Mollichaff calmer

[racer]

Has anyone used this before?

I've just purchased some mollichaff calmer my horse is 15.2hh, the bag I bought was 15kg in weight. It states on the back of the bag she should get 2.25kg a day? It seems like a lot of food I just want to make sure that is correct? She currently is building up with it being a new food?

 

[MrC]

Being honest the calmer bit is pointless considering the amount of sugar in mollichaff. You would be better off buying a better chaff with less molasses readigrass or topchop or Dengie molasses free range. Bit more expensive but more bang for your buck.

 

[mystiquemalaika]

What exactly in it makes it a calmer? These bags of feed that are sold as calmers are often not much more than a carrier with a very small amount of the actual calmer in them hence why you need to feed so much.
To give an idea, feeding fibre you aim to feed between 1-2% of body weight, I personally don't like to go lower than 1.5% so say you horse is 500kg you would feed 7.5kg of fibre to hit 1.5% as an example.

Feeding a 3rd of that in a fibre feed alone just to add a calmer isn't always cost effective or ideal. Often buying the straights and adding to a carrier feed is better value and really at roughly £10 a bag for 15kg lasting roughly 7 days on RDA is steep!

The 2.25kg is a big chunk of that example and I would split it into at least 2 meals so as to try and maintain trickle feeding. But I'd rather give that in grazing or hay and a token feed with the necessary supplements you would like as that's better forage for the horse compared to bagged feeds.

So IMHO it's alot of feed to give as a feed rather than forage and expensive.

 

[Jessey]

Totally what @mystiquemalaika says, 2% is the aim for weight maintenance, as low as 1% but only under vet supervision for loss and up to 3% for weight gain. I too prefer them to get most of it from long forage (grass and hay) and give a token feed with a supplement/balancer if necessary to meet daily nutritional requirements plus anything else like joint supplements or calmers.

 

[carthorse]

While I can't vouch for it as a calmer & I can't imagine feeding that quantity (though the same could be said about most recommended quantities on feed sacks), the sugar content isn't excessively high http://www.friendshipestates.co.uk/mollichaff/mollichaff-calmer.html . As others have said I would be more inclined to add a supplement to a small feed if I felt a calmer was needed.

 

[OwnedbyChanter]

If you read the back of most bags of chaff they all stated the amount to be feed and it is a lot. A bag of chaff should only last around one week if I remember correctly but happy to be correct of feed at the recommended amount. I don't feed chaff personally as I would rather give more hay and a smaller feed.

The amount should be split down in to smaller feeds as anything over 2.4kg (dry food) is too much for the tummy to digest.

 

[racer]

Thank you all for the responses it did feel like a lot of food to feed in one sitting...perhaps I feed a scoop to just put a calmer supplement in. There seems to be a lot of supplements out there is it trail and error with which one works or are some more recommended?

 

[carthorse]

Magnesium oxide ones can work well IF your grazing/forage is short of it. Valerian has had good reports but is no use if you compete under rules as it's banned - which in itself suggests it has some effect. Really though it is a case of trial & error & if one doesn't work for you keep a note of the ingredients so you don't try another that's basically the same thing with a different name.

I assume that before trying calmers you've had a good look at her diet & exercise level to check that it isn't a case of too much feed & too little exercise?