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Feeding amounts RANT, sorry....

5K views 43 replies 23 participants last post by  CinderEve 
#1 ·
Okay, I just skimmed the "what do you feed" thread. Why is it that most horse people are very picky about knowing everything when it comes to their horse, but never the actual amount of feed they get? Im sure there are some of you who do know how much they get. I'm one of them. If any of you have a problem and the vet asks you how much do you feed and you say half a solo cup, or half a scoop, they have NO idea how much that is.

Why is it always in scoops instead of pounds? Sorry if it sounds judgemental, but this is something that has bothered me forever. I've always weighed everything so i know eactly how much they are eating.
 
#37 ·
Just today I was at the barn and a new boarder came in and was telling the BO how she feeds the horse and pulls out what? A coffee can! And then proceeds to tell her that she needs the coffee can back because it's the only one she has. I sooo wanted to bust this quote out when she said that. But I held my tongue.
 
#6 ·
^does that mean they were being fed more than what was recommended?
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More or less. If I say I give my horse 2 coffee cans/day of grain and I'm using a 2 lb can and you feed 2 coffee cans/day and use a 5 lb can, the horse will be in trouble with founder. If I am using a 5 lb can and you are using a 10 lb can the horse will eventually be skin and bones or starve to death. Either way.....he dies.
 
#4 ·
I agree. I know the pound weight of grain and hay my horses get. It is just easier. When you move barns and the new BO asks how much you feed and you say 1 scoop, how do you know the size of the old scoop vs the new one? Your horse could be getting way more or way less than before.
 
#5 ·
It means more OR less. Maybe with some things it's not too important, but with other things, like grains and supplements, the difference between three (2lb) coffee cans of corn and three (6lb) coffee cans of corn might be grain overload, laminitis, founder and then death. Ditto for 'scoops' of high selenium feed, which can cause hoof sloughing. Or the other way, a horse might need three (6lb) scoops of senior feed, but will starve on thee (2lb) scoops of feed.
 
#7 ·
Well, no matter or you measure it, lbs or scoop, you have to tweak it up and down. I know what mine weighs approximately, but I also know that 1 scoop of 1 feed and 1 scoop of the other plus a smaller scoop of rice bran is what it takes to keep him thrifty and well. It's not as much about numbers as about what works for each horse to me.
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#8 ·
Flake of hay,well what is considered a flake??? has it been baled tight or loosely,that will effect how much is in said flake too.:lol:
I know my what I consider a flake is alot bigger than other people definition too.:D. Also know scoops come in different sizes & different feeds have different recommendations on how much to feed.Just because you feed so many flakes of hay & so many scoops of this or that, means nothing really.Feed quality,measurement tools have so much variance:-|:shock:
 
#13 ·
Flake of hay,well what is considered a flake??? has it been baled tight or loosely,that will effect how much is in said flake too.:lol:
Too true. For a long time, I could have said that I was feeding my horses about a flake and a half to, at most, 2 flakes....per day.

However, these flakes came off of a bale that was 3x3x6 and weighed about 20 pounds each LOL.

But, even when it comes to small bales, there are some that are baled with really thin flakes that might add up to 2-3 pounds and there are others with really thick flakes that might be 7-8 pounds or more.

I'll be honest though, I don't measure the hay they get. I gauge it to when the wheelbarrow feels about the right weight and go from there. If they have completely cleaned up their hay from the previous meal, I give them a bit more. If they have a bit left, I give them a bit less. If they have a lot left, I do a thorough check on them to see why they are off their feed.
 
#11 ·
I'd guess most people don't have a suitable scale to weigh grain and hay. Have you checked out the prices on a barn scale lately?? I know what my boys grain weighs simply because I found a nice used restaurant scale at a yard sale.
I don't weigh his hay since he gets free choice good quality hay. I do have it analyzed though.
 
#14 ·
If I ever have a horse where I need to weigh his hay & grain before I feed him, that horse better earning the money to pay for his own feed and pay me to feed it to him. Otherwise, he gets what I give him, he either thrives or dies. Haven't had any die yet.
 
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#18 ·
Pffft, I had to get a tote and put it on a scale and figure out the weight of hay it could hold. If I gave Indie free access, or all the hay she could eat- she'd blow up like a balloon! :rofl:

I use a coffee can, but I put it on a scale too, and since I don't change feeds I sharpied in how much each amount weighs on the can. Makes it easy since its one of those Maxwell house cans with the handle! Pretty good size too.
 
#19 ·
These measurements are all fine when you yourself are familiar with them,you get to know how much to give your horses in response to how they are doing:). I don't routinely weigh stuff. I do if i'm starting some new feed or wanting to make changes to a feeding program for a horse so I get a baseline of what the amounts look like.Your scoop is set size,the hay flakes you get use to are consistent size & weight etc. The trouble is when someone is asking advice on what to feed,how much & so on ,then you respond with: Oh they get 2 hay flakes in morning,2scoops of this a 1 cup of that, well that really means squat to the other person.:?:-(
 
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#21 ·
Very true. But what concerns me is if someone asks you what you feed your horse. You give them the answer.. and they don't research it or whatnot.. they just want to give their horses the same. Horses aren't a one size feeds all.. some are easier keepers than others, some are insulin resistant, some are allergic, some don't like the taste.. some have deficiencies, etc. Gotta find what works for your horse, the amounts and everything. What I give my horse would seem like a TON for another owner because my boy is 1500lbs and a hard keeper.. so he gets a LOT of food. If I told someone the measurements in weight, and they fed their horse the same amount... they'd probably look like a stuffed turkey!

Though it would give them a base line I suppose. I found it frustrating when I first started out because of the vagueness of it. Now that I've got it covered I see why people weren't more specific before
 
#20 ·
That is true paintedpastures. After decades of feeding of horses, I can pretty much eye ball what I need to feed my horse with a bit of tweeking here & there. If I were to start feeding someone else's pregnant mare or breeding stallion, I wouldn't be very accurate nor could I explain to them how to do it.
 
#22 ·
Lol i have never had anything in the barn that would help me measure the feed. I'm not heavy on grain at all though, i only like to give it to them a couple times a week so that i have something to mix in some digestive supplement. my "scoop" is probably equal to two handfuls, a very small amount. They don't need anything besides hay.

I wish i had a hanging scale that would help measure hay though, I know how much hay my horses should get but it's difficult to explain to someone else if I'm out of town.
 
#23 ·
I wish i had a hanging scale that would help measure hay though, I know how much hay my horses should get but it's difficult to explain to someone else if I'm out of town.
Very true. When I couldn't feed for whatever reason, I'd squirrel away portions of my horse's meals (including hay) so all the person would have to do was open the ziplock of grain and pour it in his bucket and toss the hay in his haybags. But yeah though it isn't extremely accurate, finding a weight scale, measuring yourself and then hopping on while holding the hay.. then subtracting the difference (though long winded) would give you a better idea of the weight you feed your horses.
 
#25 ·
I do 2 things. I have a red 5 quart scoop and the 1 lb measuring cup from Smart Pak. I take an empty bucket and weigh it and then add the red scoop full, it generally holds 5 lbs of Strategy if it's just full level to the top of the scoop. I double checked with the 1 lb cup and it holds 5 filled to the 1 pound line for pelleted feed. So, if someone else needs to feed I tell them 1 RED scoop of Strategy for each horse morning & night. That way I know that they are within a pound or so of the correct amount. A day or 2, plus or minus a little bit of Strategy won't harm any of mine, though some IR horses might have an issue, and that keeps it fairly simple for someone who comes in.

I STUFF their feeders with hay in the winter, I'd rather feed a little extra than not enough when it's cold. When they are outside, they have free choice round bales, so while I can't say how much they get, I know they get enough.

I'm currently looking at buying a hanging scale so I can accurately weigh the small square bales to know how much each horse should get. With the drought and having to look at hay alternatives or cubed hay, I need to get a more accurate picture.
 
#27 ·
I dont weigh everything everyday. I put whatever scoop i'm using on the scale and tear it. Fill it with grain and weigh it again. That way i know how much 1 scoop weighs. (I do this for each type of grain Im using).

That way you have an idea of how much they are eating currently and how much more/less to give when changes need to be made.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I can't imagine how much my board would go up if I wanted everything weighed.

There's 8 horses including mine where I board and it takes roughly an hour to get everyone brought in, fed, watered and taken care of for the night, add another 1/2 hour if blankets need to be changed or put on.

Nothing is "weighed". There's a bunch of 3qt scoops and feeds are measured by the quart. If a horse needs an odd amount of feed the BO figures it out and puts a line with the horse's name on the scoop. Supplements are mostly Smartpaks but if a horse needs a non-smartpak one or some variety of medication she writes the horse's name and dosage on the container with a Sharpie and if the scoop in the container has multiple dosage markings, she marks the correct one with the Sharpie.

Hay amounts are listed in flakes but she and I know to adjust if needed. So if flakes are really light and a horse normally gets two, I'll toss in a 3rd. When in doubt, we always give extra as there are no obese horses who would suffer from extra hay. If it's butt-cold or rainy, everyone gets a couple extra flakes. If we're concerned about anyone, we write down exactly how much hay/water/grain was given on the feed board and how much, if any, was not consumed.

If I weighed everything, that'd be EIGHT extra trips up and down the aisle with the hay and I'd be there all night. We have a feed wagon, throw a couple bales on and walk down the aisle filling feeders. I feel guilty enough that my horse gets 3 kinds of hay which nobody else does so you have to make a special trip just to haul his other 2 kinds of hay to him.
 
#29 ·
I also weigh everything. I don't weigh every time. I weigh each type of thing I feed and mark on the scoops (inside & out) with a permanent marker. I have a whiteboard on the feed room wall with what every horse gets for the rare occasion my hubby does chores for me.

Hay I don't bother except with the youngsters and my old man that gets cubes in a mash. Everyone else gets free choice.
 
#30 ·
you dont need to weigh every horses feed. You just need to weigh one type of grain once.

example: I was feeding the buckeye's Grow N Win. 1 scoop = 1/2 pound. Therefore I knew the horses eating 2 scoops were eating 1 pound. 3 scoops = 1.5 pounds. Its not hard to do. It will take about 30 seconds to weigh one type of grain/pellet once so you have a better idea of how much everyone is eating.

I would think that people who know "everything" about their horses and who are nick picky about everthing would like to know the amount of feed their horse is getting.
 
#32 ·
My horses are easy, They live off grass, and dureing the winter hay. My dad bails his own hay, so we put out one roll for the horses and one roll for the cows.
 
#35 ·
I haven't weighed anything. I just feed them more if they're getting thin and less if they're getting fat. I do the same thing with our dogs. I know that our 8 year old weimaraner needs 3 coffee cup scoops of food to maintain himself. I'm working on getting that knowledge of my horses. Right now my paso is way too thin and my QH/mustang is getting too fat. I'm feeding him more and her less. I just didn't think it was that scientific.
 
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