Measuring Feed; Quarts or Lbs?

If your horse gets grain/concentrated feed how do you measure it out! Do you use quarts or a weight based measurement, like lbs?

In the past I used lbs, but where my horse is at now they measure out feed in quarts. Is there a benefit (in your opinion) to measuring one way or the other?

Weight that is how it is designed and balanced :)

A pound is a mass unit and a quart is a volume unit.

Now seeing one is used to measure mass and the other volume this is approximate as it doesn't take into account the density of the type of feed you're feeding, but it gives an idea of where to start.

1 quart equals 2 pounds.
1 pound is 16oz, 2 pounds is 32oz = 1 quart

But not all feeds are the same volume so we really need to use weight

1 quart of beet pulp is not going to weigh the same a 1 quart of oats

Peggsue...yes I totally agree with you.
You can't compare a quart of beetpulp it wont weight the same as a quart of oats, yep totally agree.

Now that being said the OP didn't say they fed DIFFERENT feed then she was feeding just that they fed by quarts, instead of pounds.

So going by the theory that the horse was getting for example 2Lbs of complete feed, she can say I want my horse on 1 quart complete feed....get my drift

It just means using the formula, of 320z makes 1 quart....you can weigh your feed and convert it to volume.
But as you say you cannot COMPARE different types of feed this way as the balance and nutrient will of course be different...one must treat each feed separately.

Yes but you still have to measure to know how much that quart weighs :) Or you can cheat adn call the companies and most of them know what the feeds weigh

Feeding grain should be done by weight not volume. A quart of corn weighs considerably more than a quart of oats. A horse's stomach can hold only 4 pounds, tops, of grain supplements at one feeding. Their stomachs are considerably smaller than their overall size. That's the reason behind multiple feedings daily. If the horse is receiving the same feed/grain supplement daily a weight measurement can be taken. Then put into a can, mark on the can of where the weighed portion comes to in the can. So that it isn't necessary to weight each and every ration at feeding time.

Peggysue...yes of course, I thought that was a given. Sorry, I should have been more clear.

I have converted so many differnt "scoops" into lbs so I guess I just figure everyone will know how to do it.

Every new horse owner that come into my barn, always has some funky size scoop...so to make it eaier on us, and my staff, we convert everything into weight measurment.

So yes, we agree on all accounts, I jst meant that you can convert it, it just takes time to do so.

And again you'd have to do this with every type of feed.
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Feeding by weight is more accurate.


Since I only have horses I own to care for I have weighed my feed and marked the scoop(s). This allowed me to take my kitchen scale back into the house. Now I feed by volume, having figured out how much each volume weighs.

I do weigh the hay I give my really easy keeper. The others I just guestimate.