Extruded Grains

[Gizzmoe]

Okay here goes. Does anyone here feed extruded feeds and what have been your results? Earlier this year I was feeding an extruded grain. One that I really liked. It smelled good and the horses went after it like they were starving to death it was so good. My mare who is currently thin still was in foal and she was getting the maximum ammount that she could get and be safe plus all the hay she could want. She was doing great on it. I had to stop getting it for a few reasons because of things that were going on. Now she is getting a feed that is simlar in calories only about 150 less and is not as good as she was on the extruded feed she was getting. From what I have researched the extruded feeds are easier to digest and are easier on the stomach. Its a bit harder for me to get but I am thinking about going back to it because she was doing rather well on it. She also had a shiny coat that was hard to get pics of it lol. She is coming around well on what she is getting now and I have been parnoid about her weight but she is still gaining steadily its just not all going to her topline yet. What she gets now is good stuff but the other feed she was getting just seemed to have more umph to it.

Here is her shiny coat on the feed she was getting earlier this year - birght sunny day so hard to get a pic but you can see in the areas where its red on how deep her coat got. That was after like 1.5 months on the feed. She shedded out to have that wonderful coat.

And this is her coat now - ITs pretty and deep in color but doesnt have that shine that it had ealier in the year.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I use Blue Seal Vintage Sr for my older ones. They love it and look great! If you have a feed that is working fairly well, consider addiing some beet pulp and flaxseed. This tends to bring shine, fill topline, is easy to digest, replaces some roughage (hay)......gives them a good coat. You don't say the age of your mare but, seniors do not always digest as easily as when young and do not always absorb nutrients as well.

This can also be true with animals who have been nutritionally deprived and/or carried excess worm loads for a long time. (at any time, not saying this was/is at your farm. just damaged intestinally)

Animals are individuals. As such, some things work fantastic on some and only so-so on others.

Always check label for vit/min contents. Those need to be a prime consideration along with protein levels.

I have also used Blue Seal Demand (pellets) for over 15 yrs. Mostly soy, no corn, has been my main feed, to young and old with no issues. Others have other favorites, this is mine.

These things have worked at my farm -- possibly will help you sort out your concerns.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I havent fed a mini an extruded feed, but my 19 year old Quarter Horse gets Blue Seal Vintage Gold which is an extruded feed. She has a lot of trouble keeping weight (shes appendix, and has a good bit of tb blood in her) Before I bought her they tried her on all kinds of grain. She would get gassy, colicky, or diarhea, nothing seemed to agree with her. They got her on the extruded feed, and it has been great for her for the past 5 years. The extruded feeds start breaking down as son as they hit their saliva, so their gut dosent have to do as much work. My mare recently dropped a bit of weight, but it was due to getting older, the weather change, and not being worked enough. We added an extra meal a hay that is beenpulp and hay, and she has picked the weight back up very quick. When we fed the beetpulp along with her grain (she used to eat twice a day) she would always go for her grain and hay first, then not be hungry by the time she got to the beetpulp. By giving it to her between her two feedings, she eagerly eats it, and I prefer the 3 feedings a day instead of the 2 because I like to mimic their natural eating patterns as much as possible. She has always had a VERY nice shiny coat, even without supplements. She does get a fat supplement now though, which Im sure has put even more of a shine on her. Its made by calf manna and its called Equine Fat supplement, its an oil that comes in a gallon container. Usually runs about $13 a gallon, and is good stuff.

This summer at shows I had so many people asking me what shiny spray I used because their horses never get that shiny, and I didnt have ANY shine spray on her, she was just brushed.

 

[Gizzmoe]

The extruded feed I am looking into getting is only $3 more then what I am getting now. It also does have flaxseed in it. Beet pulp here cost more then good hay! Last time I checked a few weeks ago it was almost $16 for a bag of beet pulp. I can get a good big bale of alfalfa or alfalfa/grass mixed for less then that and much less if I buy by the ton! Storage is a problem now so hay is bought on more of a as needed basis. I was buying the chopped forage but my girl enjoys eating the tifton to that. Funny thing is my stallion prefers the chopped. Go figure lol. I have decided to go ahead and switch back to the extruded. The horses seemed to like it more and it has the added benifit of already having flaxseed and yeast cultures in it. The vitaman/minerals and protein content of it too will help with the lack of protein and stuff in the hay. Silly me dont remember how much she was getting back then but if I remember correctly it was a good bit less. I am still interested in hearing everyones results with any extruded feeds they have fed.

Thanks

 

[EMB]

Gizzmoe I am not sure exactly what it is you are looking for in terms of "results". Were you feeding the extruded because you wanted your mare to gain weight?

I have always fed my girls extruded feed simply because the best advice I had been given was that it is easier on their digestion, not because of any special needs they had. I know that within the realm of the brand I use there are many different formulations depending on the needs of the horse. For example a horse needing to put on weight. I met with the nutritionist at the feed store and we went over what my horses needed and then reviewed the nutritional formulas available. Simply put we selected one that would be least likely to contribute to weight gain. If I owned a horse that needed to put on weight then I would have had several options to choose from within that line. Those were the first that were crossed off my list!

 

[Gizzmoe]

Weight gain and overall general overall coat improvement. The horses I had on the extruded I got earlier in the year had such a better coat and just overall seemed to look and feel better. They are doing okay on what they are getting now. Even the one mare who needs the weight. But they seem to lack the omph then they seemed to have earlier in the year.

hmm its hard to explain

Gizzmoe I am not sure exactly what it is you are looking for in terms of "results". Were you feeding the extruded because you wanted your mare to gain weight?

I have always fed my girls extruded feed simply because the best advice I had been given was that it is easier on their digestion, not because of any special needs they had. I know that within the realm of the brand I use there are many different formulations depending on the needs of the horse. For example a horse needing to put on weight. I met with the nutritionist at the feed store and we went over what my horses needed and then reviewed the nutritional formulas available. Simply put we selected one that would be least likely to contribute to weight gain. If I owned a horse that needed to put on weight then I would have had several options to choose from within that line. Those were the first that were crossed off my list!

 

[chandab]

I started feeding an extruded feed about 6 weeks ago, I really like how the horses are doing on it and they really seem to like it. Hopefully, my feed store will keep getting it, they don't seem to have too many customers for it, so I don't know.

 

[Jill]

I used to feed Blue Seal Vintage Senior to all age groups of horses and was thrilled with how they looked. I did switch from it to a complete senior pellet w/ more fiber (as I was not feeding a lot of hay), but the only reason for the switch was that I wanted more fiber in the pellet. I think the Vintage Senior is ony 14% fiber and the one I use now is 20%. I liked that the shape of that feed made it take longer for my horses to eat, and they liked the taste of it.