Can You Feed Expired Horse Feed?

Feeds that are past their best used by dates may not provide adequate nutrition, or they can become moldy or rancid. Manufacturers typically recommend discarding feeds that have expired.

Can you use out of date horse feed?

Products maintained in cool, low humidity and pest-free environments may be okay to feed after the “best by” date, according to Judd, while those stored in a hot barn in the Texas heat and humidity may not be good to feed even up to the “best by” date.

How long is horse feed good for?

Most manufacturers will recommend consumption of the feed within 30-60 days of manufacture if the product is stored under proper conditions.

How long should a bag of horse feed last?

A rule of thumb is that a 50-pound bag of feed will last an average adult horse approximately one week.

How long does a 50 pound bag of horse feed last?

A 50 lb bag will last 25 days. Feed 2 Scoops/day. For maintenance or continuing a stressed horse after it has shown marked progress. A 50 lb bag will last 40 days.

How do you know if horse feed is bad?

Smell – spoiled grain may smell rancid. Spoiled hay will smell moldy. Sometimes spoiled food has a fruity odor – think how fragrant rotten apples become! Bugs – look for signs of bugs in your grain, such as droppings.

Where is the expiration date on horse feed?

Expiration dates:
Checking the expiration or “best used by” date on your feed tag or feedbag tells you just how fresh the feed really is. It is a good idea to locate these numbers and check them each time you get a new supply of feed. If you can’t find them, ask your feed distributor to show you where they are.

Will moldy feed hurt a horse?

Moldy forage can contribute to a range of disorders in the horse. Inhaled fungal and actinomycete spores can cause primary allergic and inflammatory respiratory disease, as well as influencing the incidence, severity, and duration of episodes of infectious respiratory disease.

What if a horse eats moldy feed?

If your horse ate moldy hay, you should contact a vet right away. He may try to remove the hay with a tube or administer a laxative so the toxin will pass before it is absorbed. If the horse ate a small amount of moldy hay, he might advise you to give the horse mineral oil and watch for symptoms.

Is 3 year old hay still good?

If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.

Can a horse go all night without food?

Ideally, a horse should have free access to forage nearly 24/7. Their stomach are about the same size as ours, so they empty out very quickly. Unlike our stomachs, theirs produce digestive acid around the clock. With no food or saliva to buffer that acid, they can develop painful ulcers within as little as 8 hours.

Do horse pellets expire?

Generally speaking, a pelleted feed stored in ideal conditions won’t begin to lose nutritional quality until it is approximately 6 months old. That’s a long time for a feed to still be good! On the other hand, textured feed tends to lose nutritional quality around 90 days from date of manufacture.

How many flakes of hay should a horse get a day?

The daily dry matter intake of an adult horse performing light work should be about 1.8% of its body weight each day. At least 65% of this amount should be forage. In other words, a 1,000 lb horse should be fed 18 pounds of dry matter each day.

How much feed would you give a 1000 pound horse a day?

The average thousand-pound horse who relies on hay for all their forage typically eats fifteen to twenty pounds of hay per day. Most hay is dispensed in flakes; however, the amount of hay in a flake can vary greatly, depending on the size of the flake and the kind of hay.

How many pounds of feed should a horse eat per day?

Typically, a horse consumes 1.5-2.5% of his body weight in food per day. Say, for example, you have a horse that weighs 1,100 pounds. The math is simple (I promise!): 1100 x 1.5% = 16.5 lb of food/day.

How many cups of feed does a horse need per day?

For most horses, it is recommended they recieve 2-3% of their body weight in feedstuff per day. For a 1200 lb horse, that would equal 24 to 36 lb of feedstuff per day.

What do you do with spoiled feeds?

Pack and seal forage as quickly as reasonably possible, and avoid extended fill situations. At feedout, discard visibly spoiled feed and the forage immediately around it.

How long does soaked horse feed last?

Ok if refrigerated up to 12 to 14 hours. And also agree to wash soaking bucket daily. I’ve also used the refrigerator for soaking meals ~12hrs in advance. And IME it provides extra incentive for bucket washing – nobody wants to have to clean their fridge more often!

What foods are toxic to horses?

What Foods & Plants are Poisonous to Horses?

• Caffeine. While tiny amounts of caffeine probably won’t hurt your horse, you should still avoid giving him any foods that have caffeine in it.
• Avocado.
• Fruits with Stones (or Pits)
• Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli.
• Bran Products.
• Potatoes.
• Rhubarb.
• Meat Products.

Is it OK to feed horses wet hay?

Soaking hay for horses can be invaluable when feeding a hay that is a little dusty as a result of soil contamination or where it was stored in the barn. Horses that have allergies and are sensitive to the natural dust and particles in hay can benefit significantly from wetting or soaking hay.

Should you soak horse feed?

Typically, feed is soaked to soften it and make it easier to chew. Horses with poor dentition are the primary beneficiaries of this practice. But even if your horse has perfect teeth, you can still soak feed. Soaking feed helps increase the amount of water your horse consumes.