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Feading a yearling 10pounds aday?

974 views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Sharpie 
#1 ·
Ok so i know this HAS to be WAY to much, so some one at the ranch toled to feed my yearlying 5pounds 2 times aday? I just want to know if this is to much for a baby? I know horses can hold 8-17pounds of grain... But i dont really think i will be feeding my horse 10pounds aday.... I usaly feed my baby 2.5 pounds 2times aday and he is a very heathy horse... Sooo what do you guys think about this? And how much do you feed your yearlyings?
 
#3 ·
I've often wondered about the feeding directions on mare & foal feeds... the Purina ones recommend 7+ lbs per day even for 300 lb weanlings. It certainly seems like a lot, even if it's heavily forage based.
 
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#5 ·
Definitely, way too much! The horses stomach has a 2kg (4lb something) capacity - if a feed is larger than that, the rate of passage becomes much quicker than what it normally is through the stomach and small intestine, meaning that nutrients that are meant to be absorbed in the foregut (stomach and SI), pass through into the hind gut, where they may not be able to be absorbed, and end up just coming out the other end :lol:

TLDR: meal sizes over 2kg are bad - horse won't get the nutrients he needs.
 
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#6 ·
I think it depends on the feed. There are some that are meant to be fed as a complete feed, like senior feed.

My coming two year old has been on a ration balancer since he was six months old. Started out at 2 and a half pound a day, he's now at a pound and a quarter a day. So less than a pound each feeding. Super easy on his tummy with more nutrients packed into way less feed. He also gets at least 15 pounds of hay a day so gets to munch on a lot of forage. He's a very healthy boy, almost a bit too healthy hehe.
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#7 ·
TBH, horses are horses. I think hay should be the biggest part of their diet, and then grain or a ration balancer next depending on how ribby they're looking. I am NOT a fan of growing babies quickly, instead, I think they should be kept lean (not too skinny, just not fat) to promote slow, even growth. High calorie, high growth diets put them at increased risk for developmental diseases, including things like OCD, which can result in permanent, lifelong damage. Better to grow them slow and healthy, start them later, and have a sound riding horse for twenty years or more IMO.
 
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