Buying my horse's grain - never done this before?

Question

I really feel like I'm being converted back to a horse noob here, but I'm not sure how to go about this.

I am about to move my pony to a new barn, and for the first time in my life, I will need to provide his grain instead of his barn buying it. To be honest, I don't have much of a clue. I have asked his current barn for the phone number of wherever they buy it, but it's a 45 minute drive at least, so I hope to find a place closer.

- Where can you buy grain? What section/category would this be under in the phone book? How can I even begin to find places that sell it?

- For those of you who buy your own grain for a single horse, do you buy a bunch at a time? Do they even let you buy it bag by bag? Where do you store it if you do buy a lot? And do feed stores deliver, or do you have to go get it?

- Is there anything else I need to know about or need to consider here?

- what about online ordering? Is that an option? Is that too pricey?

Ideally I'd like to keep him on the senior grain he's on, but realize I might have to change it if I can't find it locally :P And of course, any money saving tips are much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Answer 1

1.coops sell horse feed, and so does tractor supply.

2.you need to go get the feed from the dealer.

3.for one horse, just buy two 50lbs. bags. that'll last for a few weeks.

4.pour the feed in a large plastic or metal trash barrel.

5. make sure its not by any poisons, or mice can get in it.

6.online is pricy, dont do it.

7.make sure u get feed that suits your horse. ex: a young horse needs highlynutritiouss feed, make sure itdoesn'tt haveUriaha in it tho.Uriaha will kill a horse faster than a blink of an eye.

8. if u reallydidn'tt know this, then ushouldn'tt have a horse. you are supposed to read a ton of books and know all about feed, care, health, and space requirements before you ever even think about getting a horse.

Answer 2

Since your horse doesn't have teeth you should definatly keep him on a senior feed because it is a complete feed that contains the fiber he is missing in his diet by not being able to eat hay.  Senior equine feeds are made by almost every company that makes horse feeds.  My favorite it Equine Senior by Purina but they are all pretty similar so whichever brand your local feed store carries is fine.  I buy for two horses and usually buy about 4 bags at a time them empty them into a container with a lid that keeps moisture and rodents out of it (clean garbage cans or other plastic or metal storage containers work great.  Most feed stores will deliver if you buy a minimum amount of food (like a ton or more which is around 40 bags)  I would not suggest this if you are only feeding one horse because it will go bad before you feed it all and they will charge you for delivery.

You will probably find that one 50lb bag of senior will cost around $15 dollars give or take depending on the brand and part of the country you live in.  Depending on the size of your pony he will probably eat 2-3 bags per month.

To find a feed store look under "feed store" or "farm store" in the yellow pages or ask other people in your area where they buy their grain.

If you find that for some reason you have to change the type of grain he is eating, make sure that you make the change slowly over a couple of weeks by mixing it with the grain he is currently eating.  Start with a mix that is mostly the grain he is eating now and a little of the new grain and work slowly to a complete ration of the new grain.

Hope this is helpful, good luck with the move.

P.S.  Watch his water intake when you move him.  Some horses won't drink water that tastes or smells different (my mare is one of them).  You may want to add a LITTLE BIT of jello powder, koolaid or gatorade to your horses water  for a couple of weeks before and after the move again adding and removing slowly.  That way the water will taste and smell the same in both places and he can slowly adjust to the new water.  

Answer 3

Look for a Feed store, Farm supply store, or Stable and supplies store near where you are moving to.  You may have to make an hour long trip to get your feed if there is no supplier nearby.  If you order on line, you'll pay quite a bit for shipping.  See if you can buy some of the feed he is used to from the stable he is at now, so you can gradually transition him to whatever feed you end up with.  I have 2 horses on Purina senior, which comes in 50 lb bags.

Answer 4

Make sure you know exactly what feed he is currently getting (including quantities) so that you can keep it the same and not cause any unnecessary stress to the poor fellow, as moving him will probably be stress, plus you don't want to risk him getting a bout of colic.

I suggest you ask the people at the new barn where they buy their food from, they should have a local supplier that they can suggest. You could also ask other people who board their horses there, because if you need to arrange to have feed delivered, it will be cheaper if you can get yours delivered at the same time as other people (you can split the delivery costs).

You can buy feed a bag at a time, which is a good way to do it if you have limited storage space or are worried about rodents getting into it or it going sour/moldy before you use it all up (particular sweet feeds). If you have good storage and use feeds that have a longer lifespan such as chaffs and base grains (e.g oats), you might be better off buying in bulk.

In the phone book here in Australia it is listed under "Grain & Produce - Retail", in the USA it is listed under "Feed Dealers".

All the best with your pony!

PK

Answer 5

The first thing you should do is make the 45 minute drive and buy one bag of his current grain (yes you can buy it in a 50 lb. bag).  Then, find a feed dealer closer to home or the barn, and compare their offering of senior feed to your current one.  Each bag should have a nutritional information tag on it.  Then, you can gradually make the switch by replacing portions of his current grain with the new grain.  Don't just suddenly switch him,  you need to do it over a period of a week or two.

In the phone book, try looking under farm or livestock supplies.  You don't say where you live but you might find Southern States, TSC or Purina dealers around.  There are also others.  You could also go to the website of his current feed brand and see if they have a "find a dealer" tool.  If you don't have any luck with any of that, ask around at barns and tack stores in your new area.

I buy for 4 horses and I generally buy only what will fit in my trash cans at a time:  2 bags sweetfeed and 2 bags of senior feed (50 pounds per bag).  I keep it in trash cans which keeps rodents and bugs out.  My feed store (southern states) will deliver but I usually just go get it myself.  

Answer 6

You can buy grain at more well-known places such as Tractor Supply, but check your local phone book yellow pages for other options in your area.  Look under "Feed" or "Feed Dealers".  You can also use an online phone book or yellow pages.

For one horse, I would suggest buying a month's worth at a time if you can, especially in the winter if it gets to the point where getting out to get some grain can be a problem.  

You can buy grain by the bag, usually 50lbs. at a time.

We store our grain in a chest freezer that doesn't work anymore.  It is a perfect way to keep the grain as it has a heavy lid on it and isn't so deep that you can't scoop out what's in the bottom and it keeps out pests like mice and raccoons.  We got it for free from a place that fixes appliances because they couldn't fix it.  Check on www.craigslist.com and llok under your state and area to see if anyone has one they are giving away.  Look under the "Free" heading.

Some feed stores will deliver if you are ordering a alarger quantity.  You'll have to call the dealer to find out what their delivery program is.

On-line ordering is a possibility, but it is probably less expensive to buy it locally.

If you use a certain brand, look the manufacturer up on the internet and see who sells it in your area.  Most manufacturers have that information available on their web-sites.

I hope this helps and I hope your move goes smoothly!

Answer 7

Here are some options:

First, find out what kind of grain her was on at the last barn. Maybe you could even buy a bag from them. You don't want to switch him to new feed without weaning him onto it, you cuold cause him to colic. If

you know the brand name, do a search online for local retailers, or call the company to find out where you can purchace grain made by them in your area.

National chain stores like Tractor Supply Company and Country Max carry grains (usually Blue Seal Brand). I would also ask where they get their grain from at the barn you are moving to. They may have a list of close-by grain stores.

You may also be able to order grain online  or through a grain company and have it delivered to you HOWEVER- for one horse, do not buy more than what he will eat in a month. Grain can get moldy or go bad if not fresh, risking colic. If your pony will only eat 50lbs in a month, then you probably wont be able to order it as they will have high shipping on smaller orders, if they will even ship it or deliver, as some have a minimum order. Make sure you keep grain in a cool, dry place, and out of the way of bugs and moisture, which will spoil the grain quickly.

I also noticed you said the pony will not be getting hay- if you haven't cleared this with a vet, be cautious- not having enough roughage is bad for a horse's system- you may want to supplement with hay stretcher or alfalfa cubes at least, especially if he wont be turned out frequently.

Answer 8

look under the yellow pages under feed stores. Most feed stores will deliver but some have limitations on how much they will deliver.  Also try to google "feed stores" and the town you live in that may help you to.  Good Luck

Answer 9

If they are using a commercially available senior feed then you should be able to just buy it somewhere close by.  I don't know where you live but we have several feed stores nearby that all sell feed in 50 pound bags.  We have one feed store that sell it in bulk, meaning that you will need to bring your own feed bin for them to fill.  One 50 pound bag will last almost 2 weeks per horse giving a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening.  I feed Purinia Equine Senior and have found it to be a very good feed for my older horses.  You could look in the yellow pages under Farm Supplies, Feed Dealers, Feed store, Animal Feed, Feed and Seed or some such heading.  I hope the barn you are boarding at has a place where you can keep his feed where they won't be tempted to feed someone elses' horse with your feed.

Answer 10

First of all you can feed hay weather he has teeth or not, put hay in a bucket of water to soften it {most horses do this on their own anyways}, If you can feed senior grain {or any grain/oats} you can feed hay, trust me grain is a lot more coarse. Is there any TSC's where you live? They have senior feed, and some feed stores do deliver, but most likely not for just one or two bags. For one horse you don't want to buy more than two bags at a time, you take a risk of it molding then your horse will colic and you will be out that money, especially as costly as it is now. Try calling Vets around where you live to ask them where to buy it, some large animal vets sell it also, look for feed mills, feed supplies, animal supplies. Also remember anytime you switch from one brand to another you have to mix and introduce new brand slowly, while mixing it into the old, horses stomachs are more sensitive than humans and you can upset them easily if you just go straight from one to the other. so when you buy new brand get 1 bag of old brand and mix it until old brand is gone.

PS you need to feed hay or steamed oats in winter to help them stay warm, you have to be carefull with oats though, if they eat them too fast they ball up in the throat and will choke the horse.  

Answer 11

Not sure where you are located, but you should be able to find a feed store in your phone book.  Many local hardware stores will also carry it.  Nonetheless, I would find a reputable dealer, that is a larger store and has a good supply.  We have dealt with stores in the past that would always run out, and we have since stopped purchasing grain from them.  If in doubt, you could always call your local county extension agent and ask them.

I would suggest purchasing the grain in single bags at a time.  I typically purchase 2 bags at a time, just to have extra.  The bags are 50 pounds.

We store the feed in a trash can with a good lid.  We store it in the house away from the barn, and only keep small 10 pound buckets of it in the barn (we don't feed much grain and we only have 2 horses).  If I needed more in the barn, I would purchase a container with a lid that horses could not get off.  Bottom line is the grain must be kept dry and it must be kept away from where a horse could get to it.  We have kept the trash can outside in the past and not had issues, however we now live in a more rural area and don't want varmints getting into it.



Feed stores will deliver in large quantities.  Personally I suggest just finding a local feed store on your way home from work and getting a bag every week, or whatever you need.  It's a lot easier.  Throw it in the back seat or trunk.  I have a truck and don't put mine in the bed as one time I forgot it was in there and it got rained on that night.  Murphy's law I suppose.

As far as other things to consider...  You want to make sure you get a grain that is similar to what you are feeding now.  Whether that be a pelleted grain, textured, sweet feed, etc.  You need to have an idea of the makeup.  Also you need to make sure the protein and carbohydrate levels are approximately the same so you can keep feeding rations the same.  Also make sure you gradually switch the grain from the old to the new.  You can do this by mixing a bag of the old and new.  Personally when we have had to switch I take half the ration (say half cup) of the old and half cup of the new and feed.  I slowly work towards 3/4 cup of the new, 1/4 of the new, until I am eventually on the new.  However I an overly paranoid because we have a mare that has coliced in the past.

Online ordering for grain?  Probably not.  The shipping would kill you.

If you are in the US, see if there is a Southern States near you.  They are usually easy to deal with and I have high regards for their feeds.  You can also contact them via the web and let them know what you are feeding now and they will be able to tell you what you need to feed of their stuff.  Regardless, if you have to go to somewhere like Tractor Supply or another vendor, find their feed supplier, get online, and e-mail or call them and tell them what you are feeding now and they will be able to give you an pretty close match.

Answer 12

I like the answers you're getting but would like to add I'd slowly switch him to a complete senior pellet...and wet it. He'll get much more nutrition that way.

Answer 13

Ok, you need to first find out what kind of feed your horse is eating now. Then you can look for a feed store locally. Look under "animal feed" or "feed stores" or something like that in the phone book. You might be better off asking someone locally who has horses where they get their feed. Then go to the feed store and see if they carry your horse's grain. If not, ask them what the comparable feed is that they do sell. They will let you buy it one bag at a time. Depending on how much your horse eats, you may be able to store 2 or 3 bags at a time. Just don't buy too much or else it will mold and go to waste. A good way to store it is to buy a plastic or metal trash can with a tightly closing lid - that will keep moisture and bugs/rodents out. Feed stores do often deliver, but it is unlikely they will make a delivery for such a small amount of feed. It never hurts to ask though. I don't think online ordering is a good idea, and I'm not even sure you can do that. Feed is not the expensive part of owning a horse - you should be able to get a good quality feed for about $10 a bag, give or take.

ADD: I just looked in my phone book and the feed stores are under "Feed Dealers" in the yellow pages. And since he's not eating hay, make sure he's on a "complete" feed that can accomodate for that. You can discuss this with the person at the feed store also.