Re: Grain & Fjords
This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> listers, i am with nancy. the same feed for everyone adjusted for each horse, locally made, read; fresh, easy, clean and weed free for the backcountry and they like it. cheapest way to go is by the ton. this works best with a silo. my miller will even add the feed-through fly stuff for the summer time. i have a small 5 tonner. denise - Original Message - From: Nancy Hotovy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Fjord Horse Mailing List Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2000 8:12 PM Subject: Grain & Fjords > This message is from: Nancy Hotovy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Hello to everyone - > > Summer's here so not much time to read the mailing list but I saw > someone questioning Purina Strategy recently and Buckeye feed also. As > we have quite a few Fjords, we are always looking for the best AND most > economical way to feed and keep them all looking their best, soo > over the years we've tried just about everything including Purina and > Buckeye. Most of the Buckeye feed was recommended to feed with > unlimited hay. Can you believe what the Fjords would look like?!? > > For the past two years we have been using Kent Dynasty which has all the > same ingredients of Purina's Strategy but is much cheaper - at least > here in Michigan. It is a pelleted feed and the great part about it is > that we feed this same feed to everyone. We just adjust the amount for > broodmares, nursing mares, geldings, growing foals etc. It works great > and all of our horses have nice slick, shiny coats and none are too > fat. We do control hay and pasture times also. > > Hope everyone has a great fjord filled summer! > > Nancy Hotovy > The Upper Forty > >
Re: grain?
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Candace, I have no idea what is the "right" answer to that question but I can tell you what has worked for me. I feed Major mostly grass hay - 2 flakes in the AM, 1 flake at noon, and 2 at night. He is in a dry lot paddock with an Arab who is 27 who gets a special Senior feed 3X a day. The Arab is boss (pretty funny, heh?) so Major knows he can't bother him when he's eating his special feed. Major gets all the hay because the old guy can't chew his hay and ends up spitting it out on the ground --- of course, Major cleans that up! Yuck! Anyway, to the point of grain. I feed him about a 1/2 cup of oats twice a day when I feed my other horses only so he thinks he's getting something. This is probably more for my comfort level than his! I also give him 2 Winnies Cookies twice a day along with his oats. These are an organic vitamin/mineral supplement which I give all my horses. They are in the form of little bran muffins so they are easy to feed and I know they don't contain all that "stuff" that most of the processed feeds have in them. Major looks great, nice coat, and does not look tubby like a lot of Fjords. I'm sure he'd be happier on grass but we do not have the acreage for it. I let him out every other day to eat in the front of the house for a short time and he goes to town like there's no tomorrow!! My answer to your question is no, they don't need grain as long as they are getting a good quality hay and a vitamin/mineral supplement. It will be interesting to hear everyone's comments on this. Susan in Minnesota
Re: grain?
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Those were some very good answers to Candace's question about feeding grain! Brian Jacobsen, DVM Norwegian Fjordhest Ranch Salisbury, North Carolina
Re: grain?
This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> dear candace, i feed mine grass hay, sometimes with a little alfalfa mixed in. then i give them a stable mix, milled here locally, made of alfalfa, mixed grain hay, sunflower seeds, rice bran, wheat, soy meal, and lots of vitamins and mineral suppliments. they get about 3-4cups of that in the morning and that's it. denise in molelumne hill, calif. - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, July 09, 1999 4:32 PM Subject: grain? > This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hi! > Does everyone feed their Fjords grain? There is a Fjord at a stable near me > and all they feed him is hay. I asked why and they said because he is a pony > and doesn't need the extra energy. Is this true? Should I or should I not > feed my Fjord grain? > > Candace >
Re: grain?
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 7/9/99 7:34:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Does everyone feed their Fjords grain? Mine is on grass for 8 hours, so he gets just enough grain to mix his supplements in and a few pellets at night when the others are fed so he doesn't tear down the arn. He prefers his hay. Fjords get fat very easily and founder is always a risk with an overweight animal. Kate
Re: grain?
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Does everyone feed their Fjords grain? There is a Fjord at a stable > near me and all they feed him is hay. I'm of the opinion that most horses don't really need any grain, and that very, VERY few Fjords do. Most people feed grain because it's traditional, or because it makes them (the humans) feel good. In many cultures, food equals "love" Having said that, you feed the INDIVIDUAL animal what it needs. Start with good quality grass hay. If the animal isn't staying in reasonable condition on hay, first have your vet check if there are medical reasons---worms, teeth needing attention, etc. If not, then add a little more energy, either as "better" hay (e.g. a little alfalfa), grain, oil, or whatever. Examples of animals that might need it are horses doing full-days of farm work, broodmares (last trimester or lactating), stallions with a full "booking sheet", etc. Most backyard trail animals should not need grain. For years, my 3 Fjords got only grass hay, with a little grain (or Equine Senior) to carry their vitamin supplements---and usually there was almost as much supplements as "grain", i.e. about 1/4 cup! Now, my 30-year-old mare has enough tooth problems that she's getting oat hay pellets and Equine Senior, and I'm giving the teenage geldings maybe a cup a day of Equine Senior. This is more than adequate, i.e. their ribs are next to impossible to find Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Re: grain?
This message is from: GAIL RUSSELL <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I feed none of my horses grain, Fjord or not. When they are working every day work I add a little alfalfa, maybe once a day. All are fat. The other alternative is Equine Senior with corn oil (or olive oil if we're feeling fancy :)) Gail At 07:32 PM 7/9/99 EDT, you wrote: >This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Hi! >Does everyone feed their Fjords grain? > Gail Russell Forestville CA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: grain?
This message is from: Mark and Lisa McGinley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hi! > Does everyone feed their Fjords grain? We feed our adult Fjord just a little (1/3 cup) so she doesn't feel left out when we feed our one year old (4 cups) twice a day. We believe the young ones need the extra vitamins and minerals in the grain. We make up our own recipe because the sweet feed around here seems to be too sweet. Mark
Re: grain?
This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Candace, If you've got good hay or pasture and your fjord is doing just pleasure riding and is at a good weight, there is no real reason you need to give him grain. I do give my Fjords here in Alaska a small amount of grain (oats preferably) with their vitamins and daily wormer. The hay was so bad last year that I added a supplement or alfalfa cubes, or a little alfalfa hay to provide adequate nutrition. I think I give them grain as a treat (to make myself happy) as they enjoy it so much...It seems to be a special part of their day..when they get that little handful of grain. But if they were on a mixed grass/alfalfa hay of good quality, then no..they would not need grain. Or if they were on good pasture alone they would not need grain...and waould probably be too fat with unlimited pasture. It depends on how much work they're doing! Jean in Fairbanks, Alaska, another sunny beautiful day, 80 degrees At 07:32 PM 7/9/99 EDT, you wrote: >This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Hi! >Does everyone feed their Fjords grain? There is a Fjord at a stable near me >and all they feed him is hay. I asked why and they said because he is a pony >and doesn't need the extra energy. Is this true? Should I or should I not >feed my Fjord grain? > >Candace > > Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska [EMAIL PROTECTED]
