mixing your own feed?

[horsemom4]

Wondering if anyone mixes your own feed or has your local feed mill custom mix ingredients for you?

I just read an article in the Horse Journal about cutting feed costs by mixing your own ingredients.

This is the recipe they gave for a Senior Feed:

2 parts alfalfa meal
1 part wheat bran
1 part beet pulp
1 part steamed, flaked oats

Add warm water and feed with a vitamin supplement.

I'm kind of interested in doing this if it woud save me some $$$$.

[seerfarm]

I mix my own here at home, and yes not only can I adjust as needed but it saves money!

[Diamond_Y]

Our feedmill custom mixes for us and it saves us a great deal of money.

[Awesome Paints]

We mix our own also, easier in the long run as I can just fill my upright bin near the fence and get out a bucket a day. I hate messing with those stupid feed sacks.When we make a batch it lasts close to a month.

[ThorArb]

For those of you making your own or having it made... what do you use? What kind of horses are you feeding it to (babies, light, moderate exercise, breeding horses, breed?)? How much are you feeding? In general, what are your savings?

[Diamond_Y]

We are feeding our entire herd, broodmares, young horses in training, stud, and weanlings. The amounts vary depending on the horse's individual requirements. We are paying $260/ton.

[fishing_trex]

If it's available, butterscotch flavored soybean oil is great to add to your own feed mix... it's something that has been added to cattle and hog feed for a long time. The horses love it and it's good for them.

[seerfarm]

My mix allows me to feed 2 horses for $92.68 a month...

[ThorArb]

For 4 horses I use roughly 16 50# bags of feed a month. It comes out to being about $220 a month in just feed alone. Round bales are $50 and one only lasts almost two weeks (we have no grass!). So I end up paying altogether about $320-$370 a month to keep up 4 horses.

If I can save $$ Im all for it!

[seerfarm]

Alot depends as well as what you are putting in your mix. Finding the key to go with your hay for optimum health.

Don't feel bad Thorab I have no grass either...I spend my extra on good quality baled hay and as much as they want.

However I look at it like this...a good healthy diet along with shots, worming saves in vet bills!

[ThorArb]

The round bales I get are always good and fresh. Ive never had any issues with it thus far. The other place Ive gotten rounds from just wasnt as good (& no wonder they were cheaper) so Id rather spend the $ on good quality hay than skimp out on my horses ya know.

I just worry because I have different aged horses doing different things. I have 2 seniors (one pregnant), 1 very growthy baby, a breeding stallion and a another pregnant mare! So I have no idea how to formulate something that could work... Im not the greatest in the world with nutrition just know some basics.

So any advice on what each should be getting would be awesome, maybe then I could see how it would work out to try my own mixes?

If it helps here is what my horses are doing and what they are like:

Togan- Senior gelding, mostly trail ridden with the occasional speed game show thrown in the mix. Pretty well easy to keep. He is going on 21yo.

Chyna- Senior mare, currently in foal and needs alot more weight. After she foals she will be retired as a companion horse. She is going on 23yo.

Zippy- 4.5yo breeding stallion, not ridden much but if he is its for the occasional trail ride.

Sierra- cribber (controlled with a collar), just a trail horse but is currently in foal. She is going on 10yo. Can be a slightly hard keeper.

Dezirae- almost 3yo, very laid back type of filly. In moderate work training, being started under saddle. Very growthy, expected to reach roughly 16h+.

So those are my current horses. 4 are in FL and Chyna is up here with me in GA. Later on down the road my QH mare, Dixie (easy keeper!) will be joining me again but for now she's with Chappel16.

Right now I am using Legends Grow & Perform for those in FL and Chyna gets Triple Crown Senior. It seems to be doing to trick as far as being able to feed it to everyone and them look good on it.

[ThorArb]

Sorry if I am hijacking this thread... maybe I should make a different one?

[paso_lover]

Originally Posted by Diamond_Y

We are feeding our entire herd, broodmares, young horses in training, stud, and weanlings. The amounts vary depending on the horse's individual requirements.

Same here

5 parts oats, 1 part corn, 1 part barley, suppliments and beet pulp. Saving a bundle.

[horsemom4]

Does anyone else have a feed recipe they would like to share?

[SACREDWINDWALKER]

For a 16% feed with TDN of 68% a mix of ingredients below will produce 2000# of feed. You can adjust figures if you only want to mix 200# then, divide each category by 10...this is one we used in 2006-2007....now hubby is trying something different....will post it shortly...if I can find it.

Corn (whole or cracked) 987.72 pounds
Oats (whole) 400.86 pounds
Soy Meal 391.42 pounds
Molasses 180.00 pounds
Vit-Mineral Suppl 15.00 pounds
Vit-A, D#, E 5.00 pounds
Di-Cal 20.00 pounds
Total 2,000 #

[Druydess]

Originally Posted by seerfarm

I mix my own here at home, and yes not only can I adjust as needed but it saves money!

Seer,
What mix do you use, if you don't mind me asking. I understand you have Arabs as do I, so I was curious.