Done with Triple Crown Complete: What would you switch to?

[TMares]

I have had two many QC issues with this feed in the last year after feeding it for ages. I have three middle aged pastured geldings in light to medium work. They get bahia grass hay when needed and free choice Equimin blocks. they don’t ‘need feed’ but they do look forward to a daily snack, and two are getting supplements (breathing stuff). What would you get them? The feed store I use has the full TC line but I really don’t want to buy any TC product anymore. They also carry Standlee pellet products I could buy at TSC, too.

What would you offer these pasture horses?

[IPEsq]

What other brand options do you have?

[TMares]

The feed store I use has the full TC line but I really don’t want to buy any TC product anymore. They also carry Standlee pellet products I could buy at TSC, too.

The above is all I can do- either feed another TC product or Standlee hay pellets, or go to TSC which means Nutrena, Purina, Standlee, or Dumor.

[Simkie]

I fed Nutrena Safe Choice Senior for a long time (several years, starting when they brought it out) and really liked it quite a bit.

That Purina Healthy Edge Strategy is also pretty good.

If you’re just looking for a little treat for a snack, you could also just do a little handful of oats or COB.

[Palm_Beach]

If they don’t need feed, why are you feeding it? Most horses will eat pelleted supps without feed. If it’s a powder, wet some hay pellets.

[AppaloosaDressage]

We used to feed our herd TC Complete but they didn’t need the extra sugar and cals, now feeding mostly TC Balancer and a little TC Senior plus supplements and everyone’s weight is much better.

[Texarkana]

FWIW: I utilize TSC a lot, but every single store I’ve regularly patronized has had terrible quality control problems when it comes to feed products. If your chief complaint is quality control issues, I wouldn’t want to have to rely on a store who repeatedly fails at it.

I’d stick with an alternative product you can buy at the other feed store.

[TMares]

The thing is I no longer trust Triple Crown, which is the only “good” feed available other than what I can get at TSC. UGH.

[Texarkana]

The thing about TSC is that they don’t rotate their stock. And because it is a big box store, no one seems to care/notice when a bag of catfish feed or obscure horse supplement three years expired is crawling with grain mites and weevils that then spread into everything else. I’ve returned bags because of mold or bugs, only to watch them tape them up and place them back on the shelf at a slightly discounted “broken bag” price.

So just be careful. Check dates and stick with products that have high turnover at that location.

[IPEsq]

I haven’t had any quality control issues with TC Senior. What problems are you having?

[khall]

I use the TC naturals alfalfa cubes, no feed.

[TMares]

@IPEsq

I haven’t had any quality control issues with TC Senior. What problems are you having?

Bricked feed that came out as one rock solid chunk , bone dry bags , and now another batch of very dry yet brick like feed. All from the same store that has fresh product. Check out their FB REVIEWS for recent complaints.
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[Ruth0552]

Hmmm that’s interesting. I have had non of those problems with TC Senior, though if I did I do not think I would attribute it to quality control of the feed but more the conditions the feed store is storing the feed in.

You might want to try the TC Lite. It’s pelleted, so you shouldn’t have that brick issue at all. I won’t buy any grain from TSC anymore- I’ve heard about the mites and bug issues they have. I went in a couple weeks ago for other things and they had HUGE fans blowing on all the livestock feeds- as if a huge fan will keep bugs in the bags from settling in.

[Texarkana]

I haven’t had any TC quality control issues, either. I currently feed Senior, 30%, the Naturals Alf/Tim cubes, and their chopped forage.

The “bricking” problem I only have with Senior in the winter. Seeing as how nothing changes except that the product becomes hard as a rock, I view it as more of a seasonal inconvenience than a quality control issue.

[IPEsq]

That does sound like a storage problem. If it is just a snack, then one of the pelleted ones mentioned would fix the brick issue.

[TMares]

The feed store hasn’t changed how they store TCC and they are equally fed up with the QC issues. These are bags milled within 3-4 weeks of my buying them as I have for a decade. TCC shouldn’t have wild variations in quality bag to bag when they were milled at the same time in the same place. And I’m dealing with bricked feed in JULY in ALABAMA. It is not frozen lol. Nothing is frozen in July in Alabama.

these were made the same day. Both are TCC. how is this ok?
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi…content_filter

[Ainsley688]

The molasses is the grain gets hard in the summer as well…I’ve always had some bags that are harder than others, and they’re probs the ones on the bottom of the pallets. I just turn them on their sides and lean a knee in the middle. Works every time for me! I had more QC issues when I was in TX and the TC had further to travel to get to the feed store, so maybe it’s the trips from the factory, to the truck, to the distributing centers, to the feed stores? I’m in MA now and haven’t had any unusual issues all summer!

If you really just need something to mix supps in, I’d just use a pelleted feed (TC Lite soaks well) or some type of hay pellet/hay cube. I’ve never had an issue with Standlee products.

[Simkie]

If the store is frustrated, perhaps they’re consider switching to ProElite? Very similar to TC.

[Texarkana]

@Ainsley688

I had more QC issues when I was in TX and the TC had further to travel to get to the feed store, so maybe it’s the trips from the factory, to the truck, to the distributing centers, to the feed stores? I’m in MA now and haven’t had any unusual issues all summer!

This is a good point. I had quality control issues when I purchased Triple Crown Senior from small feed stores in rural TN and KY. But I always attributed those issues to infrequent deliveries and feed sitting around the warehouse for months at a time.

Which may not be applicable in the OP’s case, since it was noted that the product was fresh.

[TMares]

It’s not old feed.I have bought this same feed for many years, many…from the same store. I know frozen feed from solid bricks you have to HAMMER apart. If you look at the photo I posted above…that’s a problem. The bricks started and the bone dry bags started after the business changed hands.

I didn’t fall off a turnip truck and make this issue up