Livestock: October 2003

The call usually starts like this: "Am I feeding my horse OK?"

Response: "What are you feeding?"

Answer: "I feed two scoops of sweet feed and a flake of hay."

As one of my college professors would say, "Is that two #9 scoop shovel scoops or two Raisin Bran scoops?"

Since horses are typically fed one at a time, we get used to measuring feed in small units, i.e., scoops rather than sacks and flakes rather than bales. However, horses require nutrients in specific amounts and the National Research Council reports them in pounds or kilograms. Because "scoop" is a relatively ambiguous term, it is critical to know how big your scoop is. (It also helps to know how big your horse is, but that is another subject.)

I evaluated four feeds commonly fed to horses: whole corn, 12 percent "sweet feed" (textured ration), 14 percent pellet and the ever-popular rolled oats. These feeds were scooped into several containers until level full and weighed. Results are shown in Figure 1. Remember that test weights of grains and ration formulations will affect bulk density of feeds.

Containers used (l to r): 3 lb. coffee can with steam rolled oats, 1 lb. 10 oz. coffee can with whole corn, "large" scoop with 14% pellets and "small" scoop with 12% sweet feed. Scoops were weighed using a heaping scoop, which is more than what is pictured here.

Two flakes off of the same bale appear similar, but there is 1.4 lb. difference in weight.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

I also weighed several flakes off the end of a bale of prairie grass hay and reported those weights (Figure 2). As you can see, rather large variations exist in how much hay is in a flake. Realize that differences in the forage and the settings of balers will have large effects on weights of bales and flakes.

Probably the worst thing that can happen when feeding horses is to think, "I shorted him a little yesterday, so I'll make up for it and give him an extra scoop/flake today." Sudden changes in the type or amount of a horse's diet can lead to major problems, especially colic.

While the information above may be directly useful to many horse owners, I strongly recommend that you purchase some sort of scale and calibrate your scoops. A small kitchen scale or a simple spring scale can be had from several catalog companies for less than $25. It is a good investment.

For Harry, the first and finest horseman I ever knew.