How much hay?

[susanne]

chandab,

For my B minis, I feed each roughly 2/3 cup dry measure per meal, 2x daily (2 cups for 3 horses makes the math simpler for a lefty like me!). From what Robin C. has said in the past, beet pulp is higher in calcium than phospherous, so you need to keep those levels in balance. I would check with your feed company's nutritionist and check their recommendations on how much beet pulp to add, or PM Robin for her suggestions.

I think the beet pulp does make them feel more satisfied. I make it up very wet, so it also gets more water in them. In winter I feed it warm -- I really don't know if they care one way or the other, but it makes me feel good!

 

[chandab]

chandab,
For my B minis, I feed each roughly 2/3 cup dry measure per meal, 2x daily (2 cups for 3 horses makes the math simpler for a lefty like me!). From what Robin C. has said in the past, beet pulp is higher in calcium than phospherous, so you need to keep those levels in balance. I would check with your feed company's nutritionist and check their recommendations on how much beet pulp to add, or PM Robin for her suggestions.

I think the beet pulp does make them feel more satisfied. I make it up very wet, so it also gets more water in them. In winter I feed it warm -- I really don't know if they care one way or the other, but it makes me feel good!

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Thanks for the information, I'll keep it in mind.

I'm in the middle of cattle country and horses are "second-class citizens" here, so I"m lucky to find what I do for horses. I can't get straight beet pulp, but it is in the complete pellet I use. Oh, and the feed store employees don't know squat about horse feed around here; I've learned more from this forum, than any of them know combined.

I might try feeding the pellets wet to see what the horses think and maybe that will slow them done, if they will even eat it wet.

 

[susanne]

The feed stores/mills may not find it worthwhile to stock it, but would they special order it for you?

 

[Miniv]

Just for the record, I and many other folks on the Forum, think the Purina Strategy is a wonderful all around feed!

We used to feed ALL of our minis of ALL ages that grain for years with great results.....until our feed stores jacked the price so high that even buying it bulk was painful. (Almost $14 per bag) And with our herd, we go through a bag a day.

Anyway, I just wanted to say -- you really can't go wrong with Strategy (in my opinion) if you ever want to go back to it.

MA

 

[chandab]

The feed stores/mills may not find it worthwhile to stock it, but would they special order it for you?

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It was all I could do to get the elevator to special order my sweet feed; I have to order a minimum of three bags at a time. Three 50# bags lasts 2 minis and a 20-year half-arab gelding a very long time. I don't think I could go through beet pulp fast enough to keep it from going bad before it got used up. I'll look into at the elevator. The feed store isn't willing to special order anything; they carry three Nutrena products and their own grain mixes. I don't like their grain mixes, they are too dirty, too much chaff and dried up grasshoppers for my liking.

 

[susanne]

...hmmm...

You know, in some cultures those grasshoppers would be considered a delicacy!

 

[CAM]

Just for the record, I and many other folks on the Forum, think the Purina Strategy is a wonderful all around feed! 
We used to feed ALL of our minis of ALL ages that grain for years with great results.....until our feed stores jacked the price so high that even buying it bulk was painful.  (Almost $14 per bag)  And with our herd, we go through a bag a day.

Anyway, I just wanted to say -- you really can't go wrong with Strategy (in my opinion)  if you ever want to go back to it.

MA

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Yes, we live in the same town as MiniV and we too use Purina Strategy for all our horses big and small however, there are a few exceptions for those with special needs...mares close to foaling or nursing, weanlings, seniors...grain sure is getting costly around here.

 

[bobbiehuff]

Just for the record, I and many other folks on the Forum, think the Purina Strategy is a wonderful all around feed! 
We used to feed ALL of our minis of ALL ages that grain for years with great results.....until our feed stores jacked the price so high that even buying it bulk was painful.  (Almost $14 per bag)  And with our herd, we go through a bag a day.

Anyway, I just wanted to say -- you really can't go wrong with Strategy (in my opinion)  if you ever want to go back to it.

MA

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Yes, we live in the same town as MiniV and we too use Purina Strategy for all our horses big and small however, there are a few exceptions for those with special needs...mares close to foaling or nursing, weanlings, seniors...grain sure is getting costly around here.

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It's high here too with the gas prices and it refecting back into the price of a bag of feed. For the last several years we had 25 QH's and now we are down to 8. Our local dealer use to give us a great price break since we bought so much but now we pay regualr price. Yikes!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I do not know how your Beet Pulp is packed- mine comes in polythene sacks with air holes in them and I am still using some I bought this time last year!! I buy mine in in "Pallets"- one pallet holds twenty sacks,- and store it through the winter under cover. It has no expiry date and has been said to last up to three years. This is the pellets, not the loose pulp, but I see no reason why it should be different.

I have no real idea about feeding hay by weight as I have never done it- my horses graze, and that, basically is that- can't get a whole lot simpler!!!

 

[chandab]

...hmmm...
You know, in some cultures those grasshoppers would be considered a delicacy!

 

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I've also heard they are a good protein source.

 

[dixie_belle]

I have two minis. I feed them each a flake of hay a day and i make a mix of 1 1/2 cup beet pulp, two carrots and an apple and about 1/4 of a coffee can of strategy that i divide between the two of them every evening. They are in the pasture all day, so they are getting grass, as well, although the grass is not as plentiful as it was before i got them, plus we've had a very little rain. I used to mix 2 cups of beet pulp but they were getting quite...um....er....portly (a nice word for fat!) So far they seem to be doing fine, holding their weight, not putting on any excess, either. I have the vet coming out the first week in December to geld my baby boy and i'll get his feed back at that time. I'm very concerned about the over feeding issue as i am a newbie. I really think whatever seems to work for your particular horse and location is what is best. There are so many feeding regimes. Since i don't show, but simply have two of the prettiest lawn ornaments around, as long as they are not going up or down drastically then i'm happy with it. They are both absolute gluttons and would gladly eat until they exploded, given the chance.

Oh, and i forgot to mention i may be prone to a horse cookie or two in the evenings....ok...ok so maybe it is more than two on some days. ahem......who me, spoil them???? never!!

Shelley

 

[Erica]

Well for everyone except my show horses they are on full 24/7 pasture/grazing (about 50acres that is split off to several pastures) spring-fall and then in the winter they are on 24/7 hay out all the time (bremuda). They can eat their fill. No problems here - been doing it with the minis for the past 10yrs, all mares foal easy, get in foal easy, stallions are happy, weanlings stay in good shape. I only have one mini that has foundered, my old gelding and he still gets free choice grass hay just no grass/grain.