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Discussion on Livestock Feed for Horses
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Member:
andreth
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 6:58 pm:
Yesterday while at the barn where I board my horse, I noticed a stack of feed bags labeled "Beef Feed." Since the owner has no livestock, I assume this feed is intended for the horses. (Not mine - I pay extra so he gets Purina Ultium.) From perusing the articles on this site, I gather that livestock feed for horses is not a good idea because it may contain antibiotics, and it may not provide the nutrients horses need. Are there other reasons? I'm putting together arguments to convince the owner that livestock feed is a bad way to save a few bucks.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 7:13 pm:
Mary , what kind of feed / pellets / cubes / grain??
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 7:49 pm:
Mary, beef livestock feeds often contain ingredients that are very bad for horses. I cannot imagine feeding horses that which was intended for cattle.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 9:24 pm:
Hi Mary we have cows and calves. My husband keeps beef feed here and none of it he gets will hurt the horses. There definitly is feed that will. Aueromycin (sp) I think is the antibiotic, and there is also something called rumesin in some of the beef feeds. They are not allowed on our place! My husband doesn't need that kind of feed anyway. The beef feed he gets is just higher in protein and I tell ya my horses don't really like it.
The all livestock sweet feed won't hurt horses either.
I would almost be surprised if she was saving money by buying this, because our "beef feed" is more expensive then my horse feed. Unless she is buying the all livestock sweet feed which is a little cheaper.
Overall even if she is feeding a "safe beef feed" I would think feed tailored for horses would be a better idea.
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Member:
amara
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 9:46 pm:
aside from the antibiotics, there is the rumensin that Diane mentioned, as well as bovatech, another feed additive.. i think the urea levels in beef feed can be bad for horses as well, tho it has been a very long time since i last looked at cattle feed...
before making a fuss make sure that the owner is actually feeding it to horses.. it may have been delivered by mistake, or she may be holding onto it for a friend...but if it is being fed to boarders horses i'm sure they would like to know...
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 9:47 pm:
Sorry should have asked the herd master before I wrote that. I asked him if there was anything in those bags of "beef feed" he had that could hurt the horses...his reply "OM MY GOD YOU DIDN"T GIVE THAT TO THEM" So my education began .
He said the beef feed and that is what is says on the bag has bovitec in it, some kind of growth hormone. He also said some kinds come with the antibiotic in it, but that is more expensive. He said the bag of beef feed is about $8. I told him I thought he said the kind he had wouldn't hurt the horses. He said that was protein pellets that he was feeding this winter. I have never fed anything to the horses that is "beef feed" and never would. Unless it is the all livestock sweetfeed she should find out what is in it. I believe ours is Purina and the bag says "beef feed" Hope that helps and sorry about the 1st post, that will teach me I know nothing about cows and keep my mouth shut!
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Member:
andreth
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Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 10:52 pm:
Thank you, everyone, for the information and advice. Tomorrow I'll take a closer look at those bags of feed and ask the owner about them. It hadn't occurred to me they might have been delivered by mistake.
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Member:
leilani
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Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 1:46 am:
My older mare was at a working cattle ranch for about 7 years. Horses and cows were fed the same; alfalfa cubes and hay. Interesting...
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Member:
imogen
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Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 3:39 am:
I'm surprised that you are not all more horrified about what your beef stock are being fed. Fortunately most of those additives are banned in Europe...
Imogen
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:37 am:
Ditto Imogen[but I did like their steaks ]
Just what you need Diane :a growth enhancer!!!
Now I know why poor Hank always is on a diet
Jos
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 6:44 am:
Besides the already mentioned problem of non-protein nitrogen (urea) that may be in cattle feeds certain growth promoters (ionophores) that are safe for cattle but very poisonous to horses. So toxic that even if a batch of cattle feed does not have them added, just mixing and storage in a container that has had the treated feed in them can pick up enough toxic material to harm horses. As a result mills that make ionophore treated cattle feed must have two separate systems for mixing and storage of cattle and horse feeds. For more on this see, Diseases of Horses » Nervous System » Dementia: Depression, Excitement, Coma » Ionophores and Livestock Feed Poisoning.
DrO
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 9:51 am:
I'm with Imogen; yet another reinforcement for organic grass-fed beef!! Why eat poison if you don't have to?
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Member:
andreth
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Posted on Friday, May 30, 2008 - 12:17 pm:
I asked the barn owner about those sacks labeled Beef Feed and learned they do NOT contain food for cattle. The owner buys a grain/pellet mix prepared in bulk by the feed dealer and packaged in reused bags. A closer inspection of unopened bags confirmed they had been resealed. The owner said the dealer frequently takes back the bags and uses them yet again. The owner gets decent quality horse feed and saves some money.
I'm sure glad I didn't raise a fuss before finding out the facts. I guess the lesson here is to ask questions first.
Thanks again to all for your info and advice. These discussions have taught me a lot.
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Member:
andreth
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Posted on Friday, May 30, 2008 - 12:22 pm:
Uh-oh. For some reason Dr. Oglesby's post did not reach my mailbox. I saw it just now AFTER my previous post. I'll mention the possibility of contaminated bags to the owner.
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