Hi Dr. Getty:
I have 2 horses. I have hay that is now 2 years old I bought from a beef cattle farmer. I want to finish using it up this year, as I initially bought too much.(I had boarders that pulled out at the last minute in the fall, so I was stuck with all the hay). I had the hay analysed this year, but I don't understand it really. It looks like this:
Results for my hay:
These are all percentages except for DE
Dry Matter 89.50
Crude Protein 6.70
ADF 30.50
NDF 54.40
Lignin 5.60
Lignin/NDF Ratio 10.20
TDN(Horse) 44.80
DE(Horse) Mcal/kg 1.81
Calcium 0.59
Phosphorus 0.13
Ca/P Ratio 4:54
Magnesium 0.14
Potassium 0.92
Fat 1.50
Ash 4.20

I tried looking up on the Internet, but I couldn't make any sense out of it all! Please help...I just want to know if this hay is good, or bad, and if I need to supplement more or balance anything. The Ca/P ratio seems high. I am currently supplementing anyway with pure alfalfa, about 1 - 4lb flake each spread throughout the day. They also get about 1-2 lbs plain oats, and 200gms of Purina Equalizer a day, and 1 scoop (I think it is 100mg) of PuraYeast. Their bodies look fine, no ribs, but they are chewing my fence posts, even though I have a mineral block out for them. Please help! Thank you......
Marie

Where are you from? Ontario, Canada

How did you locate this forum? Friend

Hi Marie,

Well.... it is safe to feed, but not very nutritious. The protein level is quite low and the calcium and phosphorus levels are also low. But, as long as it is clean and free from mold, it is safe. You do need, however, to add more to this diet, as you're doing. Adding alfalfa is fine -- horses can very safely tolerate a Ca to P ratio as high as 6.0. And, the addition of some alfalfa will improve the protein quality.

I'm not familiar with what is in Purina Equalizer. Is it a vitamin/mineral supplement? If so, that is a good idea to include. Oats are ok if you are working your horses. If not, limit their intake to no more than 2 lbs per day.

Thanks for asking! Hope this helps.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thank you for your quick response Dr. Getty!
The hay is pretty clean and not moldy, it is stored indoors, although it does smell a little stale, and is a bit dusty, but not bad. It is also brownish, stemmy and coarse, but my horses are not turning their noses up at it, but they will pick out the alfalfa first! I've had experience with moldy hay, so I know what it looks and smells like! Ugh!
Here is a site that tells about Equilizer, but not the ingredients.

http://www.agribrands.ca/Screens/Equilizer.aspx

The ingredients are:
Crude Protein 12.0%
Crude Fat 6.0%
Crude Fibre 10.0%
Sodium (Na) 1.0%
Calcium (Ca) 2.5%
Phosphorus (P) 2.5%
Magnesium (Mg) 0.3%
Sulfur (S) .25%
Potassium (K) 1.0%
Selenium 1.8 mg/kg
Iodine (I) 4.3mg/kg
Iron (Fe) 1,000 mg/kg
Copper (Cu) 240 mg/kg
Manganese (Mn) 600 mg/kg
Zinc (Zn) 700 mg/kg
Cobalt (Co) 2.0 mg/kg
Fluorine (F) 50mg/kg
Vit A, 39,000 I.U./kg
Vit D3 7,200 I.U./kg
Vit E 1,000 I.U./kg
1kg=2.2lbs
Minimum feeding recommendation as a top dress only is .20kg, which is .44lbs, and I am feeding .50lbs a day to each horse, with their grain. The smaller horse (1050lbs) gets 2.5lbs oats/day, and the larger horse (1200lbs) gets 3.5lbs/day. They get the same amount of hay which is 23-25lbs/day altogether. Maximum feeding of Equilizer on the sheet as a top dress is .65kg/day, which is 1.43lbs/day per horse, so I could increase their Equilizer to that amount, or somewhere in-between. They are fed 3x a day with the most hay at night. But they are still chewing the posts, and I have observed them the last couple days eating their feces! I have them on a regular worming schedule, the last being just 1 week ago with Quest gel. They are not ridden much in winter, but are ground worked a bit 2-3x a week. Sorry for the long post, but just wanted you to have all the info. Hope this helps! Thank You!
Marie

Where are you from? Ontario, Canada

How did you locate this forum? Friend

Hi Marie,

I don't care for this product -- it is basicallly a mineral supplement with a few vitamins. It is not very complete in my opinion and the fact that your horses are exhibiting eating posts and the like, is a sign of nutrient deficiencies.

Take a look at Accel -- this is a much better approach to supplementing the diet: http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/products/accel.htm.

Also, if your hay is brown and dusty, it does contain some mold. Though the levels may be low, it is dangerous for the liver. So, my suggestion is to feed a better grade of hay.

Sorry I couldn't be more favorable in my response. Hope this is helpful!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thank you Dr. Getty: It doesn't matter if your answer is favourable or not.....that is what I wanted to know, and thank you......

I have arranged to get some new hay, but I can only get about 40 bales, so the best I can do is still feed the old hay, but supplement with the alfalfa and the new hay I get. It is scarce this year due to a bad growing season......

I checked out the Accel you recommended, and it looks very good. It has everything! Unfortunately, I live in Ontario, and I don't know if you ship to Canada, and what the shipping cost would be on top of the product.....I will look around locally and see if I can find a product that may come close to Accel if possible. My feed store recommended the Equilizer to me, as the lady said her horses have done very well on it, but I don't know what else she is feeding with it! I will try a different vitamin/mineral supplement and see if their behaviour changes as far as the chewing and eating unfavourable things! Thank you so much for your help, Dr. Getty!
Marie

Where are you from? Ontario, Canada

How did you locate this forum? Friend

Hi Marie,

Yes, to ship to Canada would add on a significant amount of postage, so it would be best if you could find something locally. Let me know what you find.

All the best,

Dr. Getty