Hey....Hay????

[sparkle]

Hello.

I was thinking the other day.....

Last fall, I "prepped" my minis a little on the pudgy side for winter as the previous year was bitter cold! :cold:

Needless to say, I had some pudgy ponies this spring!

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A lot was just them needing to be conditioned, a lot was big ol' hay bellies and some padding.

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I will have had them one year this October, so I'm seeing if I should/can tweak some things for this winter as I know they got too much last year.

Right now, my yearling is getting 1 cup (measuring cup) of Poulin Development, 1 cup of MVP (vitamin/balancer), and a handfull of BOSS per day.

My 3 yr old is getting 1 cup of MVP and a handfull of BOSS per day.

They get about 1 flake of hay per day.

In the winter I also like to feed beet pulp for the extra fluids and to warm up their bellies on those extra cold days. They got about 3/4 cup (measured dry) per day. I know @ the extra sugar/carbs....

I know last winter they got more hay than they should have. I was wondering if it's possible/okay to add either more beet pulp or a different type of forage extender that you might recommend that would enable them to have less hay. ?? I KNOW they need hay and I would NOT not give it to them, but I was hoping to add the extra to their grain and have the hay as more "munch on/boredom preventer"?? I know that the "munching" is also keeping them warm, too.

I might be waaaay off on this...maybe it's a long shot, but I thought I'd ask. Just trying to learn a little bit.

What do you change for feeds from summer to winter??

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Thanks for the help!!

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[chandab]

In the winter I also like to feed beet pulp for the extra fluids and to warm up their bellies on those extra cold days. They got about 3/4 cup (measured dry) per day. I know @ the extra sugar/carbs....

I might be waaaay off on this...maybe it's a long shot, but I thought I'd ask. Just trying to learn a little bit.

What do you change for feeds from summer to winter??

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Thanks for the help!!

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Unless you can only get the beet pulp with molasses added back in, there really shouldn't be much sugar in it. And, you can always rinse it first then soak, which will get rid of some of the extra sugar.

About the only thing I do different in winter than summer is feed more hay to keep them warm. And, it doesn't have to be a huge increase to make a difference to the minis.

 

[kareng]

I don't change feeds for the winter. I know some people feed beet pulp, etc in the winter to keep their guts moving since they don't drink as much winter. Since we use heated buckets and troughs my horses seem to keep drinking throughout the winter so I don't feed beet pulp. I will increase hay and grain when it gets colder. I watch what hay they eat and won't feed anymore than they are cleaning up. If they are leaving hay and using it for bedding then I will back off a little so they don't waste it. When we lived up in the UP of Michigan I did have to switch my senior horse to Equine Senior while we lived there as he couldn't keep weight on. Now that we are further south in Ohio he keeps his weight just fine on Horse Chow 100.

I guess I'm from the old school regarding feeding hay. It provides heat in the winter and keeps their gut moving since they are naturally grazers. We are able to find good quality grass hay for a reasonable price so I will continue with hay and supplemental complete feed.

kareng

 

[ThreeCFarm]

We don't change anything for/in the winter. Our horses always get free choice hay, and the rest of their feed stays exactly the same, except for increasaing the amount on certain horses.

 

[Sterling]

My horses get their hay intake upped for the winter since the grass/pasture is dormant. They pretty much have hay in front of them a majority of the time so they can keep warm and keep from getting bored...especially when the snow starts coming down. During the summer months, the hay rations go down and the textured feed goes up a bit and they get pasture along with vitamins and supplements. For their water we change from buckets to a big troth and install a de-icer to keep it tepid and palatable for them to drink constantly. Oh and summer AND winter I keep salt blocks out for them. Don't forget those little added tidbits...mine get carots, celry, Teddy Grahams goodies every once in a while. :bgrin

 

[CritrSitr]

Bump...I'd like to hear more.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I use minimal hay this time of year -- pastures are fine. But, mine love the beet pulp -- which they get only occassionally in summer. Fall, I start working it back into their regular feed. Winter, I supply it every day, especially since I have a number of animals in their late teens and a few in the early twenties

: Of course, I supply sufficient hay but, want to know that the olders have the pulp. They definately seem to maintain better with it. Personally, I think it gives them a great winter coat. They all receive Purina Born to Win &/or Blue Seal Demand as needed but, when I started the BP several years ago I saw an improvement in the thickness of their coats. Short & velvety, but other feeds were same. You need to cut the hay/grain/something, back some to make up for the extra calories of the BP or they will gain weight! Mine have come out at good weights each Spring. Must be doing something right.

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Here I can get the shredded BP without molasses or with...usually have both on hand. Pellets only w/o. But, the pellets take longer to fluff and I don't always have time to wait. They are little less expensive and I like to add just a few pellets to their feed when I begin adding it slowly in the Fall. Winter, normally use shredded and moisten it.

Also have heated tubs so no issues with enough tepid water. Trust me, they DO drink :lol: lotta refills.

 

[Miniv]

We UP the hay, sometimes double the amount depending on the horse's need and the weather.

The troughs all have either heaters or de-icers in them.

That's about it..........

MA

 

[Marty]

I still have plenty of grass still growing in my fields right now. We've had a lot of rain here lately. Actually Dan just mowed it yestarday after school. But usually by January there won't be anything at all left out there for them to eat. Just nibbles.

The difference in my winter care schedule is the time factor for turn outs. I don't turn them out early in the morning during winter months because mornings are freezing usually. After breakfast instead of going out in the fields, I give them hay in the stalls. Then when the temp warms up, usually by say 10:30-11:00am or so, I'll turn them out for the day.

I do bring them in earlier though in the winter around 4:00 and I like to give them a sloppy wet warm beet pulp then. Lots of times I will add Gatorade to it.

The amounts I feed grain doesn't change. I feed oats and Purina Born to Win 2 times daily. Usually 1 cup oats to 1/2 cup Born to Win for most of them.

But I will increase the hay at bedtime. The chewing of the hay is what generates energy to keep them warm so I don't care of they get fat over the winter. I surely won't be-grudge or with hold adequate hay because I'm concerened about hay bellies in the spring. I'd rather be comfortable knowing they are warm in the cold so I do not spare the winter hay. I am very generous with it. And I deal with the hay bellies accordingly in the spring.

I also provide warm water in the stalls. They love it.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I'm afraid I belong to the KISS brigade.

I feed grass up till January and then ad lib hay (last year they ate all of five bales) after that.

I am very lucky, I know, in having grass that keeps growing that long, and my horses are out all the time, too, so apart from adding grain at Christmas I have not much to do in the winter.

GREAT!!!