hackety
Junior Member
Elegant and light in the hand!
Posts: 122
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Post by hackety on Nov 27, 2006 11:55:04 GMT
Hi there - just looking for a bit of advice/recommendation really.
I have heard people recommend Copra Meal to someone wanting to add condition to their horse. I currently feed Allen & Page Calm and Condition for this purpose but am not entirely satisfied.
Would anybody know how the Copra Meal would compare?
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dizzy
Full Member
Posts: 417
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Post by dizzy on Nov 27, 2006 12:03:26 GMT
ponies either love it or hate it, ive had two that would kill for it and two that wont even go near there feed buckets if theres even a sp oonful in it. I think its great stuff.
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dizzy
Full Member
Posts: 417
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Post by dizzy on Nov 27, 2006 12:07:32 GMT
why cant I write S P OO N F UL as a word SPOONFUL it changes it to that ?
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Post by princess on Nov 27, 2006 12:19:58 GMT
I feed it to my fell, he likes it warm and its excellent for putting condition on especially through winter. its hard to get hold of in the North west we buy it from a lady in Lincolnshire. Its ingredients include coconut husk and oils. it smells a bit like weetabix.
if you know someone who has some just try your horse with a bit first because a lot of horses won't touch it! I have four and only the fell will eat it and he loves it!!!
also if anyone in the north west knows where its supplied please tell me because I'm running out!
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Post by Guestless on Nov 27, 2006 12:24:05 GMT
They've got a website now and it includes details of stockists. I feed it to my Fells too - it's particularly good for my mare who isn't a good doer as I can feed it in fairly low quantities. I like making it up with warm water and adding it to their feeds to heat them up.....a bit like them having some porridge!  www.boomerangcopra.com/why cant I write S P OO N F UL as a word SthingyFUL it changes it to that ? It's cause the word contains another word to describe faeces and it is being picked up by the swear filter - although I wouldn't have said P O O was a terribly bad word!  |
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Post by princess on Nov 27, 2006 12:55:17 GMT
thanks a lot for that!!
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hackety
Junior Member
Elegant and light in the hand!
Posts: 122
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Post by hackety on Nov 27, 2006 16:07:33 GMT
Thank you everyone ........... now having a giggle about the 'poo' thing!
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Post by Havingalaugh on Nov 27, 2006 21:17:04 GMT
Basically you cannot write about poo so you have sh1tit!!!
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Post by Guestless on Nov 27, 2006 22:36:24 GMT
Basically you cannot write about poo so you have nutsit!!! That's weird - it's letting you all write "poo" now.  Mmmmn, let me see - poo - sthingy - sthingyful Very strange - I can write poo, but not sp oon or sp oon ful |
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dizzy
Full Member
Posts: 417
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Post by dizzy on Nov 28, 2006 0:32:45 GMT
spoof
spool
very strange its let me do other words with poo in
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Post by itsraining on Nov 28, 2006 9:25:32 GMT
I was told by my vet under no circumstances to feed copra. According to him research has proven that the coconut husk is a big cause of laminitis.
I used to feed conditioning feeds like Allen & page Calm and Condition, Spillers and Baileys Conditioning cubes along with a feed balancer but have since been reeducated and realise now that I might as well have been feeding them the money for all the good they do/ All of mine are now on a high fibred based diet with a balancer and all of them are positively blooming as well as saving me huge amounts of money.
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hackety
Junior Member
Elegant and light in the hand!
Posts: 122
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Post by hackety on Nov 28, 2006 9:37:32 GMT
itsraining - you have confirmed some of my suspicions about Calm & Condition. What would you recommend for fibre? I used to feed Alpha A but found it was heating. At present, the rest of their diet consists of Hi-Fi Lite and pasture nuts. I have recently (6 weeks ago) introduced Blue Chip Original and haven't noticed any difference.
The problem I have is that I have young TB horses who are all Hack or RH types. I like to show fit not fat horses, but obviously need the topline.
I know that feed companies offer help lines for you to talk to nutritionists but am concerned that these will be very biased.
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Post by itsraining on Nov 28, 2006 10:10:23 GMT
Mine all have 2 feeds a day of an umollassed alfalfa, Spillers High Fibre Cubes, Speedibeet, Micronized Barley and Dodson and Horrell Suregrow used as a balancer and a splash of soya oil. Suregrow is not just for youngstock as some people believe, it can be used as a balancer. In fact compare the nutrients on it against Blue Chip and Top Spec and you'll wonder why you ever bought the expensive balancers! Suregrow is just £10 a bag. They also have turnout every day on ok grass and have hay/haylage when they are in. This feeding regime really suits all of mine and they all look better than they have ever done.
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Post by Paddywack on Nov 28, 2006 10:23:20 GMT
Another vote here for Suregrow as a Balancer.  |
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Post by Guestless on Nov 28, 2006 22:47:00 GMT
I was told by my vet under no circumstances to feed copra. According to him research has proven that the coconut husk is a big cause of laminitis. That's interesting cos the Copra info specifically says it can be fed to laminitics. I've just done a quick google and can't find any studies online that show a link between laminitis and coconut husk. Having said all that, I only feed it to my poor doer - it is good at putting condition on, so I wouldn't feed it to something that doesn't need a bit of extra condition. I also feed a high fibre diet and I avoid starch as much as possible, but sometimes you just need a little bit more and, unless you give a huge feed, it's not always easy to get that purely from fibre. I am a big TopSpec fan and I'm surprised you say Suregrow can be compared favourably as I thought TopSpec had the highest spec of vitamins and minerals of any of the balancer-type feeds. I am lucky to be able to feed TS at half rations to all but one of mine so that keeps the cost down. |
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Post by woof woof on Nov 30, 2006 15:25:34 GMT
I've never bothered with the branded stuff other than a spell of using Baileys for a year or so. No reason why, just stuck to what I was taught as a kid.
For condition and top line in my experience you can't beat boiled barley and linseed. By that I mean boiling your own barley and linseed which is a bind and a messy process but the results of feeding it a couple of times a week made it more than worth it.
Milk pellets too are worth the cost but can send them a tad loopy so not recommended if theyre of that disposition already.
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Post by buildup on Nov 30, 2006 21:26:33 GMT
i find dodson & horrell build up mix is fantastic! put weight on my boy and its not expensive compared to the others. fan of blue chip to worked wonders on my intermediate
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dpl
Junior Member
Posts: 158 
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Post by dpl on Dec 3, 2006 23:28:51 GMT
With regard to Copra - I can only speak from my own experience:
I have been feeding Copra for about 6 or 7 years now - I use it as part of the ration in high fibre diet, alongsde beet pulp, grass nuts, grass chaff and a balancer. The youngsters and lactating mares will get some stud cubes as well.
I have successfully produced a number of dartmoors, Fell, Exmoor and SHP's (youngsters, brood mares and stallions) using Copra and can quite honestly say that I have tired various other options to try to produce the same results, but can find nothing else that can produce the overall body and coat condition that Copra does.
With regard to the feeding of laminitics - My own experience is that it worked wonders for a laminitic SHP mare that I produced for the ring 18 months after her first acute attack was triggered by spray drift from the field next door. She went on to win at East of England and Ponies (UK) with a foal at foot.
All of my ponies love it, though new ones may turn their noses up to begin with - however they soon get used to it and scoff it up like all the rest!
IMHO some of the reported problems acredited to feeding Copra, come with the way in which it is used in the diet.
In Australia when fed, it tends to be the major part of the ration, hence the recommendations for it not to be fed to youngstock as the lysine is of poor quality. Links to laminitis could come from the use of Copra to bulk out fodder during drought conditions - where feeding high levels of Copra combined with the use of other 'unusual' forages due to the lack of lucerne/grass etc can adversely affect laminitic animals.
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Post by Analysis on Dec 3, 2006 23:45:05 GMT
21.9 % Protein!
Provided your horse is in work - he should start looking good and building muscle off it!
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Post by Weight gan fan on Dec 4, 2006 11:24:48 GMT
I have purchased TopON DX from Dress circle Horsewear Their contact details can be found on their website www.dress-circle-horsewear.comThe products hasnt been updated onto their website yet but they do sell 3kg tubs, you can order via phone, its a completely legal powder which is added to the feed, only 1 scoop per day, not only does it increase their appetite, but the difference in the overall condition to their coat and weight is literally oustanding after a couple of weeks and after a full month they look in top show condition. We wanted to improve weight over the rump and back and was struggling with feed as this just seemed to gain top line only. It is an Australian products which she imports. You cannot buy it anywhere else in the uk. Its turns fat into muscle but doesnt make them look lean like a race horse. There are several horses on our yard now on it and the difference to them is amazing. Can be fed to all disciplines in and out of work and its got nothing thats banned in it so can be fed all year round. I highly recommend it. |
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dpl
Junior Member
Posts: 158
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Post by dpl on Dec 5, 2006 23:08:16 GMT
Sorry, please dont take this the wrong way - I am sure that the supplement has made a difference to the horses concerned, but I am at a loss to see how any feed can ' turn fat into muscle'?
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Post by Guestless on Dec 6, 2006 11:19:00 GMT
Sorry, please dont take this the wrong way - I am sure that the supplement has made a difference to the horses concerned, but I am at a loss to see how any feed can ' turn fat into muscle'? Have to admit I thought that too. I can understand that good feeding can help the process but AFAIK a bit of work is required too! If it really does work without the effort, then I may be tempted to try it myself! |
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