RED DEER – With careful planning, horses can handle alternative feedstuffs during years of short supply.
“Meeting your horses’ nutritional needs and making your feed supplies last may require changes in your daily management,” said horse nutritionist Bob Coleman of the University of Kentucky extension division. He spoke at the Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners conference in Red Deer Jan. 12.
First, figure out the costs of feed per horse per day.
“Sometimes that $15 feed bag might be cheaper than the $8 bag,” he said.
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When planning the diet, consider forages first. A rule of thumb is a horse’s daily forage intake should be one percent of its body weight for basic maintenance.
Control how much they eat by putting forages and grain in a feeder rather than on the ground.
That can reduce waste by as much as 20 percent.
Group the horses according to their stage of production if possible.
Measure their feed intake.
If a 1,100 pound horse eats 1.75 percent of its body weight in forage, this equals an extra 8.7 kilograms of hay per day over the recommended rate. If 10 horses of this size consume that much extra per day, that adds up to an additional 4.9 tonnes in a 200-day feeding season. In a season of shortages, this is not reasonable.
“Maybe this is the time to put some of those rotund horses on a diet,” he said.
Feed testing is imperative.
A minimum of 20 core samples from a number of places in the hay stack need to be submitted for nutrition analysis. Many samples provide a better picture of the available nutrition.
Purchased feed should be free of foreign material. In a drought year, everything is cut and the buyer could find foreign debris like glass, cardboard and weeds that could be toxic.
Substitute feeds come in many forms. Last year’s hay crop is acceptable as long as it was stored properly. It should be checked for mould. Older hay often has an odour and horses may take some time getting used to it. If a thick layer around the bale is lost because of spoilage, that is considerable waste.
Hay treated with preservatives is acceptable because the treatment uses an organic acid similar to what is produced in the horse’s stomach.
Old hay has less dry matter available but the nutrients are generally at an acceptable level.
Greenfeed is typically made of oats or other cereals that could not be harvested. It is a good source of digestible energy for mature horses. When using wheat or barley, watch for awns on cereal heads. These can cause mouth ulcers as can foxtail weeds in greenfeed.
Greenfeed should be tested for nitrates. Horses can handle up to one percent nitrate levels, but it is better to blend these feeds with other products and dilute the effect by half.
Horses will also eat hay and straw derived from grasses, canola, peas and lentils. In certain parts of North America, pea hay is commonly used as livestock feed.
These should also be tested because protein levels vary widely from poor to adequate.
Silage contains high moisture and horses must eat a lot to meet their nutritional needs. It is probably better for mature horses whose larger digestive tract can handle a bulkier feed and still meet dry matter requirements.
Younger horses cannot eat enough silage to grow properly.
Mould might be a problem in silage and could cause botulism.
“It could save a few pennies now but cost dollars in the long run,” he said.
Straw has low protein, energy and nutrients but is high in fibre. It should be mixed with other feeds. To prevent impaction in the gut, horses need to drink a lot of water.
When offering alternatives like straws or different types of hay, chopping may encourage the horses to try them.
Cubed forages and pellets can also replace hay but intake is proportionately less. Pellets are concentrates that swell when wet, causing potential gastric upsets.
Range cubes may be used but horse owners need to find out what they are made of. These are often made from screenings and may have questionable nutritional value.
Beet pulp is a good source of energy. Up to 25 percent of a ration can contain pulp, but it must be managed carefully by soaking well to prevent choking.
Grains are nutritious and can extend forages.
Corn is high in energy but it should be cracked for easier consumption.
Pasture management may be critical if the drought continues. This spring, pastures will have large patches of bare ground. Horses should be kept off as long as possible to allow for regrowth. Consider planting annual cereals for grazing as pastures recover.
Weeds typically grow back first on overstressed pastures. If spraying, keep horses off the area for 14 days or follow dairy guidelines for withdrawal times.
