Thoughts on feed??

What are thoughts on Creep feed??

I think it should be perfectly fine as long as it's something made for lactating mares. Some of the feeds out there are just too rich for a little one.

The one I was told to give was a 14% cattle creep feed. They also get Red cell and some sweet feed.. seems to put weight on em and I havent had a prob with colic

Why not just get a feed designed for horses? When I bought my horse 3 months ago he was being fed All-Stock. In just the short amount of time that I've had him and fed him like a horse he looks like a different horse. Horses, cows, llamas, etc have very different nutritional needs. Although you CAN feed them non-horse-specific feeds they look so much better when you meet their nutritional needs.

I'd also read the label carefully on any cattle feeds- I think I read that the cattle creep feeds don't contain the things that are poisonous to horses (rumensin, monensin, etc.) but I'd be very careful to make sure that's the case.

Had to look it up - I thought of 'creep feeding' as the same as 'slow feeding'(eg. Providing constant access to feed in a manner that prevents them getting much at a time).

So I'm gathering you have a foal that's near weaning, that you want to supplement it's feed. I personally just allow the foal to have some of what mum gets.

I agree with Sky, that I'd be ensuring it was something appropriate for a mare & foal, would be very cautious about giving something meant for cattle. I would also not be giving either of them sweets, but feeding a healthy, low starch & sugar, high fibre, pref grain free feed. Re the Red Cell, I'm interested to know why you've chosen this supplement? As many soils are overabundant in iron & iron deficiencies aren't very common, I'd want to make sure the horses need it supplemented, as oversupply can do more harm.

Is this for the little bay gelding?

I saw where you said you were feeding you old guy creep feed..The stuff isn't that great..and sweet feed is basically just a junk food. It's high sugars but nothing really of nutritional value in the feed. It wouldn't hurt to put both of your guys on the Nutrena Life Design Senior..It has great benefits that both of your horses could use. You want a high protein feed, not just high fat.
Life Design Senior Horse Feed by Nutrena

You could even do well starting the bay on the Life Design Mare and Foal feed.

Horses just don't do well on feeds that were designed as an "all around" stock feed.. They have specific needs that that stuff just doesn't meet.

Definitely true. On a thread I posted recently (When to get a saddle fit?) you can see the horse that I bought 3 months ago "before and after". The seller had him on (winter) pasture and All-Stock. The second picture is 2 1/2 months later on hay, rice bran and a multi-vitamin. He looks like a totally different horse.