Max. protein amounts for mini-mule?

[fourhorses]

As expected Bashful is gaining weight on air and the tiniest bit of food.

He just gets handfuls of hay every now & then throughout the day, on a dry lot, and 2x day gets fed an ounce of plain beet pulp, 1 ounce of Quiessence (for his crest and previous founder) and an 1/2 ounce of his vitamin supplement LinPro. http://foxdenequine.com/linpro.htm

Is this too much protein for my little guy? His crest is drastically going down after 3 months and he has no other fatty deposits anywhere and his hooves are looking great from previous founder BUT he's got a round belly with his little bit of food - like preggers round!

No worms and he is so very shiny so I don't worry about anything healthwise (except thyroid?) but wondered if just one ounce daily of this vitamin is helping to ummmm, round him out.

Thanks so much,

Kristie & Bashful

 

[minimule]

I've noticed that my mules don't need all the extra stuff that most folks feed to their horses. I feed ACCO Safe and Sound. It's basically the same thing as Nutrena Safe Choice. Now.....Wylie, my 30" mule looked pregnant. Her belly was very big and round. She looked like she could foal any day. She had been getting 1 cup of the feed + .5 alfalfa and .7 grass hay 2x a day. I dropped her down to 1/2 a cup of the feed and actually increased her grass to .8. Within 2 weeks, her belly is gone. My bigger mules, I reduced their feed down to 3/4 cup 2x a day from 1 cup 2x a day. They dropped their excess weight quickly and all of them look really good right now. Mine gleam.

What I would do is try to cut the supplement down some.

 

[fourhorses]

Thank you!

Is there anything in daily life that would have you check thyroid levels on any of your mini-mules?

 

[minimule]

I would think the same signs a horse gives you. Mules typically don't have the issues horses do but there are those out there that do. Just like a molly mule that will have a foal.