Are your feed charts riddled with phrases such as “one scoop”, “two scoops”, or even “half a scoop”? Could you tell me how much grain was actually in that scoop? If not, read on to find out why not weighing your horse’s grain may actually be causing more harm than good.
A Traditional Feeding Situation
To start this discussion, let me paint you a picture of feeding time at one of our old boarding barns.
It’s feeding time and you grab the wheelbarrow with the plastic tub labeled “barn grain” in it. This particular grain was a cheap commercial feed meant for a variety of species. This boarding barn housed horses with a variety of activity levels and sizes.
The horses are in their stalls for the evening and haven’t had hay in almost two hours. You start at one end of the barn, stop at each stall, and scan the feed chart.
Most of the charts simply read, “1 scoop barn grain PM”. Blindly taking a scoop from the tub, you haphazardly pour the grain into the corner feeder, some spilling on the floor.
You continue on your way not thinking much of it, doling out scoop after scoop. The scoop is clearly sufficient. You would never think to weigh your horse’s grain.
Now, why is this scenario potentially flawed? Read on to find out.
The Trouble with the “Scoop”
First off, I am obviously not saying that you shouldn’t use a physical scoop to feed your horses. I don’t know how else you would get the grain from bucket/bin/bag to bowl (easily that is).
What I AM saying is that using a single scoop (as in volume) to measure how much your horse is being fed is a flawed method. It’s a fact that different grains have different weights by volume because they differ in density.
Therefore, by using the same scoop for multiple grains (and not weighing your horse’s specific grain), you will have no idea how much your horse is getting. This could be too much or too little depending on how your horse’s diet is balanced with hay and other forages.
Think of it this way, if you take one scoop of dry beet pulp versus one scoop of high-fat commercial grain, do you think the weights will be the same?
How Different Scoops Measure Up
To better illustrate this concept and show the importance of weighing horse’s grain, horse mom and I did some experimenting with different scoops.
We found four scoops that we have collected over the years for this experiment. We had a common plastic feed scoop, an aluminum metal scoop, a dollar store plastic 3-cup measuring cup, and a Purina Enrich plastic feed cup that actually featured weight measurements on the side.
Now, just by looking at these scoops, you can see that they vary greatly in size and volume. But, exactly how much grain does each one hold per scoop? We sought to answer this very question.
Materials and Methods
For this experiment, we used Nutrena ProForce Senior Horse Feed (Blitz enjoys this feed’s palatability) since we figured it would be similar in composition to what many horse owners may be feeding on a daily basis.
For each scoop, we took three samples: one that was under level, one that was level, and one that was over level. Of course, we must mention that not all of the measurements were exact. We were just trying to get a general idea of the differences in weight.
We used a digital luggage scale and a small red bucket to measure each sample, making sure the scale was zeroed out before the grain went in. This ensured we weren’t counting the weight of the bucket and were only weighing the grain.
Results
***each scoop amount and weight is labeled under each photo.
Standard Large Plastic Feed Scoop
The red scoop had a range of 1.5 to 4.1 pounds (a difference of 2.6 pounds)! I would say that because the shape of this scoop is not fully enclosed, it would be difficult to achieve uniform scoops every time. There will always be some variability in your scoop weight.
Aluminum Metal Scoop
The aluminum scoop had a range of 0.6 to 1.6 pounds (a difference of 1 pound). Much like the plastic scoop, I imagine that getting consistent scoop weights would be difficult for this scoop as well.
Dollar Store Measuring Cup
The measuring cup had a range of 0.5 to 1.2 pounds (a difference of 0.7 pounds). I believe this shape of scoop is much easier to achieve uniform scoops (albeit a bit small for feeding horses at times) due to its cylindrical shape.
This scoop may or may not have been accidentally sacrificed in the name of science.
Purina Feed Cup
The Purina feed cup had a range of 0.5 to 1.3 pounds (a difference of 0.8 pounds). Notice that this particular cup has weight measurements listed on the side. However, these are meant for the Purina Enrich feed, not the feed we were using.
These markings could be problematic if the user did not realize that the two feeds have different densities and therefore will weigh differently.
Why Does All This Matter?
So, why does it matter if you aren’t weighing your horse’s grain and your horse is getting inconsistent amounts? Other than the obvious answer, this question can be easily answered by simply looking at a feed label.
Many horse owners assume that any amount of feed that they give their horse will get them the nutrition content that is listed on the label and never even consider weighing their horse’s grain.
However, grain companies provide a nutritional analysis based on feed weight, not volume. The nutrition information is only accurate if you are feeding the correct recommended amount. It is nearly impossible to give your horse a balanced diet and not be weighing their feed.
Think of it like the serving size you would see on the side of your cereal box during breakfast. It tells you the serving size and the amount of sugar you would be getting per serving. If you eat less than a serving size, you get less sugar. If you eat more than a serving size, you get more sugar.
So let’s take a look at the label for the feed that we used in our experiment. Below is the nutrient profile for Nutrena ProForce Senior. Many people may want to use this feed for its advertised high protein and fat content.
But how much grain would you need to feed to add this feed’s high protein and fat content to your horse’s diet? Let me tell you, it typically isn’t one or two scoops.
Feeding By Weight – Example
To determine how much I would need to feed Monarch (or at least what Nutrena recommends that I feed), I had to do what I recommend everyone does: look at the label.
I’ll do everyone a favor and zoom in a bit on the feeding directions (I don’t know why feed companies need to have such tiny print).
If we look at Monarch, a horse that weighs around 1100 pounds and is typically in light work with free access to hay or pasture, she should be fed (according to Nutrena’s recommendations):
(1100 lbs/100) x 0.68 = 7.48 pounds of grain a day
So, if I was feeding Monarch two scoops of grain a day, would I be able to achieve this feeding rate? The only scoop that would get me near this amount would be the big red scoop being over-level both times.
If I were using any of the other scoops, Monarch would not be getting the recommended amount which would then mess with the careful calculations that go into balancing her diet.
Inaccurate feeding weights can lead to nutritional deficiencies or toxicities which can cause clinical health problems if left unchecked.
How Can Inaccurate Feedings Be Avoided?
But how can we avoid underfeeding or overfeeding our horses without having to constantly be weighing their grain? Well, there is a simple solution.
All you need to do is develop some consistency in your scoops. Pick a scoop, fill it with feed, weigh it, and voila. You now have an accurate measure of how much feed you are giving per scoop. Make sure you note where on the scoop you consider it full. This is where a cylindrical shaped scoop would make consistency easier.
But, all in all, it doesn’t matter if you use a traditional feed scoop or a coffee can. As long as you have determined the weight per scoop for each feed, you are one step closer to consistency in your horse’s diet.
As a final note, I’d like to mention that this would work for any pelleted feed you have, whether it be beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, or commercial grain.
Let’s all put in a little extra effort to ensure that our horse’s are getting the balanced nutrition that they need and deserve.
Thanks so much for reading about the importance of weighing your horse’s grain! I would love to go more in depth on creating a balanced diet for your horse in the future! This post was just meant as a mini PSA about weighing grain. Let me know if you have anything to add!
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