Mare & Foal feed question

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I have been feeding Platform mare & foal feedto Molly, Image, and Rodeo. Its a peleted feed.

I went to get new grain and they were out of the Platform feed - not due for a week and I needed grain that day. I had to buy Dumor mare & foal feed which is a sweet feed. Dumor is also $5 cheaper per bag. I am considering keeping them on the Dumor full time but not sure if I like the idea of sweet feed.

Do you like the sweet feed or peleted feed and why? If they are both a 16% mare and foal feed, does it matter a whole lot if its sweet feed or plain pelets?

 

[Leeana]

Kind of wondering myself actually. I dont feed sweetfeed anymore, i stopped over the summer because Coco just got Hyper and they were acting like Crack Adicts

! I have been thinking about starting Lexus on a different feed and plus Angel will foal in about 9 month so i have to start looking into that to.

Leeana

 

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Bump...

 

[tuffsmom]

Hi Nic! Since no one else has answered, here goes...

We feed sweet feed here. Both my boys get Omolene 200. They do really well on it, and both get VERY excited at feeding time. Big Man is doing his driving training, and Tuff has the "tough" job of supervising the training

, so they are very busy boys.

For some reason, I don't like the pellets. It seems too "processed" to me, if that makes any sense.

 

[Robin_C]

There may be several differences between the two feeds. The first thing that comes to mind is the sugar content which is probably higher in the sweet feed because of the added molasses. Thus a higher glycemic index. For some horses this may not be a problem. Other horses may get "hot" or "fizzy" in response to the additional sugar.

More importantly, the ingredient list and the guaranteed analysis should be checked BEYOND just the percentage of protein. You could read the tags for 10 different 16% protein feeds, and find a high variability for ingredients, micro- and macrominerals between each of the products.

The two products you are looking at are probably fairly similar, however, since they are both mare and foal feeds. However, changing feeds from a pelleted product to one containing whole grains can be problematic and is advised against when possible. Horses harbor a plethora of gut bacteria which are very "food specific". That is, one little colony of bacteria specializes in oats, while a different species of bacteria works only on wheat middlings, etc., etc. That's the principle behind introducing a new feed SLOWLY, so that the horse's digestive system has time to adjust and have the new bacteria fluorish in numbers adequate enough to digest the new food properly.

That being said, I'm sure we've all been faced with emergency situations where we've had to switch or adjust food more rapidly than we would have liked. If we're lucky, our horse gets through that process without any problem, but the possiblity of developing colic from abrupt food changes is always a threat.

However, to get back to your question, read the feed labels carefully including the ingredient list and the guaranteed analysis -- compare them carefully and then weigh those facts against the price difference to see which would be a better choice for your horse.

Robin C

 

[EminentArabians]

I have always fed my horses sweet feed (but I have full sized horses, no miniatures as of yet, though I love them). When I was managing the care of up to 18 horses at a time, some boarders used pellets and some used sweet feed.

I found the pellets to be a lot more dusty, especially at the bottom of the bag. when they go bad, they get moldy, clump together..but they don't seem to smell bad (atleast not very noticeable).

With sweet feed, I can automatically tell when it's bad, it gets a terrible rancid smell.

In the winter/cold weather, sweet feed does tend to get hard/clump together on occassion.

The main reason why i use sweet feed is because it isn't dusty and my horse can handle it well. She is due to foal in Feb. If you do switch everyone over, please follow the instructions on the bag and do so over a gradual time frame...

It really boils down to personal preference and what works best with your horses.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I only feed grain, different sorts, mixed together (If someone could add a picture of a scoop of "Sweet Feed" it would be very helpful to me- I think it is what I call "Mix") In Summer I will buy a few bags of ready mix, but the pelleted equivalent is only ever exactly that- the mix ground down and pelleted. So there is only a very slight difference in the make up. The horses preferr the mix to the pellets, although of course they will eat either!!

If I ma trying to tempt one to eat for any reason I will always use what I referr to as "real" feed, ie mix or grain mixed with Beet Pulp.

 

[OhHorsePee]

I WAS feeding sweet feed at $10+ for 50 pounds. Of all the feeds that people listed on the forum that was all I could find locally. Kay to the rescue! When Kay came she explained things so clearly and shared an experience that she had. We finally found a Purina dealer about 30 minutes or so away. I am paying just a little over $11 dollars for 50 pounds of Equine Jr. Everyone is looking so much better being off of the sweet feed! When it costs almost the same and you are getting quality feed for just pennies more it makes more nutritional sence to get the Equine JR. Or at least to me it does. Mine minis absolutely look more healthier. No more bulging bellies since I have switched over. And yes, my mares that are expecting are being weaned over.

Fran

 

[Jill]

I'm always reading and thinking and day dreaming about what the horses are eating, or will be eating.

For me, I feel more "relaxed" about them eating pellets, especially with a good amount of fiber, vs. sweet feed. I think the sweet feed can sit on their stomach and cause ulcers and also, if you read up on it, the sweet feed grains are digested in a part of their body that isn't really a good place for things to be digested (not the natural way where hay / grass is digested).

The way we feed here, it is pellets first, then they hay part of the meal. Even if we fed hay first, they'd stand at the buckets waiting for the pellets. I think that a cause of colic in some horses is said to be that the horses eat the sweet feed before the hay.

Just for me, I feel like "complete" type pellets (like Purina Equine Junior, Senior or Adult, etc.) are safer and less likely to cause trouble if the horse waits awhile to really get into their hay.

Right now at our house, they are all getting Purina Equine Adult in the morning for breakfast except DunIT, who is getting Purina Equine Junior. None except DunIT get hay in the morning. He gets only a handful. At night, they now get a senior pellet that is 14 protein / 5 fat / 18 fiber and hay (all except DunIT who is on Purina Junior and hay at night). Too early to know how well it's working for us.

 

[Jill]

Also, just looking at sweet feed versus complete pellets, doesn't it look like the pellets are easier to digest? They break down easy in water so I think that means the horse can more easily get the nutrients out. I know when they eat a lot of oats, some comes right back out the other end, and same with coarse hay. I realize my thinking is probably too simplistic but anyhow....

 

[Dona]

I agree with you 100% Jill!

I also feed Purina "complete" pellets.....Adult to my mature horses, and Junior to my weaners & yearlings.

 

[New_Image]

Jill I very much agree, which is why I asked. I personally like the foals eating the peleted feed better just because it does look easier to digest. I am thinking I will keep them on their peleted feed, I just hate having to swich them back right when this bag is gone now. Thanks for all the different points of view everyone.

 

[chandab]

I only feed grain, different sorts, mixed together (If someone could add a picture of a scoop of "Sweet Feed" it would be very helpful to me- I think it is what I call "Mix")

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Fizz,

Sweet Feed is usually, but not always, corn, oats and barley mixed with a little molasses and sometimes has a vitamin/mineral pellet added to the mix (the grains are usually rolled or crimped). At least, this is how the local "sweet feed" is made.

 

[Jill]

What Chanda describes is what it's mostly like here, too. The base is pretty much oats, with some corn depending on the brand, molassas, maybe some pellets. I do know my horses are crazy about it. They do LIKE it better than pellets, but I think the pellets are better for them.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, that's what we call "Mix". Thanks for that, cleared up a lot. If I buy within a range of feeds by one manufacturer I can get Stud Pellets, for instance and a Stud Mix - both suitable for Mares, Foals and Stallions. The Pellets are the same ingredients and analysis as the pellets- why do your manufacturers not do the same?? I have never got on with pellets- the horses far prefer the mixes, which I can get honey based and oil based as well as molasses. As said I prefer to make up my own feeds on the whole, but I use mix during the Summer when I am not feeding much.

 

[Jill]

Yep, I know the horses like the sweet feed / "mix" better than pellets. Just like I prefer french fries to boiled potatoes. Mine enjoy the pellets, though not as much as the sweet feeds. I've just read a lot since Khaki's colic surgery (when she was not in my hands) and the more I read and think, the more I feel the pellets are safer and better for my horses. It's been some time since we've had sweet feed on the property. Just trying to find the correct balance of complete feeds and hay to get the results I am looking for in my horses.