Processed Feed can EASILY cause COLIC... so in the fall and winter I soak their feed.... ALL their feed not just hay extender and alfalfa EVERYTHING... for BOTH horses. Because I feed my mare large amounts of feed, I soak their food!
soaked feed will expand three to four times its normal size... so make sure you have enough water to cover the dry feed so it can expand as much as possible.
In the COLD of winter I have feed at home and soak it in boiling water before I take it to the barn, or I take boiling water to the barn to feed them. No I do not expect anyone else to do the same but it makes a big difference for my one horse that does not grow a good winter coat. As you can only feed a horse so much!
Really? What do you feed? Do you ask people what to feed your kids?
I know ... that's harsh! But really we all approach our kids differently. We are all going to approach our horses differently as well. I do nothing like my neighbors, and my neighbors do very little like I do.
I love Purina horse feeds... but they are REALLY hard to get around where I am and Southern States is much more reliable for me. BUT I do drive 30 minutes for special feed for Navarre and 15 minutes out for Alfalfa for Sweet Pea. So I purchase all these in more than I need and keep the extras in my house safe and sound.
Low Starch Performance feed for Sweet Pea
Hay Stretcher,
fortified Rice Bran for Navarre. (no sugar)
Wellsolve Purina feed for Navarre (low carb and starch) a necessity for his PPSM...
and the Alfalfa cubes for Sweet Pea
Navarre is what they call an EASY KEEPER so he needs much less of everything than one would think. As long as he has grass hay and his supplements he fine. So he gets feed in order to get his supplements into him and MANAGE his weight. He gets fat easy and fast...
Sweet Pea is the exact opposite. It is VERY hard to keep weight on her. It is hard to feed her enough hay in a single day so I use the hay extender. Hay extender is one of those things you really need to soak before feeding it to the horse. The hard keeper above is more like our yogurts with bacteria for easier digestion. It works for her! I do not waste the money on Navarre.
Feed... you need to read your labels....
I keep my bags till I purchase another three bags and put them in my metal trash cans. (I keep all my feed in metal trash cans of all sizes... Mice do not chew metal) WHY do I keep my bags... Because once in a blue moon there is a recall on feed. I have joined the instant messaging on each of my feed companies... for this same reason.
xmpl... in my area there were several issues with hay and feed this year. Hay ... I lost... Feed I lost what was in my cans due to the rain... everyday almost all day for over 32 weeks this year. Our normal rain fall is 20 to 30 inches a year. We have gotten barely over 60 inches this year. Feed stores that do not have climate control lost some of their feed that is not plastic wrapped. My hay stretcher is one of those. But I had my bags, they gave me numbers and I could double check mine I had and each bag I was going to get in the future so I would know it would be ok ... all from the company.
FEED is given per pound ...
Pound of Horse... Amount of EXERCISE... the more exercise the more feed... BUT it is given on a bag per DAY... this should be divided into two or THREE feedings a day. When I am home I feed my mare THREE times a day because I have to feed her so much being a hard keeper. Navarre... I feed him as little as I can... and only twice a day.
If your horse Colic's then making sure the amount of processed feeds being smaller and smaller and wetter and wetter portions may be VERY important. As well as adding an oil...
I'll go over more details about my supplements tomorrow!
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