[Horse_Lover92]

We feed are horses sweet feed, and every time we get a new bag, we get a different brand, buut still sweet feed, I have been doing this for at least 4 months and nothing had changed, is this bad for the horse???

[freedom32]

Its really not a great idea, change isn't really good for a horses diet, even if it is still sweet feed. I'd think about sticking with one, seriously. Founder and colic are potential effects.

[firestorm]

Each company has its own blend...even thought it is just sweet feed. They had different amounts of various nutrients and minerals, so it is not a good idea to be doing this. Just because they say 8% or 10%, ect doesnt mean that they are the same!!
I learned this from a Purina nutritionalist. Hope it helps you!! I used to think the same thing.

[Sue B]

I agree...each company uses different formulations for their feeds...even within a brand, there are different "levels" of sweet feeds....cost (of course) generally reflecting the amount of nutrition in the formulations. There is much more to nutrition than just the protein levels (that is the 10 or 12% in the name). The source of the nutritients, amounts available and entire nutrient package vary from feed to feed regardless of the type it is.

Any changes in horse nutrition should be done slowly to prevent colic and other digestive upsets. While generally changes from one feed to another within the same "type" (like sweet feed) isn't as dangerous as changing types and amounts, any changes should be done with the consideration that the gut needs time to adjust. In horses, much of the digestion is done past the stomach using enzymes and bacteria. These digestive aids become adjusted to be the most beneficial in helping breakdown the feedstuff that the horse gets on a daily basis. Every time that there is an alteration to the nutrient sources, these digestive aids have to readjust to compensate. This takes time. Each time there is a sudden change, you risk the chance of improper digestion which can lead to colic, excess aicd and other digestive upsets. It also lends itself to poor nutrition. With the gut always trying to adjust to get the most benefit from the feedstuff during digestion, it doesn't have a chance to establish itself in a permanent way that will gain the most benefit from the available nutrients.

Sorry if I am rambling....hope this makes some sense.

[Blistering Winds]

What everyone else said


Stick with one brand. Personally, I like Martindale Sweet Feed (Horse and Mule). It is a 10% protein and the makers are very Horse Saavy. They tend to keep the mixture very similar to protect our horses.


Other "sweet feed" makers end up going the "cheap" route every mixture. So one batch, you may get 10% of it corn, the next batch, 20% of it is corn, or 5% corn, depending on what the prices are on the different mixtures.

Also, watch your brands......some "unknown" brands have put things that horses cannot digest very well. Chicken Feathers for one. Cattle's microbes can easily digest them. However, Horses can't digest them very well at all. So that is lost protein to the horse. Even though the protein % is 10%, doesn't mean that it is all digestible to the horse.

Not that it is found often, those companies are now few and far between since Horse owners are getting mroe and more intelligent and knowledgeable at what they want for their horses.


Purina is a good company. Though they do change their formulations with cost, they have been pretty consistant in the past few years, keeping the formula similar to help the horses.

[Xiphias]

I buy my feed from a Mill that makes their own mixture, they are really good at keeping their mixture consistant, and have fed it for years, they also sell other brands that come pre-bagged like purina and buckeye and a couple others, I don't mix or change my feed, but a friend of mine does, and she has never had a problem....do you change the brands for price, or do you get different brands for some other reason ? Cathy

[JBandRio]

IMHO you're lucky you haven't had to deal with colic. Horses' digestive systems are not mean to handle quick change. Sweet feed is not sweet feed is not sweet feed. Anything can make up sweet feed - corn, no corn, oats, no oats, floor sweepings, quality ingredients, etc.

Different brands are formulated differently, so by sticking to the same brand, you have a better chance of the ingredients remaining the same from batch to batch. Many companies use a least-cost formula, so while the protein may stay at, say, 14%, it doesn't mean the ingredients that make up the protein stayed the same. That is playing Roulette with the equine digestion. Their gut bacteria take about 2 weeks to fully adapt to feed changes, so that is how long you should make the changes.

[Dawn]

It's definately a bad idea. Even if the tags look the same (so far as protein and fat go), the ingredients are different. Sweet feed is a very broad term which basically implies that it's a concentrate, not completely pelleted, with mollasses added.

[Horse_Lover92]

Thanks guys, we have a bag of stuff that I need to use, so I am going to mix it in slowly, then but a NICE brand, like BW said, and mix it in slowly, then stick to it.