Thursday, January 7, 2010

Is ';corn oil'; a good weight gainer for horses?

My 16.3 1//2 hand TB is very thin. Yes he is grained, wormed and hayed properly. I have heard a little corn oil added to grain helps. Is there any negitives and how much should I put in,Is ';corn oil'; a good weight gainer for horses?
Wow, sounds just like my TB! My vet specifically said to feed corn oil to put weight on instead of weight gainer for my horse b/c it is a lot cheaper. Start with 1/4 c a day for several days, then move to 1/2 cup a day for several days, then a whole cup a day til you finally are giving 1 whole cup twice daily in his grain every day. You want to very slowly increase how much you are giving him, b/c it will give him loose stills at first. Start with a small amount and as long as his stools stay firm, add more. Corn oil is a great cheap way to put weight on horses, doesnt matter what kind or from where. I buy the huge one at walmart for like $9. Horses dont process oils in there body like we do, so it doesnt have the negative effects on their bodies like it does on ours. Another thing you might try is the beet pulp. It really works, i also mix some soaked beet pulp in my horses food twice a day. Hope that helps!Is ';corn oil'; a good weight gainer for horses?
Yes, but no more than a cup a day should be fed or it can lead to digestive upsets. As another posted, it can interfere with the absorption of some supplements. Also as another post mentions, equine senior feed is an excellent feed for a horse of any age. It is easily digested, prevents colic, aids in weight gain,and it doesn't over energize the horse. Purina is the best regulated for content. You can also add either beet pulp or stabilized rice bran to the feed for weight gain. The rice bran must be stabilized, which balances the minerals for equine consumption.
Yes, corn oil is a good source of fat. Adding a tablesppon will help give him a shiny coat and should help him atleast a little bit in gaining weight. I know many TBs are hard to get weight on, but you may want to check the quality of your hay. Get a nice 2nd cutting of grass/timothy hay, maybe mixed with a little alfalfa to help put some weight on.


Some horses, no matter how much food they get, refuse to put on weight! If they are older or younger, it can sometimes be difficult too. Also, try putting your horse out 24/7 if at all possible, you might be surprised how many normally thin horses transition to a better weight just from being in a nice paddock (less stress than being cooped up). Hope this helps!
You're not feeding enough corn oil to make a difference on the weight issue. It will help for minerals and coat, but nothing to really put weight on.





I'm in California and if I have a horse who's starting to look a bit ';ribby'; or I've purchased some rack of bones, I go out and buy a 50LB sack of A%26amp;M (Ground alfafa and molasses) (In the mid west they use beet pulp BUT I've been informed that you HAVE to add water to it or it will swell in a horse's belly causing colic), dump it into a tub or feeder in the horse's stall, then top it with some rolled barley corn that is mixed with corn oil and apple cider vinegar. (I feed a 3LB coffee can of the barley corn mixture once a day.) The horse will normally devour the first couple of bags of A%26amp;M, but then they will slack off as they get used to it (Never had an issue with colic or founder)...





I haven't fed oats or any mixed feed in decades, basically because I've had running horses and TBs I'm trying to keep quiet, so I feed the rolled barley corn mixture to them for weight, NOT heat.





I also give my horses a hot bran mash twice a week with a 1/2 CUP of apple cider vinegar and corn oil (I can mix the barleycorn into it.). I feed 1/2 a 3 LB coffee can of red wheat flakey bran and add enough water to it so that it looks like oatmeal in consistancy.





I make sure that they get 2 flakes of alfafa hay per feeding.
Oil is calories, and oil is oil (as long as it is food grade) so it doesn't matter what kind you use, about a cup is all that should be added. Oil should not be used at a feeding that has any supplements as it can inhibit the absorption of those expensive add ins.





Many TB's do well on Purina's Equine Senior even when they are not old. It has higher caloric content, including oil, but it won't make him hot.





We also add a beet pulp daily for our ';skinnies'; and they seem to really like it. You can use pellets or shreds, water soak it in double or more the amount of pulp you use. It soaks up well in about an hour, but at least 1/2 hour is needed. I soak a scoop of beet pulp and 1/2 scoop of senior for my TBs that need some weight. SmartPak.com has really good information about beet pulp and other nutrition questions you might have.





There is an urban legend that if you give a horse beet pulp and don't soak it long enough or well enough that the horse's gut will explode. It is just that, so don't fret.





Also check the obvious, have the vet look at his teeth.
Yes. Corn or vegetable oil is really good for helping horses put on weight. It also adds shine to their coat and helps their feet become more elastic and healthier. A feed my horse(a 16hh TB, who needs to gain about 200lbs) a cup of oil a day. It, along with free choice hay and good grain, has helped her fill out a lot throughout her topline and everywhere she needs weight. Her coat is also a lot shinier, and her feet are stronger and less brittle, which has helped her hold her shoes well. Hope I helped!!
I had a very thin runt. My vet suggested canola oil (1 cup) daily added to sweet feed and add a product called Fastrak. Worked well and his coat was shiny. He is black, so the shine was wonderful. Goodluck.
I don't think a small amount is going to help him put on any weight. And if you give him too much he'll wind up with really loose stools or diarrhea. However, a little may help give him a shiny coat...
I just started using corn oil and rice bran for our thin horse everyone told me it will work we will just have to see in a few weeks. But my vet said it would pack on pounds and not make them hot
i don't no about weight gain don't thing so but its good for the coat just don't over do it.
no because horse does not eat corn
no corn oil is for there coat to shine

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