted feed with them. I know my one 'senior' horse won't eat his Purina Senior unless it's mixed with sweet feed. SPOILED!!

[Heidi]

The barn manager recently switched (as in a week ago) from Purina Strategy to a no-name feed of the same type. Since then several horses have become reulctant to eat. :D
Can you switch back to the feed the horse liked? Do you like being forced to eat something you don't like the taste of?
Heidi

[CarolU]

It also seems strange that so many horses don't like the new feed. Something must be quite different about it.

I'd put him on a good rounded feed like Purina Senior. If he won't eat it plain, adding sweet feed to it works...I had to do that with Rosie to get her to eat Mare & Foal. Yes, some of them are QUITE picky!

You might add some high fat feed to it, I like Purina EquiGlo 14, which is 14% fat. Around $22/bag, but you only feed a cup a day. So it goes a long way. I'd definately do that if I had a hard keeper (in fact, its hard for me to imagine a hard keeper :-? )

[halfmoonfino]

Unfortunately barn manager made the decision to rent this GIANT grain dispenser and have it completely filled with tons of this grain. I guess we could buy our own Strategy and see if he would be ok with it. Currently we are mixing his grain and oats together.

CarolU, I'll check out the Equiglo...sounds like a great idea!

[CarolU]

Nutrina makes a similar product. It might be that you mix some of that with the bulk grain and he'll wolf it down. The stuff is awesome and smells great - I'm sure I gain weight just smelling it.

[motorgypsy]

We've used both the Nutrena empower and Buckeye Ultimate finish (they may have been bought out and changed name) and like them both. They are about $25 but are something like 22% fat. We use 1/4 a scoop or less along with our TC senior which is beet pulp based and a full feed. There are several other full feeds that are beet pulp based - Nutrena, Seminole and PUrina make them.

[Linda Y]

I just got a bag of 12% pelleted feed for Casi, my foundered mare. She is a huge pig, will eat anything, but she refused to eat this feed. It is the same thing she has always eaten. She refused it again this morning, so we scooped the entire thing back into the bag and will be taking it back to the feed store tomorrow. I trust her that there is something wrong with it. It looks and smells fine to me, but she knows best.
I gave a handful to 3 of the other 'pigs' and they reluctantly ate it, so there is something funny about it. The store is going to look at me like I have two heads.
:roll:

[motorgypsy]

If you read the ingredients on a lot of feed you will notice that there are some "or"'s in there. They will do things like switch the type of fat they use, or switch the grain makeup - just like coca cola will change the sweetener in coke from sugar to corn syrup. And the horses can tell there is something different. Some don't care but others do. Read that label carefully. I recall when we started feeding Strategy in florida it had flaxseed in it. In SC it didn't. A different mill and a different composition. I'd personally like to see a labeling requirement that they have to telll you what's in that particular batch instead saying "it might be this or it might be that - depends on what's cheaper and what's available".

[finolover]

i switched when the store ran out...the two pig horses i have refused to eat the new stuff, turns out it had an ingredient that was bitter tasteing..
corn gluten i think...anyway the deer and wild critters are eating it now, back on track
with my old brand

[appyday]

Be careful with oats/beet pulp combination did someone (nutritionist) give you this? This combo really throws off your Calcium/Phosphorous ratio..I will look into it

[halfmoonfino]

Yes, I had heard of that. Thanks for mentioning.


This is tmeporary until our veterinarian finishes the nutritional plan for Ebby. She came out yesterday and looked over what we were doing, made reccomendations, and is going to draw up a plan for him over the next week.

She also checked his teeth to make sure it wasn't a physical thing. But yesterday morning he flat out refused to eat his food with the pelleted feed in it. So hopefully the vet can come up with something palatable to him.

[finolover]

refused to eat his food with the pelleted feed in it

it was the pellets that were bitter with my feed :-?