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Dec 29, 2009, 5:23am

Dalesfans Message Board :: All about the horses :: Feeding :: what do you feed your weanlings

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Topic: what do you feed your weanlings (Read 145 times)

felix
Highland

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what do you feed your weanlings
« Thread Started on Oct 14, 2009, 9:18am »

as its getting to that time of year i thought id start a thread to see who feeds what, if anything to their newly weaned foals and on through winter.Also do you stable, barn or leave out your weanlings.

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Anna
Fell

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Re: what do you feed your weanlings
« Reply #1 on Oct 14, 2009, 9:32am »

Weanlings are out at the moment and are on 1lb of stud balancer and hifi-lite, they will get some Baileys Stud and Youngstock cubes added to that soon and then usually after Christmas they will get a second feed of the youngstock cubes and hifi-lite in the evenings. They have a big bale of hay always in the field once the grass has gone off which will be sometime in the next few weeks. Unrugged but with good natural shelter. They usually come out of winter looking absolutly fantastic doing that but you do have to play it by ear a bit as none are the same!

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greydales
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Dartdale Clint

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Re: what do you feed your weanlings
« Reply #2 on Oct 14, 2009, 12:03pm »

When I first got Olivia and Cherry I carried on feeding them for a while on Dodson & Horrell Mare and Foal mix, as that was what they had from the breeders. But I have so much grass mine winter out and they really didn't need any extra feed - and both of them grew like weeds! No rugs either.

My 5 month old weanling Gem again, went out into the winter field on grass and got hay if it was snowy/frosty, but no extra feed and no rugs.

I guess it does depend on what grazing and shelter you have, but if they have a thick winter coat they won't need rugs IMO.

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heathera
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Legs and Drummer

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Re: what do you feed your weanlings
« Reply #3 on Oct 14, 2009, 1:22pm »

Tola was on TopSpec balancer from as soon as she started stealing Rose's food to the present day. I fed it to her at full recommended rate as a weanling along with some alfafa chop and speedibeet. Merlin came to me having been weaned two months before and never having had any feed at all. He got the same, built up slowly over a two week period.

Both seem to have done well out of. I like using a balancer as it gives good trace element support with a small amount of quality protein to support tissue/young body growth without over topping them. Now they are two they get the balancer at two thirds rate in plain chaff to avoid them becoming fat or over topped.

They have always had access to good hay as in dust free and steamed but it's usually late cut stuff so lower nutrition. The one time I tried haylage they picked up a bug from it and we nearly lost Merlin. I won't do that again in a hurry.

I'm another who doesn't rug. The old wives tale I was told is that their first winter coat growth sets it for life afterwards. I like mine to grow good, thick coats and they both do. Tola is quite Yak like in mid-winter.

Legs, being a different type altogether, had a small amount of conditioner feed as well as the stuff we fed the Dales. He is a lighter type of horse so loses heat and weight more easily. He is also much faster all round so uses up more energy even standing still. I may rug him this winter if I can find rugs that will survive the playing!

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tinkerdorisalison
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Re: what do you feed your weanlings
« Reply #4 on Oct 14, 2009, 10:12pm »

ours will be living out unless the weather gets really dreadful (wet) with lots of sugar beet/bit of cool mix and poss alfa a oil depends how they go

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felix
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Re: what do you feed your weanlings
« Reply #5 on Oct 17, 2009, 4:02pm »

my yearling last year had baileys stud balancer to start with,with sugarbeet and chaff added by december.they lived out un-rugged and had hay once daily and feed once daily.
they did fine.
this year they'll be on chaff, supercodlivine for vits and copra meal to wet it down.and hay if needed but got nicer yard/grass for this winter.

when i got felix at almost 3 years old he had top spec balancer with chaff added in winter.he did fab on that.

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jetbran
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Re: what do you feed your weanlings
« Reply #6 on Nov 5, 2009, 11:58am »

Was glad to see this post as I've been wondering the same. Blossom is at present sharing her mums Alfa A. Been planning to keep her on this but add a balancer or supplement when she is weaned. she's looking very well, though the grass is now going fast.

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