Supplement Question

[Robin1]

I have a few horses that are hard keepers.

1.) yes, they are on a regular worming schedule and I rotate 3 different kinds of wormer.

2.) yes, their teeth are fine.

3.) I feed Ultium and alfalfa and have added beet pulp in the past but the Ultium already has it.

The horses that are in good weight could still use something to put a nicer topline on them, they are not bad, I would just like to see more flesh.

The others just seem to need a little something more so I thought some extra protien might be just what they need.

So who uses which and how has it worked for you.

Thanks,

Robin

 

[Minimor]

At one time Calf Manna was our supplement of choice.

Now we use Frontrunner Phase Two 14% pellets (or Phase One, 16%)--both of these contain brewers yeast, and I believe that is the ingredient that makes them so effective. If we have a horse that is a bit of a hard keeper, a weanling that drops weight after weaning, or a broodmare that drops weight while nursing a foal, these pellets work wonders at rounding them out again. We don't even feed a lot of them; oats is our basic grain, and then the pellets get added as an 'extra'.

I know many people like beet pulp, but that's something that we've just never fed (tried it once, about 29 years ago, wasn't thrilled with it, haven't bought it again!)

 

[~Lisa~]

I have changed my feeding program so many times seems what works great seems to lose its punch after a year or so.

I like calf manna but you have to remember while it is high in protien it really does not add 32 percent protien to your feed as you have to add all your protien together as part of the total daily diet when figuring out the percentage. It has more then just protien of course and does add some vitamens and minerals as well.

I have fed oats- beet pulp- alfalfa for a long time and added calf manna and rice bran I am now back to alfalfa/orchard hay, beet pulp- alfalfa pellets with rice bran and calf manna.

I do think you might want to look at adding more fat not protien to achieve what you are looking for and might want to try empower or rice bran.

 

[Margaret]

Robin, I have a friend down the street that bought some ribby girls that had trouble getting weight back on them..

She ended up mixing together beet pulp shreds and calf manna, and gave them a cup each, along with their regular lakin lite pellets that she fed daily..

They all filled out beautifully within what seemed like a few weeks.

 

[rubymtminis]

I started using Enrich 32 which is a ration balancer, because I had problems in this area with hay quality. It is a balancer to be used for grass hay which is what I feed. Enrich 32 is fed in small amounts, my average is 1/2 cup 2x daily for my 200 lb minis. It is not meant to add weight, actually it is formulated to not add fat for those that do not need it. It does fill the gap in nutrients that are missing on grass hay only diets. I mix it with Timothy/Alfalfa pellets, BOSS, and anything else any one of my minis or large horses might need.

Margaret's post seemed to be a good combination that you might want to try, I usee calf manna for the protein for my yearlings and it really helped. There are also complete feeds, supplements, and weight builders that work wonders. In the past I used Source Micronutrients, very cost effective to use and I really liked the way my horses responded to it. Source also makes Focus WT which is and effective nutritional aid formulated for hard keepers, and it contains beneficial bacteria and live yeast for digestion. I have used it many times for horses I have rescued and fostered. It is safe and gives them what they need not just a fat building product. Another product I used with the Focus WT was Ration Plus. It supports digestion and the probiotic pastes, all of these help them digest and maximize the nutrients you put into them. And I always have probiotic paste around and use it after worming, shipping, any stress, any new horses ect. Good luck.

 

[Robin1]

Thank you for all your advice. I have used so many different product and combinations of products over the years I couldn't tell you. I can tell you what I won't use as my horses looked "horrible" after being on the stuff for such a short time. I have used Rice bran on and off to try to help, it seems to work for awhile then it doesn't.

Sounds like Calf Manna and some beet pulp with maybe a little rice bran is what I need to do.

Robin

 

[MinisOutWest]

i feed 2x a day

2 cup crimped oats

2 cups wet beet pulp

1/4 cup Enrich 32

6oz alfalfa cubes

add weight- give 1/2 cup Enrich 32

lose weight- 1/4 cup one time a day

simple, easy.