Are there any guidelines as to how much molassed chop/ unmolassed sugar beet can be fed? Can anyone recommend a low sugar molassed chop that doesn't contain alfalfa/ dried grass?
Chop/ sugar beet
- Thread starter Zingy
- Start date
Why do you especially want one that doesn't contain alfalfa? Someone once told me you shouldn't feed alfalfa to natives (which my vet said he hoped wasn't true otherwise most of his laminitis patients would starve!) and I've also read that very occasionally a horse can have a reaction to it which causes skin problems (I've never known one myself) but other than that it's full of calcium and other good things. I use Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, which is low sugar and mixed with oat straw, for both my fatties and I haven't had any problems at all.
If you want to be sure get hold of an old chaff cutter and cut your own chaff. They can be picked up quite cheaply at farm sales.
I know a lot of folk who use Hi-Fi with Icelandics and are happy.
I have to ask the same as Ros, what exactly are you needing from chaff/sugarbeet?
I know a lot of folk who use Hi-Fi with Icelandics and are happy.
I have to ask the same as Ros, what exactly are you needing from chaff/sugarbeet?
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I feed Polly Hifi Lite as a direct hay replacer, weight for weight as part of her feed. Other than that she gets Feed Balancer (Enhance), Herbichop and Sugarbeet (Ultra beet), garlic and Steady-Up, and carrots. She only has a token feed when the others in the barn have their feeds. The feed balancer ensures she gets all she needs, stuff that her hay might be lacking. Smartie just gets feed balancer and chopped carrots in a decahedron toy. Other than that at least 90% of Polly's intake is hay and 99% of Smarties intake is hay. They are both on maintenance based diets.
The best people to ask are the free advice helplines that are provided. I phoned them when I was working out the feeds for my horses and found them very helpful. Also you could try looking on the back of the feed sacks as it should give you a guide for feeding on there. You should make sure you know how much your horse weighs before doing all this as feed rations are based on roughly 2% of a horse's body weight.
You've got nothing to lose by asking them and they will know a lot more about nutrition than the majority of people on here, including myself, it's what they get paid for!!
Jo
I feed Polly Hifi Lite as a direct hay replacer, weight for weight as part of her feed. Other than that she gets Feed Balancer (Enhance), Herbichop and Sugarbeet (Ultra beet), garlic and Steady-Up, and carrots. She only has a token feed when the others in the barn have their feeds. The feed balancer ensures she gets all she needs, stuff that her hay might be lacking. Smartie just gets feed balancer and chopped carrots in a decahedron toy. Other than that at least 90% of Polly's intake is hay and 99% of Smarties intake is hay. They are both on maintenance based diets.
The best people to ask are the free advice helplines that are provided. I phoned them when I was working out the feeds for my horses and found them very helpful. Also you could try looking on the back of the feed sacks as it should give you a guide for feeding on there. You should make sure you know how much your horse weighs before doing all this as feed rations are based on roughly 2% of a horse's body weight.
You've got nothing to lose by asking them and they will know a lot more about nutrition than the majority of people on here, including myself, it's what they get paid for!!
Jo
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They are good - but only for their own products!
And as for the feeding guidelines - If I fed my lot the reccommended amounts I'd be rolling them around the field
They're all a bit big still and they have 24 hr turnout with hay in winter and a bit of sugar beet, chaff, and equivite with a tablespoon of oil.
I think 2kg dry weight of sugar beet per horse is about right - unmolassed preferably.
They are good - but only for their own products!
And as for the feeding guidelines - If I fed my lot the reccommended amounts I'd be rolling them around the field
They're all a bit big still and they have 24 hr turnout with hay in winter and a bit of sugar beet, chaff, and equivite with a tablespoon of oil.
I think 2kg dry weight of sugar beet per horse is about right - unmolassed preferably.
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