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Post by maesfen on Oct 8, 2014 9:20:52 GMT -1
As title really.
Being new to them, I'm interested to know if there's anything that a Dales can't tolerate for any reason please or are they literally dustbins on legs and able to eat anything?
My usual winter feed for youngsters would be oats or a basic mix, micro linseed, brewers yeast, sugar beet of some description and a youngstock balancer (I use Suregrow) with hay or haylage ad-lib but not sure if that will be OK for Rowan so your help would be appreciated. I have to have mine in at night but they are out all day in our lovely clay mud so get plenty of exercise charging around and playing rough.
Thanks, Pat.
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Post by dalesnfellfan on Oct 8, 2014 12:03:12 GMT -1
I feed a very small handful of non molassed sugar beet, a handful of chaff and a small hand full of alfalfa nuts, with linseed, brewers yeast, a vit & min supplement, along with restricted grazing in summer, and 16lbs last years late cut hay when in at night during winter and my Dales and Fell ponies do very well on that. I find Em has plenty of energy on this without being fizzy and is in great condition, not sure whether or not it would OK for a growing 2 year old though.
I think Dales will eat practically anything if you let them, but when mature I think you have to watch the weight for most of them, there are a lot of people on here who have far more experience than me with feeding Dales though, especially youngsters.
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Post by maesfen on Oct 8, 2014 12:44:55 GMT -1
Thanks, it's all helpful for me.
None of my youngsters like alfalfa in any form, they turn their noses up and eat all around it leaving a nice pile in the bottom of the bowl! if I have to feed a chaff it's Graze On, which is nothing but chopped grass, nothing added and they love it; I will also use their brand of grass nuts soaked although sometimes they're too good to use for something prone to an expanding waistline.
Will look forward to other replies.
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Post by harveydales on Oct 8, 2014 14:52:10 GMT -1
True, most Dales will eat anything offered to them and their waistlines need watching! I think what you are feeding is absolutely fine. The important thing is that he is getting the balancer and to avoid anything high in sugars/carbohydrates. My non-working Dales get a small amount of fast fibre to mix with their minerals, linseed etc plus grass/hay. My working Dales get a low carbohydrate/high oil mix with their supplements.
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Post by yanny on Oct 8, 2014 20:43:48 GMT -1
My lad is a really good doer, I just give him a scoop of dengie healthy hooves, half a cup of spillers good doer balancer (2 feeds per day; breakkie and tea) and some glucosamine in his breakfast (just to keep his joints healthy). He lives out 24/7 as gets stressed in a stable and he even wind sucks/crib bites when he's out, so can't imagine what he'd be like in a stable. Being a good doer I keep him on a small paddock and give him two small double netted hay nets per day just to keep him happy.  He also has a ball full of treats to keep him occupied and take his mind off getting high off oxygen...  One thing about my boy I've found; I usually like to wet my horses' feed, I think most people do I know, but if it's too wet or sloppy he leaves a lot of it! Might be a dales thing, might just be a Cal quirk |
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Post by Debbie on Oct 8, 2014 22:05:45 GMT -1
When I was a child around 10 years old, I was told by a man who'd raised Am. Shetland ponies for 50 years that it wasn't a matter of IF a pony would get laminitis (founder), but when. I've always taken that to heart with any pony types, but when my Blossom arrived, I was over the top ready to be careful for her. Over the years she's mostly eated feeds of wet beetpulp mixes with this and that I've added and of course the grass in her field and very good grass hays. A Dales will dive into any sweet feed without a second glance, but personally, I've always considered where the breed came from/originated. I avoid all the high sugars and carbs that I can. Even when Blossom was growing, corn, oats and wheat never appeared on her menu. Only grass hay and beetpulp and she's turned out lovely |
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Post by dalesnfellfan on Oct 9, 2014 11:19:07 GMT -1
Emerald also won't eat her feed if I mix it too wet/sloppy, she likes her beet pulp/alfalfa soaked just enough so its damp and crumbly, Spud on the other hand will still eat if he has to suck it up through a straw.
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Post by maesfen on Oct 9, 2014 13:00:20 GMT -1
Thank you, it's interesting reading.
I've never had anything that likes sloppy feeds at all so that's not hard to remember!
Because of having the different types, an Anglo Arab yearling and an ID x almost pure TB plus Rowan of course so it's trying to find what will suit all of them considering they are only youngsters as I'd prefer to not have too many bins in the feed room if I can help it. I know they all get on with Suregrow, BY and ML, so I might replace the oats with soaked grass nuts and keep it simple like that. Trial and error!
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Post by dalesnfellfan on Oct 9, 2014 13:09:14 GMT -1
That sounds a good plan
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Post by valerie n scout on Oct 9, 2014 13:27:24 GMT -1
My old Dales would eat his AND everyone else's, yes def watch the waistline x
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Post by maesfen on Oct 9, 2014 15:42:47 GMT -1
Lol yes, already noticed that Rowan like his and everyone else's share of the hay!
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Post by zeldalithgow on Oct 9, 2014 17:56:21 GMT -1
I feed fast fibre and straw chaff, with micro linseed(not much)and mag ox just to mske sure they get a decent amount of fibre so I feed thsi summer and winter. Mine don't mind a wet feed not soup tho I try hard not feed grains just keep to fibre |
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