Custom Feeds?

There is a mill in my area that will mix your feed for you. Does anyone suggest NOT doing it?

Also, what are good nutritional combinations to go for?

Why would you go thur the trouble when there are so many good premixes out there??

I wish I had a custom feed mill around me. Lucky you!

Peggy Sue, the reason to 'go through the trouble' is to not feed things to your horse that he doesn't need. I like many of the premixed feeds, but they still have far too much sugar for my liking.

I'd probably go with a mixture of beet pulp, rice bran, flaxseed, crimped steamed oats, and veggie oil to bind it all together.

I buy my feed from a feed mill that will custom make feed. But they also have premixes. And my horses keep weight awesome on their 10% mix. I feed half of what I feed from other feed mixes and they are much fatter on this then they have EVER been.

SR, we posted at the same time.... and that is what my mill mixes in their 10% mix. Only it does have left over sugar pulp stems... from after the sugar has been extracted, as well. So there is a little bit of sugar in it... but not much. Then some vitamins and minerals.

Cowgirl, a little sugar I don't mind. It's the excess they put in that makes me shake my head.

My 12 y/o gelding is like an ADD, hyperactive kid if he gets too much sugar. I'd just as soon make sure his food has as little as possible.

I don't buy sweet feed. I try to stick with the mixture I described as much as possible.

I'd love to be able to custom blend my feed but for now I buy Blue Seal, which already has those ingredients. Blue Seal is one of the better premixed feeds out there.

Which is why you start with a vitamin/mineral supplement and build from there...

When MOST people talk custom they are talking corn, oats, barley and junk mostly


IF I was going to build a "custom" I would START with my vitamin/mineral package add in some alfalfa pellets and rice bran ...

Just be sure they do not mix cattle feed in the same bin. There are additives for cattle that are toxic to horses.

My 9 yr old gelding is the same way with a lot of sugar. He already has enough energy. But on this feed he is great. The closest feed to it from a manufactuer costs me about $17 a bag and I have to feed double the amount I do now. This feed costs me $8 and because I have to feed so little saves me a lot in the long run..

But to the OP... I would try it.... keep it simple, Like the example SR gave.. If I think about it... I will take a picture of the tag that comes off me feed to show a good example.