Is anyone else worried about the cost of horse feed?

Question

Don't get me wrong, I will go hungry long before my horses do but my feeds gone from $7.25 to $11.50 in 2 months! and thats just the cheap stuff not counting the $14.75 a bag for mare and colt feed ( was $12.25). It's starting to get scary, is anyone else worried about the rise in feed costs? I can afford it but it's still a bit of sticker shock.

Answer 1

We haven't really felt the impact.  Our horses get about 12 hours of pasture turnout, and we have space in our field to grow hay.  We also grow our own oats, so the only thing we have to buy is bags of a pellet supplement and salt blocks.  If you have a field, i highly recommend growing your own hay and grain.  Two acres of alfalfa provides enough hay for our 5 horses, for all year (we use 1/2 to 1 bale a day during summer, and 2-4 bales per day during the winter).

Answer 2

I use Southern States for grain

Triple Crown 12% supplement =  $27.50...50lb bag 2xmonthly

Legend Growth and Perform= ...  $15.00... 50lb bag 2xmonthly

Tractor Supply

Omegatin (when I get it)  =  ..........$24.00....22lb bucket 1x month

Hay:  from my field but if I have to buy it

$50 for a round Coastal

$4.50 for squares Coastal

So...  $109 a month without buying hay.

Soon to be just $50 a month as I am doing away with the Grain.  Just Omegatin will be in the diet.

I feel so bad for you Aussies!  If hay wasn't so expensive you could forgo the grain and do just hay.  Man, you guys have it tough!  My thoughts go out to you!

Answer 3

Yah its pretty bad. I have four horses and they get purina Strategy once a day. Its running for about $14 at my local feed store. BUT luckily at a sponsor show I was at Saturday my sister and I won a total of 6 classes and every time you won you got a free bag of Strategy!!! We were so excited about that!

Hay here in SC is usually pretty affordable but not now as were having a drout and a shortage.

Answer 4

well, i dont hav a horse myself, but i no that my stable owner is really worried. she doesnt charge that much 4 lessons and board cuz u hav 2 do evrything urself 4 the horse (clean tak, muck out, tack up etc) but feed. i actually am worried about it tho cuz she mite hav 2 raise lesson prices if feed prices keep goin up and i wont b able 2 afford it if the price goes up

lets all blame bush and the falling economy!!!!!

Answer 5

I"m from NSW Australia and I currently pay $20 a bale of lucerne hay, $32 for a bag of lucerne or oaten chaff, $22 for a bag of basic pellets...

I'm very concerned about the price of horse feed! Especially when I'm hand feeding them completely, there is no grass in the paddocks where I live. We are still in drought.

Answer 6

I know how you feel I live in Ohio and hay and oats can start to add up!!  the most importent thing to do is make sure they get the stuff that they need!!!

Answer 7

Because of the drought on Australia our feed prices are obscene.  We're paying $35/bale for lucerne & $22-$25/bale for oaten or meadow hay :(

Answer 8

lucerne hay here costs about 12 dollars and timothy hay is about 8. So its still relatively cheap, my barn buys plain oats and then we make our own recipe of sweet feed so our board only went up 5 dollars to account for the cost of hay but we are growing our own timothy hay and I have been making sure it gets lots of water and taking care of it, so we are saving some money on hay. But I somewhat shocked that the prices keep rising. Especially gas... I live in Ohio

Answer 9

Yeah im paying $17 a bale for **** lucerne, (in australia) and this is good, lol, i was paying $25 for stuff that was ment to expand when u cut the twine off, Crock of **** it was! lol. Im luky that i only have one horse that is an extreamly good dooer! he doesnt need mixes and lots of hay, which is awesome. But im always stressin about how extream its getting.

Answer 10

For us in NZ hay is under great demand from us experiencing a drought. We are competing against the dairy farmers now, they are paying top end. So we are about $15/small bale of meadow hay now... :(