rice bran to put weight on?

[yankee_minis]

I was looking for Calf Manna for my stallion and no one has it here and they can't get it. So I asked the woman at the last feed store what to use. She suggested a couple products and I eventually bought some rice bran oil that also had flaxseed oil and corn oil.

He's getting beet pulp with molasses and this oil (+water) in it now and he loves it.

The woman also swears by rice bran to put weight on. Has anyone ever used this to put weight on?

 

[Fred]

Rice bran is good stuff [expensive though] Never used it for weight gain though.

We can't get Calf Manna up here [Maine, NH] the alternative is Sunshine pellets.

I have bouhgt some seriously underweight horses in th past and used the

Sunshine pellets, with Omelene and free choice hay. Works for me. Linda B

 

[Hosscrazy]

Yes, I've added rice bran to my senior's diet to help her keep the weight on. I'm using Moorman's Natural Glo stabilized rice bran and am giving her a total of 1/3 cup a day (split between 2 feedings). She's been on it for over a year, and I'm VERY happy with the results!

 

[Critterhugger]

Here is an excellent article on Rice Bran...

http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/ricebran.shtml

I would also recommend reading the Understanding the Calcium - Phosphorus Ratio article that there is a link to on the left of this article.

 

[capall beag]

My local Agway is able to get calf manna. Do you have an Agway nearby you might want to check with them.

 

[hhpminis]

I use rice bran but not for weight gain. I use it as a fat source for coat condition, I think that if you feed enough rice bran to actaully be a weight enhancer you may throw their calcium-phosphorus ratio out of whack as it is very high in Phosphorus.

I am going to go read the link that is above but this is what I am pulling from my memory banks, so check out the added ingredients in whatever supplement you choose.

Anybody else have input on this?

 

[Critterhugger]

I think that if you feed enough rice bran to actaully be a weight enhancer you may throw their calcium-phosphorus ratio out of whack as it is very high in Phosphorus.

You are absolutely right. Rice Bran is very high in phosphorus so it helps to have an understanding of the Calcium Phophorus ratio needed and make adjustments to their feeds to keep the ratio correct. The article above helps explain it. There is also a very good chapter in the foaling book The Complete Book of Foaling -by Karen Hayes about the ratios and the importance to broodmares. Calcium has an effect on so many body functions: bone development, muscle function, hormones etc, etc. Calcium and phosphorus balance each other out. I don't think most people realize how important it is to keep the ratios at normal levels. Horses need to get enough calcium, however too much calcium can be just as bad. Things like alfalfa hay, and beet pulp have really high calcium, but not much in the way of phosphorus. Rice Bran, grains etc have high phosphorus, but not much calcium. Making adjustments in the variety of feeds helps to keep the ratios normal. Some specialty grains have formulas that adjust for that depending on whether you're feeding alfalfa or grass hay. Companies like LMF feeds have formulas for both.

 

[disneyhorse]

I really like Rice Bran... I fed it but I feed Triple Crown Complete which has rice bran in it.

It is very high in fat, so maybe that's why it was suggested?

I also want to mention that fed in large amouts tends to make horses pretty HOT (a lot of energy, not temperature...)

Andrea