Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
• Know exactly how much you are feeding. Feed by weight, not by volume. Feeding
by volume contributes to overfeeding and wasted money. Feed hay at an approxim-
ate rate of 1.50 to 1.75 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. This means that a
1000-pound horse will require about 15 to 17.5 pounds of hay per day. It is best if
you weigh hay at each feeding, or you can weigh several flakes of the hay you are
feeding to determine the average weight of a flake. Flakes from standard hay bales
(also called fleks, leaves, slabs, or slices) can vary from 2 to 7 pounds, depending
on the type of hay, moisture content, how tightly the hay was baled, and the adjust-
ment on the baler for flake thickness.
• Feed grain to young, growing horses, horses in hard work, and lactating broodmares.
Because grain should be fed by weight, not volume, don't rely on a scoop to meas-
ure unless you've determined beforehand the weight of grain the scoop holds. Oats
are much lighter than corn, for example, so a quart of oats will weigh far less than
a quart of corn (see box).
The energy values of grains vary greatly too. A pound of corn contains nearly a third
more energy than a pound of oats. Before adding grain, determine how much additional
energy the horse needs beyond what he receives in hay.
• Make all changes in feed gradually. Whether it is a change in the type of feed or in
the amount being fed, make the changes in small increments and hold the amount at
the new level for several feedings. If you are feeding 2 pounds of grain per day and
want the horse to have 4 pounds per day, increase to 2½ pounds and feed that for at
least 2 days. Then increase to 3 pounds for 2 days, and so on. If you are making a
change in hays, feed one part new hay and three parts previous hay, hold for 2 days,
and then feed half and half for several days, and so on.
Weight per quart of common grains
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