Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Will I save money using cool calories or should I keep my horses diet the same?
Currently I feed 4lbs (1 and a half scoop) of purina strategy gx, as well as 2/3 cup corn oil. My horses feed bill is around $45 each month and I feel horrible for my parents (my dad complains a lot) I was wondering if I cut my horse back to just 3 pounds (generous scoop) and Give him cool calories instead of the extra grain which I think would end up saving around $7 in feed each month, but would the supplement maintain the same amount of calories as a half scoop? In nervous about trying since he's doing so well maintaining and my vet said I could possibly cut him back once the grass fully blooms. I'm just looking for some experience with it it
2 Answers
- gale hawkLv 56 years ago
Make sure your horse's teeth are in good shape and his parasite burden is minimal. I found EquiMin Horse Minerals (Southern States) made a huge difference in the amount of feed my ponies eat in the winter. (It also has vitamins)
SInce I have a lot of different animals I use Producer's Pride® 12% All Stock Feed PELLETS (not sweet feed) @ $10 for 50lb and add calf manna as need for extra protein. Regular horse feed goes for $14 to $20 and you would have to buy mineral salt anyway. It is from Tractor Supply. Lightly used animals are not going to need the high protein feed
For hay storage consider a carport or some sort of metal building. We use a double wide carport for hay storage. it will hold about 700 bales. @ $3000 - $4000. The other option we used when we only had a couple of horses was a 10ft X 10ft metal storage shed without a floor. It costs ~$400 - $600. We cheated and put the building up on a couple railroad ties to raise the roof enough to fit in another layer of bales. The building and the carport are portable so if you lease you can make arangements to take it with you. (You may be able to find one used)
If you can store hay you can then pick up the bales out of the field at a much cheaper price. 40 bales will stack nicely in a reg pick-up truck generaly the price is A buck or more less per bale. For example a bale of alfalfa at the feed store is $20 if I pick it up at the farm it is now running $12 to $15 @ the barn. If I pick it up as it is being baled it is even less. (One of our new ponies is a very picky eater and refuses to eat hay unless it is mixed with alfalfa.)
You might make arrangements with another set of horse people to provide labor in return for them dropping off bales if you do no have a pick-up truck.
- ?Lv 46 years ago
Could you switch some hay for grain? Depending on where you live it could save a lot. Most people use grain for nutrition, so if you switch it for cool calories that means you probably only feed grain to maintain weight. I would look into switching some grain for hay, if its cheap and good quality in your area.
