Yes, I’m feeding TC Balancer Gold but am looking for something soy-free to add to it. I’d like something a little sticky to bind supplements and tasty to disguise them. I usually use small amounts of TC Senior but it has soy.
Ahh, okay. If sugar isn’t too much of an issue, you can always use old fashioned molasses. If sugar is a point of contention, try unsweetened applesauce, or a prepared oil supplement like dac Oil, E0-3 by KER (marine based oil so it should be soy free), or Flaxseed oil.
Oils will provide fats and calories, so be mindful to use just enough to get the supps to stick, but not so much that weight gain may happen. I’ve feed oils for years, recently moving away from them only because I full care board now, but I’ve never had any weight gain issues, even on my fatty patty’s, when using the recommended amount or less.
Feeds don’t list GAs in terms of amount per serving. They are required by AAFCO to list macro minerals in %, micro/trace minerals in ppm, and vitamins in IU/lb. The standard measure for biotics is CFU, so that’s how they’re all listed.
doing the math for each nutrient then tells you how many gm, mg, and IU or CFU of those things, in however much you’re feeding your horse, whether it’s 1oz, 1lb, 8lb, etc
You’re confusing things.
The average horse in light work needs around 700gm protein. 1lb of a 14% feed is 63.56gm. That has absolutely nothing to do with how many gm protein a horse needs. Feeds aren’t supposed to provide the total NRC requirements, unless they can also be fed as a complete feed, the sole source of food. Most Sr feeds are complete feeds, and 15lb of 14% would be 953gm which is plenty for that example horse.
If that horse is eating 22lb of 8% protein hay, that’s already 799gm protein - also more than that horse needs. The 14% feed is designed to help things out, NOT provide the bulk of nutrients when fed in a normal range
Percentages (and ppm) ARE the best way to look at how many gm/mg of a given nutrient are supplied in however many ounces or pounds of a product you’re feeding. They absolutely translate to weight values - do the math
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Some supplements do list total nutrient amount per serving. If that’s all they list, they are not in compliance with AAFCO rules. Most list the required format - % or ppm, or IU or CFU. A few do list both.
Some are terribly misleading in listing total amount per pound, when their serving size is in ounces.
I don’t know of any single feed, even small local mills, who list nutrient amounts per serving. Why? They’re not legally allowed, and would be more likely to be reprimanded than if it were a supplement.
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My guy when in work could handle a tiny amount of TC Complete for his meds/supplements. It has soybean meal and hulls but is stickier than Senior (more oily) and more delicious. But he doesn’t seem to have an allergy per se, just does weird metabolic type things on a full ration containing soy.
Crypto Aero also makes some kind of chopped forage blend supplement feed that I think is soy free. It is not sticky but might have enough texture variety to help with supplements.
The Wholesome Blends feed soaks very fast and gets kind of crumbly not gummy and is sticky enough when soaked for me for powdered meds. This horse can be weird about textures and he prefers this over basically anything else. He absolutely loves this feed, soaked or dry.
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