How do you know how much purina mini and pony to feed

[Thomas]

I haven't switched to it yet, but I am planning on it, does the feed come with a weight chart?

 

[newtominis]

Yes it has one on the bag.

 

[eagles ring farm]

You can look on Purena website the chart is on there for their feeds but its real small and hard to read

 

[amysue]

I use this feed and I quite like it. All 32 of my minis and ponies are on it, even the donkeys. I have experienced excellent results with switching to this feed and I have also found that I feed less quantity as the quality is better. There is a guide on the back of the bag to serve as a suggestion as to how much to feed according to the horse's age, condition and work load. Depending on how much hay and pasture you feed, the grain ration will vary according to the horse's use and work load and needed caloric intake. It is always wise to check with your vet when making dietary changes. I used to work for a Purina dealer and encountered this question a lot. Personally...I would not rely soley on the company selling me feed to design my feeding program, as obviously they will tell you to feed the maximum amount to maximize thier profit. Most Purina products as labeled as "complete feeds" meaning that they contain the RDA for vitamins, minerals and essential intake. They do not however, provide the roughage/fiber needed and caution should be used when feeding minis a high-grain diet. They have rather efficient digestive systems and easily gain too much weight. My personal opinion is that the chart on the back of this bag of grain recommends feeding a bit more than necessary. Believe it or not many "mini horse people" do not believe that minis can consume hay. I do not know if the chart on the back of the bag takes this into account or not.

A good calculation to use to determine your horse's daily ration that is usually pretty accurate is to take your horse's approximate weight and multiply that number by 2.5%. Horses in moderate to light work for maintenance need to consume approx. 2.5% of their body weight daily.

(you can find your horse's weight by using a weight tape designed to guestimate based on the circumfrance of the girth) or if you measure completely around the girth (in centimeters) and square it (multiply that number by itself) then multiply that number by the total length of your horse from center of chest to tail in centimeters and divide that by 11877 that value will accurately calculate your horse's weight as well (if you don't have a weight tape). That value should be a good estimate of your horse's weight using only a tape measure and calculator (or pen and paper).

Take their weight (in lbs) and multiply it by 2.5% and that value will be the total amount of feed needed (keep in mind that approx 50% of your horse's intake daily should be fiber/ roughage (more like 70% to 80% for non breeding/working minis). So if you are looking to feed your mini a maintenance diet, take the total value of necessary feed suggested and divide it by two and that value will be the approx ration (in lbs) necessary.

Good luck