The alfalfa part is right. I would be real careful about using very much with grass
hays. Coastal bermuda is 0.32% Ca and 0.20% P. 20 pounds grass and 2 pounds Natural
Glo gives a Ca/P of 0.86 (and that was using the upper number of Ca range given).
Anything less than 1.0 is a problem.
> [snip]
> There is a good paper on "Ration Formulation for Horses" at the OSU
> site. Based on a chart in this paper ...
Straight out NRC's Nutrient Requirement of Horses.
> Daily nutritional requirement of horses at maintenance and
> production (for a horse of 1100 lb mature weight):
>
> Working, mature,
> intense work light moderate
> Body weight 500 lb 500 500
> Dig. Energy 33 Mcal 21 25
> Crude Protein 2.9 lb 1.8 2.2
> Calcium 40g 25 30
> Phosphorous 29g 18 21
> Vitamin A 22 (1000 IU) 22 22
Those numbers are for a 500 kilogram horse or about 1100 pounds as indicated in the
introduction.
>
> In another paper on the site, with a *yearling* given as an example,
> a ratio of 1.8 times more calcium than phosphorous is recommended.
Won't come close if you feed Natural Glo.
> Natural Glo's contents:
> Calcium .02 - .07%
> Phosphorous (min) 1.8%
>
>[snip]
> - - -
> Jorene
> just moseyin' down the California trails ... :)
> - - -
In another post you indicated a magnesium figure of 0.7%. This is a very high number.
Alfalfa which is also high is half that. It is magnesium that is the probably culprit
in enterolith formation and the reason many refuse to feed alfalfa.
All of these problems are a result of the rice bran Natural Glo contains.
Duncan Fletcher
dfletche@gte.net