Little help, please.
My mare gets a blend of TC Sr. and alfalfa pellets, plus a baggie of supplements and depending upon the temp, additional oil. It’s complicated. I buy all of this and tell the barn how much of what to feed. They do it. I pay extra for it. Not complaining about any of this.
BO has become enamored with Haystack Special Blend, and wants me to change the TC Sr. to the Haystack product, mostly because I got a bag of TC Sr. that’s hard as a brick.
The amount isn’t huge, maybe 3 lbs per day. At first glance, the Haystack product has less protein and maybe less fat. About the same fiber. Here’s the info: http://haystackfeeds.com/?page_id=71
Bit of background: mare is 21. Works 5 days a week, but light work by most standards. Appendix. Prone to ulcers. Hard keeper. Picky eater. Free choice high quality hay in two nets, alfalfa and timothy.
The haystack feed looks really good but doesn’t include the necessary vitamins and minerals needed. You would have to top dress with a vitamin/mineral supplement to meet your horse’s needs since it is not a fortified feed. You already feed alfalfa and Timothy which is a good portion of what the haystack is. Just add beet pulp, rice bran, flax seed, and oil and there you go.
I want to say you need to be feeding a minimal of 6 lbs a day of TC Sr. to meet the minimal vitamin/mineral needed for a 1000lb horse. If you are not feeding that amount, you might want to look at top dressing with a ration balancer to maximize vitamin/minerals intake.
My picky eater is not a fan of TC Sr, but when I switched him to a different brand it was like a new horse. He actually ate all his food and licked his bowl. Sometimes you just have to feed them what they will actually eat. Especially as they age.
The tublet of supplements that I provide includes flax, vitamin/mineral, LMF Digest 911 and gut conditioner. The pellets and TC Sr are a carrier for oil in the winter.
BO has become enamored with Haystack Special blend, and the most recent bag of TC Sr. was hard as a brick making it inconvenient. She wants me to change. I’m happy with what I’m doing now, but said I would compare the two products.
I can’t figure the NSC for the Haystack product, based on the info given. Plus, I’d prefer the higher-calorie feed but don’t know which one that is.
NSC = starch + sugar + fructans. Haystack Special Blend lists all three on their tag…they total 14.5%.
If you dissect most commercial horse feeds, you’ll find calorie sources (grains, fats, fiber), proteins (natural or added), and vitamins & minerals (natural or synthetic), and sometimes pro/pre biotics. TC Senior is formulated with all of these components and can meet nutritional needs based upon NRC requirements if fed as recommended.
Haystack Special Blend (HSB) appears to contain just one of those components…calories…which is provided by using fiber & fat. HSB won’t meet nutritional needs based upon NRC requirements regardless of how much is fed.
Most horse feeds are formulated to be fed at rate of .5% per 100 lbs of body weight (give or take a little) meaning somewhere around 5-6 lbs per day. TC Senior recommends starting at 6 lbs if the horse can eat hay freely.
Basically you’d have 1 part (lb.) protein, vitamins & minerals and 4-5 parts (lbs.) of calorie sources.
If you replaced the 3 lbs of TC Senior with 3 lbs of HSB, there probably won’t be a big difference in calories, however you’d be short on the protein (essential amino acids), vitamins & minerals, and the pro/pre biotics found in TC Senior.
TC makes a ration balancer called TC 30. 1/2 lb of TC 30 added to the 2.5 lbs of HSB would be very comparable to the 3 lbs of TC Senior in calories, proteins, and vitamins & minerals.
You didn’t mention how many lbs. of alfalfa pellets you’re feeding. HSB also states 30.5% max ADF, which is probably much lower than the ADF% in alfalfa pellets (meaning the fiber would be more digestible in the HSB).
I would suspect your mare has a poor topline in addition to her other issues. If that’s the case, 3 lbs. of TC Senior wouldn’t do much to correct that problem. Nor would the cane molasses (cause of the “brick”) have a favorable affect on potential ulcers.
Assuming cost is not a factor, if it were me, I’d replace the total lbs. fed of TC Senior & alfalfa pellets with the HSB and add 1.5 lbs. of TC 30. If she’s weak in her topline, I’d add an additional 1/2 lb . about 30-45 minutes after workout. Any other supplementation would more than likely be redundant and not necessary.
Are you feeding in small hole haynets? If so, I’d try to feed hay in something more accessible. It will help with the ulcers too. Otherwise, I agree that you need to find a feed she will eat the recommended amount of and try to simplify her diet a bit.
Brian answered Re: the NSC, but I recently saw info posted by Haystack that said the SB is “nearly” 1500 cal/lb. They are quite responsive on Facebook, so if you sent them a message there I’m sure they would get back to you quickly with an exact number on the calories. TC Senior is ~1550 cal/lb, if I’m remembering correctly, so a tad more than the SB.
I like both TC Sr and the HSB…sometimes one or the other works better for a given horse, even when the “numbers” are equal. The HSB is also $12/40lb, compared to TC Sr @ $28/50lb (obviously prices vary based on location). And I can’t blame your BO for hating the TC Sr bricks, they are a huge PIA. :lol:
The HSB is beet pulp, hay, flax, and rice bran. The v/m supplement you’re feeding is very unlikely to provide anywhere near the level of nutrition you’re losing by switching from TC Sr.
Why not feed 3-4lb of TC Lite, drop the v/m, lose the “brick”, and save some money?
TC Sr and HSB are an apples and oranges comparison
