Feed cost total

[Peggy Sue]

What do you pay total in "hard" feed and supplements per day to feed your horse?? NOT counting your hay only the stuff in bags or buckets :cowboy:

Mine cost me
47 cents per day to feed Lazy and Sassy each
and Moosa is 69 cents per day

[WashingtonBay]

I don't know, I don't buy it by the day... we buy bigger bags :D

[IrisGreen]

Nothing, except once a month he gets the sand clear for a week. That stuff is expiencive!! He uses about half a 3 lb tub and they cost $20 a tub at my local tack store.

So, If you want a brake down per day cost. $10 a month is .33 a day. Why does it feel like more? I guess it's all the extra stuff I buy, fly spray, salt block, wound treatments and the list goes on.... lol I can't walk out of the TSC with out spending $100 or I know I forgot something. lol

[walkinthewalk]

I don't know either and I don't want to - lol lol.

The horse in my avatar is metabolic. Just keeping him healthy costs me a small fortune, and I have three others to feed:cowboy:

I just received a small box of herbs and minerals for him that cost me more than I make during the three days a week that I work.

I dont' even try to guess what I spend --- there are some things in this life I am better off not knowing the precise facts. How much I spend to keep this horse and the others healthy on a daily basis falls in that category:)

[Peggy Sue]

I don't know, I don't buy it by the day... we buy bigger bags :D


LMAO do you need the formula to figure it??

cost per bag/pounds per bag X amount fed to horse per day LOL :p

[Gypsy Rose]

Now you're going to make me drag out the calculator!Grrrr!

Let's see now-my bag of beet pulp I just finished lasted exactly 4 onths and cost 12.04.

That's about 4 cents a day.

The suplements on the other hand, are another story! Including shipping, I'm looking at about $77 per month, which breaks down to 2.57 a day, for a grand total of 2.61 per day.

Wish I could find a cheaper way, but that's what it takes to keep my senior gal healthy, lol!

[WashingtonBay]

LMAO do you need the formula to figure it??

No, I just don't want to figure it so I'm being a troll :p

Grain is the least of our expenses... at $18 a bale, hay is our big cost.

[Peggy Sue]

that is why I left hay out the cost are so different from one part of country to another and bale sizes and types

My hay average is $1.50 per bale:eek::doh:

[Cat]

We are at maybe 0.25 to 0.30 per day per horse for feed and supplements right now.

[Cat]

$1.50 per bale??? What size bale and what type of hay? We could get that price 4 years ago, but not now. Thankfully we aren't as high as WB either. Ours is right at $3-$5 for a 40-60lb bales of grass hay. I believe fescue is around $5-$6 right now, but we don't feed that.

[WashingtonBay]

Well, these are hundred + pound bales... but yeah - hay is highly variable.

[Peggy Sue]

I have my own fields so all Ihave to do is pay the guy to bale it and we got a BIG cutting this year
the bales we get are about 50 lbs each
my rounds off of first cutting are HUGE and only cost me $20

[magayle]

$3.47 per day for all 4 of mine

[IrisGreen]

Bales in my town (southern Cali) are an average of $15 a bale (100lb bales). That's oat hay, or alfalfa but tiffany grass or any other kind of grass hay costs more... I buy alfalfa cubes so I don't have to deal with it molding, blowing away, or thrown on to the ground and Muffin eating a lot of dirt trying to get every last leaf. lol

Cubes are $280 a ton
Bales are $290 a ton

I just got 650 lbs of cubes for around $80-$90 I think.. That should last Muffin a month.

[Happy Horselover]

I have a spreadsheet for mine that includes supps. - he gets Cosequin - two scoops a day, Horseshoer's Secret - 3 oz. a day, and MSM - two scoops a day. Costs me $1.67 a day, but I have to put them in little 4 oz. plastic cups with lids for the BO to feed him AM & PM

[Harleys Owner]

I use a complete pellet that is balanced, so I've never had to feed supplements and I don't buy hay, so I spend a total of $3 a day to feed one horse.

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

No, I just don't want to figure it so I'm being a troll :p

Grain is the least of our expenses... at $18 a bale, hay is our big cost.

$18 dollars a bale! Those things better be plated in gold! Holy cow.

How much do they weigh?

I'm in the midwest and a 70lb bale of good quality hay is like $5 something (knock on wood)

[lovesfortune]

Both of mine are easy keeper, so they just get pasture/hay. And we get the hay for "free" since it's my father in laws land and we help out with the cattle. But we get large square bales that are a couple hundred pounds.. I know the hay guy sells them for $60 or so.

[Harleys Owner]

$18 dollars a bale! Those things better be plated in gold! Holy cow.

How much do they weigh?

I'm in the midwest and a 70lb bale of good quality hay is like $5 something (knock on wood)

Just curious...how would you rate your hay as far as quality? Is is filler to satisfy their grazing needs, or is high quality hay that they get good nutrition from?

One of the reasons I like feeding a complete pellet is the nutritional value stays the same all the time. If you feed a lower quality hay, they may not be getting a "balanced" ration, if you feed high quality hay, you may not be getting not be getting a "balanced" ration. Works both ways.

Unless of course, you always have every batch of hay analyzed and then supplement or not to balance. Complete feeds takes the guess work out, IMO.

IMO:) feeding an unbalanced ration over a long period of time can sometimes cause problems at some point, especially in older animals.

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

Well, these are hundred + pound bales... but yeah - hay is highly variable.

Ooops didn't see that before I posted.

[WashingtonBay]

$18 dollars a bale! Those things better be plated in gold! Holy cow.

How much do they weigh?

I'm in the midwest and a 70lb bale of good quality hay is like $5 something (knock on wood)

Well, the good news is they are big bales, over a hundred pounds... and it is really high quality hay. But it's trucked over our mountains, so it's skyrocketed with the price of gas.

We have lots of cheaper local hay available, and I've tried it, but it's mostly weeds and wild grasses, the horses don't eat all of it, they waste much of it, and the nutrition is not as good, so I have to feed more of it, and it actually doesn't end up any cheaper.

Harley's right... hay is all over the board.

[Equine_Woman]

Sunny - $1.11
Sonora - $.80
Sterling - $1.42
Mack - $2.22

That's feeding Safe Choice (we go through 150 lbs a week) Contemplating the logistics of a change. I'd like to get on one of the ration balancers plus beet pulp but I haven't finished gettiny my head around it yet!! Working on it though!

Our hay is around $25 a week. (we buy a round bale roughly every 2 weeks)

[vicklynn]

Dang girl. I dont do complicated math, or much else complicated either..LOL

I feed 6lbs of feed a day between 2 horses.
4lbs for City, 2lbs for Myst
City also gets 1/2 cup BOSS, and 1/2 scoop 12-12.
Feed is like 9.50 50lb
BOSS is 14.00 I think, 50lb or could be the 25lb(probley that)
I bought the 12.12 so long ago, I dont remember, but this is it.
http://www.karstensace.com/Karsten1/HorseNewProduct/free_balance.pdf
And they have a mineral block in their feeders.

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

Just curious...how would you rate your hay as far as quality? Is is filler to satisfy their grazing needs, or is high quality hay that they get good nutrition from?

One of the reasons I like feeding a complete pellet is the nutritional value stays the same all the time. If you feed a lower quality hay, they may not be getting a "balanced" ration, if you feed high quality hay, you may not be getting not be getting a "balanced" ration. Works both ways.

Unless of course, you always have every batch of hay analyzed and then supplement or not to balance. Complete feeds takes the guess work out, IMO.

IMO:) feeding an unbalanced ration over a long period of time can sometimes cause problems at some point, especially in older animals.


Ok I'm going to take a step back right now because to me your thread is coming across as snarky.

I was just making a comment about what hay sells for in my area in comparison to WB's area. I never stated that I feed this hay to my horses, but if I did, it is good quality hay - based on sight, smell, texture, etc. I never have and probably never will have hay analyzed for nutritional value, and I don't know anyone that does (that doesn't mean people don't, but I don't know any that do) Yes, my horses get hay, but it doesn't make up even 1/3 of their diet.

It's probably best not to insinuate that my horses are being fed an unbalanced ration without knowing what I feed. And for the record they are both on complete feeds and I have worked with my vets to come up with diets individual to their needs.

[Harleys Owner]

You do need to take a step back, because that is not how I meant it at all....the "you" in my post was a general you, not you personally. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I was just voicing my opinion about why I feed complete pellets...you cannot always count on hay being the same nutritional value.

[vicklynn]

Harley. Do you go through alot of feed? Im wondering, with the different hays I get yr round, if changing my pellets is a good thing, or staying where I am at. I feed my pellets and supps, and can feed any hay along with it, although in winter if fed alf, they less they get of that, and grass mixed in. IE, one flake alf in winter with 2 to 3 flakes grass, per feeding. In the summer, I mix a couple diff grasses together. I used to feed only one type grass, Brome, but damn, with the hay shortages weve had the past couple yrs, Ive had to make changes in the feeding program. Maybe a complete feed, at least a small dose, would be best for my horses with the change in hay all the time. Just makes me sick having to change and or mix my hays so much any more. That is something for me to chew on now...hmmmmm
P.S. My horses are on dry lot, let out in summer to the grazing areas. City is really getting fat now. I think his growth spurt has ended and he is taking in all the feed finally.

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

You do need to take a step back, because that is not how I meant it at all....the "you" in my post was a general you, not you personally. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I was just voicing my opinion about why I feed complete pellets...you cannot always count on hay being the same nutritional value.

Thanks for clearing that up! As you had quoted my post in your post I thought you were directing that at me.

I too am a fan of complete feeds.


ETA : I don't feel like doing the math to calculate what it costs me per day to feed my guys

[Harleys Owner]

Compared to the amount that people who use feed and hay use, yes I go thru a lot of pellets. Average 100lbs per week per horse. But for what I spend, in this area, it's pretty comparable to what feeding hay and feed would be. Plus I have the peace of mind that I'm feeding balanced all the time.

This post was to Vickilynn

[Harleys Owner]

Thanks for clearing that up! As you had quoted my post in your post I thought you were directing that at me.

I too am a fan of complete feeds.


ETA : I don't feel like doing the math to calculate what it costs me per day to feed my guys

I quoted your post just to clarify that different hay can mean different nutritional value, and IMO, that is something that needs to be taken into consideration when speaking of prices of hay, and in what other things you feed.

Figuring out the price of feeding per horse can get complicated when using hay.

[Peggy Sue]

But Harley even though it is a COMPLETE feed it does NOT provide them with Long stemmed fiber which they NEED... to keep thier system healty... IMO the only horse that should be getting a "complete" feed is a horse with NO TEETH that can not properly chew a hay/pasture..

[magayle]

i agree with ya peggy sue...they still need to be 'chewing'...the saliva stimulation is needed for proper digestion....my 36 yo had no teeth and i feed him a complete feed but still always kept hay in front of him...he would make up these perfect little round 'hay cookies' and spit them out...he was smart enough to know he couldn't swallow what his lack of teeth was unable to grind up but still he needed the chewing motion