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What's in a
Meal?
The Equine Research Centre, Guelph, Ontario
Goals
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Optimum health and
performance |
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Optimum
nutrition |
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Reasonable
cost |
How to achieve the
goals 1. Define your horse's current performance level
ie. breeding, racing, recreation etc. and body condition score. (See ERC's Body
condition scoring fact sheet)
2. Determine your horse's daily nutrient
requirements based on the current performance level and other factors such as
environment (temperature, rain, wind), age, breed. Use the National Research
Council's Nutrient Requirements of Horses,1989 or consult an equine
nutritionist through your local feed dealer.
3. Determine feed composition by analysis.
Knowing the protein, energy, fibre, minerals etc. content of feeds is essential
in order to feed for optimum health and performance.
4. Balance the ration. Feed costs are a
large expense; therefore, feed analysis and ration balancing results in
minimizing costs and maximizing the nutritive value of your horse's diet.
How to sample for Feed Analysis
Proper
sampling is the key to optimizing your nutritional management
program. The sample must reflect the true nutrient composition of the feed.
Poor sampling may result in over or under feeding and lost of money and /or
performance. The sample you submit should be composed of many sub-samples. One
pound of grain or forage submitted may represent several tonnes of feed, a barn
full of bales or several acres of pasture. The composition analysis can only be
as good as the sample submitted. Contact a feed analysis laboratory or your
feed dealer for submission details before taking samples.
HAY - Obtain a hay corer from your feed dealer
and randomly bore 10 to 20 bales (as many as possible). Bore each bale one to
three times through the small square bale end. Combine all core samples (30-60)
in a pail and mix. Take your composite sample for submission from the pail and
place in a clean plastic bag. Seal and keep at room temperature until shipping.
This sampling should be done periodically as you use hay from the mow or
receive new hay shipments.
GRAIN - Randomly collect 10-20 handfuls or scoops
from bulk storage, mix in a bucket and take a 1 pound composite sample from
this mix and place in a clean plastic bag. From bagged feed that is the same
batchor lot, take several handfuls from a bag or preferably a few bags, mix and
take a 1 pound sample. Place in a clean plastic bag, seal and store at room
temperature until sending to lab.
PASTURE - Using a hedge trimmer or scissors,
randomly sample 10-20 sites that the animals are grazing and clip grass to
grazing height. Collectsamples in a clean bucket, mix and take a one pound
sample from mixture, place in a clean plastic bag, seal and freeze until
shipping.
Feed
Analysis Laboratories
Agri-Food Laboratories
Unit 1, 503 Imperial Rd., N.,
Guelph,
On., N1H 6T9
Ralston Purina Canada Inc.
P.O. B. 303, 127 Zimmerman ST., S.,
Strathroy,
On., N7G 3W3
Dairy One Co-Operative Inc.:
730 Warren Rd.,
Ithaca,
NY,
USA 14850
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