Feed Weighers?

[Tremor]

I'm curious as to what you guys use to weigh your feed.

Right now, I have a weigher for my grain, and its working great. But, half of the time I'm curious as to whether or not I'm feeding the right amount of hay for each horse.

Thanks,

Julia

 

[targetsmom]

I admit that I don't actually weigh my hay at every feeding, but I have used a small scale (the one you use for grain might work) to figure out what 1 pound of hay looks like. For my hay, a small square white Strongid container packed pretty tight holds one pound. So I use that as my standard and adjust from there. I do MEASURE the hay in the Strongid container at each feeding, and I re-weigh the hay and container every so often to make sure I am still in the right ballpark.

 

[candycar]

I use a digital readout fish scale, It was real cheap, about $14, and goes up to 45lbs. I have it hanging from a rafter in my shed, right over the hay. I use a Dollar store laundry basket, weigh it empty(11oz) and then add the hay and do the math. The baskets hold about 3-5 lbs easy. I make up about a weeks worth of hay in the laundry baskets, it makes feeding time easy

I also use the blue fabric shopping bags from walmart(50cnts ea) they hold 1-1.5 lb great and they only weigh 1 oz.

 

[chandab]

I have to admit, I don't weigh my hay, not an easy way to weigh it off a round bale, so I don't. But as I pretty much feed free choice grass hay, weighing it isn't that important.

I do weigh my hard feed. I have digital postal scales for my eBay business so I've weighed all the bagged feeds I use with different containers that I use for measuring. Mostly, I've found scoops/cups that hold specific weights of the different feeds I use and then just use those containers for scooping feed daily with periodic checks to be sure they are staying consistent. [i keep a chart of the different feeds and what each scoop holds in the feed room.]

 

[Mominis]

I bought my scale at Target for $14. I weigh out all three daily feedings for each horse every morning and put it in Ziplock bags. I feed chops rather than regular grass hay and I just mix the feed in with the chops, that keeps greedy Mr. Shake from bolting his feed.

 

[Sandy B]

I use a hanging luggage scale. It has a hook on it and you can hang a bucket on it of any size and zero the weight of the bucket. I bought it on Ebay from like Japan for like $5 and that includes shipping. I have done this twice now when we dropped our first one too many times and broke it. It does take awhile for it to come but for the low price it works great!

 

[wingnut]

I bought one of those white measuring cups that has a sweet feed side and a pellet side. I tested it and found it to be very accurate. We also have a cheap scale that I occasionally use to weigh hay, just to check. I have a good idea of how much each flake weighs based on this.

 

[Charlotte]

I'm like Mominis. I use a kitchen scale from Walmart and weigh everything on it. It weighs up to 7 pounds and cost about $12. Then I get the big flat cheap kitty litter pans and use them to weigh my hay or whatever I am feeding. Has worked great for many years.

I am getting ready to post an article on just this subject on my web site 'How To' page with pictures included. Hopefully in the next few days.

Charlotte

p.s. the article will be titled 'Feeding' or something like that.

 

[disneyhorse]

I have an amazing knack for being able to judge weight; however, I do have a couple scales at the barn. One goes to six pounds (use it for weighing beet pulp, pellets, and grain) and one that goes to 25 pounds for hay. Every now and then I do check the weights of what I am feeding to reinforce my skills.

The smaller the animal, the more drastic a difference a pound or two can make! That's why it's so important with the minis. With bigger horses and draft horses, a pound becomes more negligible.

Andrea

 

[WhiteTailsMinis]

I bought one of those white measuring cups that has a sweet feed side and a pellet side. I tested it and found it to be very accurate. .

Joy - I have never seen what you describe. Can you share where you got it please?

We use a fish scale. put our feed in a plastic grocery bag (it has handles) and hook the handles over the hook at the bottom of the fish scale. Very easy to use and it was very cheap - I think we got it at walmart of all places. we don't weigh every single serving as we used the weight measurements compared to our scoop (that has measurements from 1 - 3 cups) - figured out where that would be with the amount we weighed and as long as don't change feed we should always be getting the same measuremen by weight.

 

[Charlotte]

The article on 'Feeding the Miniature Horse' is up on my web site now. Pictures are included showing my weighing method.

Charlotte

 

[chandab]

Joy - I have never seen what you describe. Can you share where you got it please?

I don't know where Joy got hers, but I've seen them and I think the are called Sure Scoop. I think Smart-Pak has them and maybe Schneiders. Yep, Smart pak has them: http://www.smartpakequine.com/surescoop-5899p.aspx?cm_vc=Search And, there are quite a few reviews on it, looks to be mostly positive reviews.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I use what I think is called a 'dairy' scale; got it through one of my livestock catalogs some years back. It is in 1/10th of a lb. increments, and goes up to 65 lbs. It has a hook on top and one below; I hang it from a wire tied to a steel ceiling rafter, then hang a flat 'tray'...the former 'lid' of a woven basket laundry hamper...off it to put whatever I need to weigh onto. It is adjustable, so I can adjust for the weight of the 'tray' to get a 'real' measurement. I place my hay on old woven poly feed sacks to weigh/carry it. I don't weigh it for myself-don't need to-but can use weighing it to make a list for anyone else feeding if I'm away. I can also weigh my 'hard feed' on the 'tray', first weighing the empty container, so that I know as exactly as possible what the feed itself weighs.

I am doing a trial run of use of a new feed I heard about that I REALLY am liking. Called 'THRIVE', it is a largely forage-based, steam-processed, extruded 'puff'. It is made in TX, as yet has few dealers outside that state, so I was only able to get a couple of bags to try...but the horse LOVES it, is looking and feeling great, and I am increasingly impressed by the safety and convenience of it. It tastes AMAZINGLY good(I always taste such things); no wonder the horse loves it! It is fed by weight(though is claimed to be safe enough to free-feed, if need be)...but is generally to be fed along with either sufficient grazing or a good forage hay)--so I have recently had occasion to use my scale. So far, the @ 225 lb. horse is getting @ 1 lb.day split between two feedings(recommendation for a 1000 lb. horse is 4-6 lb./day.) I am HOPING that it will soon be more widely available!Check it out at the website...www.thrivefeed.com .

Margo

 

[WhiteTailsMinis]

I don't know where Joy got hers, but I've seen them and I think the are called Sure Scoop. I think Smart-Pak has them and maybe Schneiders. Yep, Smart pak has them: http://www.smartpake...px?cm_vc=Search And, there are quite a few reviews on it, looks to be mostly positive reviews.

Thank you Chandab - I will check out the link and order one. Appreciate the info

 

[3bays]

I have a small kitchen scale from JC Penney that I weigh hay and grain on. And here I thought I was the only one that weighed their hay! People laugh at me when I tell that I weigh it!

 

[K.C. Lunde]

I love, love, love the idea of weighing feed.. however.. I have a basic formula I start with,.

 

1/2 a flake of good quality alfalfa + 1 cup of maintainance feed

This is a good recipe for a adult horse on a maintainance diet (MAINTAINANCE to me means NO work, dry lot).

 

My show colt gets this formula plus a little molasses oats or plain oats. I like the molasses oats because he gets regular exercise so he works off the fat however the sugar gives him some sass and adds some zest to the feed. Horses fed 2 times daily.

 

After the first few months you get pretty good at hand measuring the hay. I believe that hay should scale up according to how long it takes for the horse to eat the feed or how hungry he acts when it comes feeding time. Add a few handfuls if your horse is acting like he hasnt seen a blink of feed in a few years. It is unfair to have a horse with a rumbly tummy that could lead to ulcers!!

 

[rubyviewminis]

I use a kitchen scale I got at Target years ago. It was more expensive because I wanted to make sure it was accurate. I use the lid of the plastic can we put feed bags in. Mine will zero out the object you use to weigh in. Since we have no choice of hay here and have to grab what we can when it is available I definitely have to weigh all feed.

 

[barnbum]

I have...an antique baby scale and put a large rubber bowl on it to weigh hay. It starts at 5 lbs for 0.

My five horses get 10 lbs to share in the mornings--I spread it into several piles..then when I get home they get 5 more lbs for a snack, then at tuck in they each get 2-2.5 in their stalls. I don't think they need that much, but now that we aren't on grass, I like them to have munch time.

I'm always surprised to hear folks say they feed so many slices... I've had slices weigh 2-5 lbs.