Lower NSC Feed - Under $15 a bag

[desertmyst]

Hi,
Looking for recommendations for feed that is under $15 a bag that is a lower NSC. I’m feeding one (slightly founder prone mare) that is also slightly crazy and a few over 18 yr old geldings…only one is an easy keeper but they stay in ok shape with 6lbs a day of current feed plus access to roundbales (admittedly they aren’t great quality due to our lack of hay in texas).
My current feed is a local milled pellet that is considered low carb (but I don’t know actual amount), it’s a 12:8.
Unfortunately I’m not going to be able to get it much longer so am looking at other options.
I also need to stay under $15 for a 50lb bag so I can keep expenses the same.
I’ve been combing the forums here but I can’t afford to feed the really expensive brands to these guys and they don’t need super low, but I don’t want them on anything crazy high.

Any ideas? I think I’m going crazy looking at feed tags lately LOL

thanks in advance!

[mmeqcenter]

It is impossible for people to provide suggestions without knowing your location. Prices and availability vary by location. For instance the Tribute feed I fed in Ohio was $15/bag there, but when I moved to Florida it went up to $20/bag.

[desertmyst]

Texas, near Houston to be exact.

[fordtraktor]

You might be best off switching to something like Timothy pellets and a ration balancer (even though more expensive by the pound for the RB, you feed much less).

[BeckyS]

In MI, Tribute Kalm n EZ is on sale often for 14.99 a bag. Low NSC and works well for my medium keeping STB.

[CatPS]

The reason so many feeds are higher NSC is because they use cheaper ingredients to meet the nutritional specs for the feed and keep costs down. So generally, a lower NSC feed means they have to use higher quality ingredients which equals a higher per bag cost. But you can’t go by bag cost to calculate actual cost… often with better feeds horses need less of them. With easy keepers you may not need much grain at all. It would probably be worth your while to figure out their nutritional needs and crunch the numbers to compare grain with a hay pellet & ration balancer.
Good luck!

[JB]

Think less about how much a bag is, and more about the cost per serving. Feeds have various weight densities, and calorie densities. So a feed may be $14/bag, but be extruded, which is higher volume per pound than a pelleted feed, so to get to the right number of pounds/calories, you may be spending a lot more to feed that same horse.

You’re almost always going to be able to feed less of a higher quality feed, than of a cheaper feed. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a quality feed less than $15/50lb.

What brands can you get? You might add your location to your title to attract people familiar with what’s available around there.

Given the current 6lb feeding, you’d almost guaranteed to be spending more $$ to feed a balancer and alfalfa pellets.

[desertmyst]

Thanks!
I did put my location on post #3

I’m just hesitant to go to the higher priced feeds as when I did feed them I didn’t feel like I fed less of it. I might try again though and see how it works.

Purina, Nutrena,TC, calavor? (not sure if I spelt that one right), Moore feeds (which is locally milled), Progressive Nutrition, I “think” one of the other feed stores carries ADM.

I can get feed through TSC also, they have the blue seal.

That’s about all I can think of now. Going to the feed store tonight to check out tags on the bags and compare ingredients\feeding directions.

I was looking at the senior active from purina as it “says” I could feed 4lbs a day vs the 6lbs I feed now…which I could fit in my budget.

I also keep alfalfa cubes (and alfalfa hay) on hand for my hard keeper and I feed my show horses ground flax so could possibly add that to the pasture horses.

[JB]

@desertmyst

Thanks!
I did put my location on post #3

I know, I’m saying if you edit your title, you will attract the attention of people who live there, and who may have a lot better idea what is around that you might not know of

I’m just hesitant to go to the higher priced feeds as when I did feed them I didn’t feel like I fed less of it. I might try again though and see how it works.

At some point, paying more doesn’t mean higher quality. And a $24 feed isn’t necessarily better than a $20 feed, either outright, or for a given horse (ie don’t feed a quality feed that is designed for easier keeping horses sitting in a pasture, to a harder keeping and hard working horse). But $14 for a 50lb bag of feed isn’t like to be high quality and as mentioned, may easily be higher NSC because those ingredients tend to be cheaper.

Purina, Nutrena,TC, calavor? (not sure if I spelt that one right), Moore feeds (which is locally milled), Progressive Nutrition, I “think” one of the other feed stores carries ADM.

TC Senior isn’t cheap, but it is about as low NSC as you may be able to get.

I was looking at the senior active from purina as it “says” I could feed 4lbs a day vs the 6lbs I feed now…which I could fit in my budget.

Feeding recommendations are base on nutritional content, not caloric. It is possible that going from 6lb to 4lb may work. It also may not.

That is a reasonable feed to try, as long as the NSC fits your “lower” criteria. What does “lower” mean to you? under 20%? Under 15%?

[grayarabs]

I’m also in Houston (far northwest) and looking for low ESC, starch and iron in a feed with little to no alfalfa. You probably need to be reading on the ECIR group - even though it’s overwhelming. I don’t think you mentioned beet pulp?

[specifiedcupcake]

Honestly you’re better off with straights. Most milled pelleted feeds are not fixed formula, so they throw any old crap in to meet the crude analysis- so you’ll have poor nutritional profile. Plus I find cutting out soy/wheat products helps reduce general inflammation. Stop looking at price per bag and start looking at price per serving, but also “you get what you pay for” and if you put garbage in you’ll get garbage out.

I’ve been super happy with alfalfa/rice bran- rice bran is not low sugar but you only feed a small amount so the total sugar in the feed ration is actually really low. The protein/nutrition in it is balanced and my horse has been so much healthier since I swapped- I call it the rice/beans of horse feed.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

In my area (SW PA) Buckeye Safe N Easy Performance is around $15 a bag and is a nice feed and I believe the NSC is around 13%. I believe the regular Safe n Easy Pellet (12.5%) is $1 less and is lower in fat. You might check that out.

https://www.buckeyenutrition.com/pro…eted-feed.aspx

[JB]

@specifiedcupcake

Honestly you’re better off with straights. Most milled pelleted feeds are not fixed formula, so they throw any old crap in to meet the crude analysis- so you’ll have poor nutritional profile.

There are a great many commercial feeds with fixed ingredients, pelleted, extruded, textured, so you know exactly what you get. Triple Crown, Progressive, Seminole, and many others, are all fixed. Purina Ultium/Growth are fixed ingredients, even as the rest of the line isn’t.

Just because a product says “forage products”, meaning it could be orchardgrass today, Timothy tomorrow, for example, doesn’t mean it’s got a poor nutritional profile feed. But if you’re dealing with sensitivities and need to stay away from certain ingredients, then you want fixed ingredient feeds for sure.

I’ve been super happy with alfalfa/rice bran- rice bran is not low sugar but you only feed a small amount so the total sugar in the feed ration is actually really low. The protein/nutrition in it is balanced and my horse has been so much healthier since I swapped- I call it the rice/beans of horse feed.

But that’s not a balanced feeding routine, even if it’s providing sufficient calories.