Posted 2007-01-05 10:29 AM (#53331 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Urbana,MD
You need to put her on a really high fat low protien feed.I have the 2 Tb's which tend to be hard keepers.I feed them a 10% protien pellet that is also 10% fat.It is also high in fiber(for a grain) 15%. I get it at farmers coop. I also feed less of it to mantain there weight.I have had no problem keeping weight on my horses with this feed.I know blue seal has some low protien high fat grains also.I tend to like the pellet better.Seems like they digest it better.I would go with something that is at least 6 % fat and no lower for her.I do tend to like the 10%fat better though.They make theses feeds now for hard keepers.The old time grains are only 3% fat if that.Which really won't mantain a hard keeper unless you fed them 4 times a day,and with a ton of grain.Now you can feed less with better results.
Posted 2007-01-05 1:48 PM (#53346 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Veteran
Posts: 247 Location: NW
You can't beat Beet Pulp! If you get it in pellet form, be sure to soak it. (I know some people don't & have been lucky not to have any choke problems, but I vet teched enough & saw enough of them choke from them to say I would NEVER not soak mine). The shreds can be fed w/o soaking. Another good fat supplement is Rice Bran. And of course, your oils.
Posted 2007-01-05 2:17 PM (#53348 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Urbana,MD
Beet pulp is good,but is good mainly for the gut of the horse.It really doesn't have much fat.Maybe 2%. Really the high fat feeds are better...then you don't have to worry with adding all that extra stuff.
Posted 2007-01-05 2:18 PM (#53349 - in reply to #53346) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Veteran
Posts: 238 Location: West Coast
Two of our head horses are not easy keepers, I'm always fighting to keep weight on them. In addition to the Alfalfa Hay they get, I give them O&M, timothy pellets and Manna Senior, which helps keep weight on them. But.... mid-way through last year I started giving them Platinum Performance. I didn't really expect it, but it really helped keep the weight on. I actually had to cut back on the O&M and timothy pellets. It's pricey stuff, but has really helped their overall condition.
Posted 2007-01-05 8:43 PM (#53371 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Location: KY
Jack: Have you wormed for tapeworms? Also, as you know, I like the Omolene feeds; even tho your mare is only 5, you might consider adding a senior feed for the fat content.
Posted 2007-01-06 4:32 AM (#53379 - in reply to #53331) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
horsecrazi, I know you are doing a good job with your TB gals. I see them everyday and they look awesome.
The thing that baffles me is this mare's mother is standing right next to her, nice and plump, looking fit as a fiddle and ready to play. How can her daughter be that hard to keep?
I'm going to do the tape worm treatment and hope that offers a piece to the puzzle. I don't want to mask the problem by doubling her nutrition and the problem still be there.............if there is one?
Thanks for the input and advice. I'll keep everyone posted on how things are proceeding? Happy trails.
Posted 2007-01-06 5:14 AM (#53382 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Urbana,MD
yes try the tape worm...as you know I use the daily wormer .which is also good for keeping the weight.Another reason why I have chose to use it.I do use the paste wormer with the tapeworm(combo care or zimectrian gold)spring in fall in combanation with the daily.Seems to work well,and the results for tapeworms in MD is 65%.Pretty high.I have seen your horses and do know that all the guys are good weight ,and have noticed Casey to be thinner.It is kinda weird?I would try the wormer and still (at least her)put her on the high fat feed ,and see if that helps.
Posted 2007-01-06 5:36 AM (#53383 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Some times a horse just has to mature.I have had some that stayed thin until 5 to 6.5 years and then BAM turn into big uns.I don't much worry if their young and still maturing about their weight.
Posted 2007-01-06 3:11 PM (#53417 - in reply to #53404) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
hounddog always makes a good point..........I might not always agree with him, but he always makes a good point.
Just got back from the feed store. Owner has a degree in nutrition for livestock and I talked to him about the problem I've been having. He agreed that the power pack worming would be the first thing he would do. He added that on occassion, the power pack worming, if done properly would get rid tape worm, not every time. He also said to do just two of the horses, my older gelding and the 5 yr. old mare and see what happens. If the gelding showed improvement, then we are on the right track. If the mare was still thin, then treat her for tape worm.
Posted 2007-01-06 10:34 PM (#53429 - in reply to #53348) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
My horse is hard to keep and is in great shape all year round. He's a 7 year old Arab gelding with energy to burn. I asked my vet for advice and she recommended the following:
(I use a 1 lb coffee can for measuring)
1 can of beet pulp, 1 can of whole oats 1 can of senior feed, soaked in about a 1/2 gallon of water overnight and I add a cup of vegetable oil. He gets that every evening. He also eats 12 lbs of hay every morning and 12 lbs every night, and is only 14.2 hands and 900 lbs. The above recipe keeps weight on my horse and keeps him very healthy too! If we have an especially cold hard winter, I use half that recipe and feed that to him in the morning in addition to the evening ration. He loves it too. The vet actually recommended more feed in the beginning but my horse got a little fat and sluggish so I have come up with the perfect quantity for him, to keep him in top condition. I think you'd have to experiment with quantity, adding a little at a time until you find the right combination for your horse. It is very rewarding to have your horse gain weight and condition and come out of winter looking like a million bucks!
Posted 2007-01-06 11:40 PM (#53433 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378 Location: Nebraska
after the ice storms been living by generator the past 2 weeks, and talk is another 3 weeks with the generator befor power is restored. anyway everyone talks of feeding by volume rather than weight, fyi a 3# coffee can filled with 32#/bu oats weights 2.5#,the same can with 34#/bu oats weights 4#, 56#/bu corn weights 5#. I would suggest having your forage and concentrate tested, the results will come back "as fed" and "dry matter" bacis. Then you can make rational decisions on what to change.
Posted 2007-01-07 6:42 AM (#53439 - in reply to #53429) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
cowgirl, I'm already doing almost that exact type of feeding with all my horses right now.
Mix pelletized beet pulp with water at the end of a feeding to get ready for next feeding.
Pour some veggie oil on top of the beet pulp on the way to the barn.
Crimped/rolled oats in bottom of each feed tub.
half scoop of sweet feed next.
half a cup of rice bran each tub next.
Slop the beet pulp on top of each feed tub after stirring in veggie oil sitting on top of beet pulp.
Top dress mixture with a little more sweet feed and serve.
Horses will lick the feed tub clean everytime.
I measure with a 3 qt. scoop depeding on what I'm measuring. When I do the beet pulp, I soak it in the slop sink in the garage and keep the veggie oil with it. I mix about 3 qts. of beet pulp in a 3 gallon bucket about half full of tap water. When it sits until the next feeding, it's ready to feed. This mixture helped solve a problem with one of our horses attacking/bolting her food too.
Once again cowgirl, thanks for your input on what's been working for you.
Posted 2007-01-07 10:33 AM (#53449 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Member
Posts: 36 Location: Greasewood Springs, AZ
Our Appendix mare is a hard keeper at 11. When rodeo season is in full swing I have a tough time keeping weight on her hind quarters especially.
I tried Adeptus Gleam and Gain and what a huge difference. I used one scoop on her Omolene 200 in the morningand one at night...she hold weight really well.
Posted 2007-01-08 12:15 AM (#53492 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
I almost forgot one thing that caused my horse a weight gain problem a few years ago... the vet did a stool sample test and it came back that he had moderate case of strongyds. I worm him every 10 weeks, and alternate between safeguard and ivermectin and was shocked to hear he had a moderate case of anything related to worms. I had to use a panacure powerpack (treat 1 x per day for 5 days) which literally burned the hair off his bottom - poor guy. His weight and attitude picked up after I treated him. Have you had a stool sample tested for your horse? My vet kind of convinced me to do it even though I felt it was a waste of money. That'd be my only other suggestion.
Posted 2007-01-08 4:04 AM (#53497 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Location: Del Mar, CA
I've had good luck with Ultium by Purina, my vet liked the ingredients too. It's ground beet pulp, rice bran, wheat middlings and other stuff, but very low carbs which I've read are the cause of getting "high." It's 12% fat and my horse did gain with it. I've also found through the years that just plain hay pellets of any kind are easier to digest so will go to fat more readily than hay. :)
Posted 2007-01-08 6:52 AM (#53500 - in reply to #53492) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had not had a fecal test done at a lab yet, but I was considering getting it done for all 4 horses. I'm also wondering if I should stick with a worming schedule or switch to a daily wormer? My neighbor swears by daily wormer and her TB's look great. She makes a strong case for using the daily wormer. I have really small pastures and rotating is difficult to say the least and that makes another good point for using a daily wormer. Still trying to decide.
Posted 2007-01-12 12:58 PM (#53771 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Member
Posts: 15
Location: Millburn,Illinois
Please be careful adding vegetable oil to your feed, as I read ia reputable horse magazine to add pure corn oil 1/2 -1 cup day to add weight onto a horse. I tried this ,as I too have a healthy Percheron that is too thin. I have tried adding more feed, senoir feed, etc. Trying out the oil, I kept an eye on him for diahrea and stomach upset. Not seeing any of this I increased him to 1 cup daily. During that first week, I noticed him losing weight instead of gaining it. By the 5th day he was unsteady on his feet and acting as though he was intoxicated. Not noticing,he had been using our shallow pond as a toilet and I completely missed the diahrea, causing him to be critically low on electrolytes. I almost lost him ! I am continuing to be unable to put weight on him! He is currently getting 4 full scoops of Purina Strategy and 3 full scoops of Nutrina Senior daily. He is 3 1/2 years old, any suggestions?
Posted 2007-01-12 2:04 PM (#53775 - in reply to #53329) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
Watch the quality of the hay being fed. you want hay that isn't most steams...you want lots of leaves since this is what horses can digest and use. Grass hay should be soft and fluffy. You might want to consider ulcers. Might want you vet to check for that.
Posted 2007-01-12 3:12 PM (#53779 - in reply to #53771) Subject: RE: weight gain one more time
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
Originally written by susan2811 on 2007-01-12 4:58 PM
Please be careful adding vegetable oil to your feed, as I read ia reputable horse magazine to add pure corn oil 1/2 -1 cup day to add weight onto a horse. I tried this ,as I too have a healthy Percheron that is too thin. I have tried adding more feed, senoir feed, etc. Trying out the oil, I kept an eye on him for diahrea and stomach upset. Not seeing any of this I increased him to 1 cup daily. During that first week, I noticed him losing weight instead of gaining it. By the 5th day he was unsteady on his feet and acting as though he was intoxicated. Not noticing,he had been using our shallow pond as a toilet and I completely missed the diahrea, causing him to be critically low on electrolytes. I almost lost him ! I am continuing to be unable to put weight on him! He is currently getting 4 full scoops of Purina Strategy and 3 full scoops of Nutrina Senior daily. He is 3 1/2 years old, any suggestions?
Your horse is only 3 1/2. Buddy of mine has a horse and he said he couldn't put weight on her feeding with a coal shovel. The horse is young and growing. They won't spread and fill out until 5 or 6 yrs old. I feed Seminole feeds and have no problem adding weight slowly feeding 2 quarts 2 times a day and I have young horses also. I have had to cut back to 1 1/2 qts because they are getting on the heavy side. I also feed a good quality leafy hay with not to many stems. The horse will gain the weight in time. I wouldn't push it feeding that much grain. Can do more harm then good. This is just my lowly opinion learned from people that have been around horses for a long time.
weight gain one more time
