what should i feed the newest family member

[jack]

ok hes about 15hh at the mo (shire) just turned a year old he has only been on grass but i think he should have something eles. what do you lot think ?

[kateflashy]

if he's only ever had grass he may not eat feed as such but i always start them on ready grass or chaff type stuff then gradually add pony nuts into it you dont want to change his diet too quickly as it can upset him

[rebanna]

id get a young stock mix with limestone in it my fav is D&H but im biased

[haffyfan]

I would stick to a forage only diet.....something out of the dengie range....does he actually need any extra feed?

[jack]

i would say he is a little underweight

[haffyfan]

Dengie alfa beet is good for conditioning. Along with some Hi-Fi and plenty of grass/hay I bet he will fill out in no time. Plus they are all lami clinic approved so low in sugars. Murph has never had cereals. As a baby he still just had hifi and alfa beet and well nothings changed.

[abi]

agreed with the dengie above, but start off with just a handfull and gradually build it up, so the bacteria in his stomach can adust as appropriate and it wont make him ill, hes too cute to be ill!

i think the guidelines for changing feeds tend to be 5-8 days, but with him being a young 'un and not had feed before id make this longer, up to 2- or three weeks depending how much you give him?

or, ring dengie or baileys horse feeds, they give some really good advice xx

[brigadier]

Alfalfa and beet cant be beeten!! geddit?
Seriously, as Haffy says above is good advice- no cereals as not needed- maybe introduce a good general youngstock supplement and then good qual hay as soon as grass gets spbottom to make sure he keep eating forage. He looked a little U/W to me in photo but its a difficult age as some do look all gangly and you also dont want him getting too much so his bones grow too quickly. Stuffing him with good qual forage mainly is the way forward!
brig

[Becca]

ooo new one? did i miss something?

ditto, wouldn't bother with "hard feed" just forage. also dengie are very helpful on the phone