Chrome is a bit thinner than I would like with winter on the way, so I was thinking about adding fat to his diet. Right now he gets free choice hay (this bale wasn't as good as the last bale so that might be why he hasn't gained weight, we're putting out a new one tomorrow), Purina Enrich 32 (two pounds a day, this is a protein, vitamin, mineral supplement, but does not have calories) and soaked beet pulp (I just added this back in a week ago, he doesn't do well on it in the heat of summer). For those of you who feed beet pulp how much do you build up to for a 1000lb horse? I'm feeding a full quart scoop of it dry (obviously it expands once soaked) so far.
So I was thinking about adding fat. I used rice bran last winter and I liked it, but I didn't use it all before it got full of bugs so now I'm hesitant to buy another bag.... I was only feeding a couple of handfuls twice a day though and I've heard some people feed up to two cups a day in the winter, so maybe I was a little stingy with it? Rice bran is new to me, so I was hesitant to feed too much. From what I've read it would be difficult to feed too much though, so I might try it again.
However from what I've been reading oil packs way more fat and calories into a smaller amount than rice bran, so I was considering trying it. Again, I've never used oil before though so I'm a little hesitant. What kind do you suggest and how much should I feed? Or should I just try the rice bran again and use more of it this time? If I do try the oil I don't necessarily want to leave him on it all winter. I would like to feed it to him to get his weight up and then just switch back to rice bran or something dry and easier to handle. How long approximately do you think it would take to get his weight back up? Also if I got his weight up and then switched him to rice bran would he just lose all the weight again? Sorry for all of the questions!
I would like to feed flax again, but I'm having trouble finding it AGAIN! I don't know why it's so difficult to find. Anyway just let me know what you guys feed, what has worked for you and what hasn't. :) Thanks!
I feed a pound of rice bran every other day. I think the trick is to buy the stabilized. It doesn't go bad nearly as fast.
ReplyDeleteA pound? Wow that sounds like a lot! Is the stabilized kind a powder like the regular kind? How do you know if it is stabilized. I've only ever seen one kind sold at our Co-Op.
ReplyDeleteAmplify by Purina. I used it for almost a year to put weight on Ashke and to increase the fat in his diet in order to help his muscle development (along with Lysine). Worked great. I now keep him on a maintenance diet of 2lbs of Strategy a day, for minerals, vitamins, lysine and amplify. He's doing great.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about Amplify! I haven't used it, but I've heard great things about it. I'll have to see if I can find it. It's getting difficult to find Purina products around here because my favorite feed store stopped carrying their products. I'll check with the Co-Op where I get my Enrich 32 and see if they have it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHave you looked at just plain old oats? That's what I put Estes on to help her gain weight and she did great on them. She actually preferred her oats to pretty much everything else on the planet.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the Oats Project: http://www.equineoats.org/
Yep he's already getting oats. Did I forget to mention that? I don't remember. He's eating Enrich 32, beet pulp and oats.
ReplyDeleteAlso the Co-Op did have Amplify!! I got a bucket of that and let him try some tonight. He wasn't crazy about the taste so I'll slowly introduce it into his beet pulp. :D Thanks for the advice guys!
There is always oil...rice bran oil...or cocosoya oil.....
ReplyDeleteTara
Cocosoya oil will be better than oils (peanut, corn, etc), oils can cause issues due to how it is metabolized. Amplify works good as does Max-E-Glo (Manna Pro) and Empower (Nutrena). Max-E-Glo is a stabilized rice bran, Empower is rice bran (not sure if stabilized) and Amplify is rice bran, flax seed and soy.
ReplyDeleteWhat I did with the App (last year?) was got him up to a pound of rice bran (used both Max-E-Pro and Empower, based on what was available), 1.5 quarts of beet pulp and 3 quarts of alfalfa cubes soaked together. Worked great for us, good luck with Chrome!
I've heard that Enrich is being discontinued. Just fyi...
ReplyDeleteReally?? Do you have any idea why it's being discontinued? That sucks. :(
ReplyDeleteHave you looked into ADM products like their HealthyGlo? Or Cocosoya. Shy is incredibly fat, so we don't have this problem, but my friend's ever growing 3 year old Percheron gets the Cocosoya and beet pulp, grain, plus free choice hay. Keeps his weight up.
ReplyDelete