Hi Dr. Dan – Question for you!!
I’ve offered your Red-Cal free choice in a mineral feeder for several years now. My three horses’ consumption has of course fluctuated with the seasons but always been ‘normal’. But recently (the last three months) consumption has shot up CONSIDERABLY. They went through 25 lbs this last month! The feeder is in a lean-to in a dry lot so it’s very doubtful that deer/etc could reach it. I have to refill the mineral feeder every other day because it is empty every time I check. I haven’t been able to figure out if one horse is consuming it all or if all three are equally eating it.
My question is this: should I take away the free choice and put a few ounces in their feed? Or just let them consume these huge amounts? Is there a narrow list of probable reasons? One horse did have low grade diarrhea from Aug to Oct but that’s resolved and I don’t know if it’s related to the amount of salt being consumed. We’re in Iowa and they live on grass hay and a tiny amount (literally 2 cups) of beetpulp/oats a day.
Thanks for any advice/ideas you can share. Kristi
I would for sure continue free choice….. they, or one of them, is trying to get something they need …. any amount is only healthy anyway…..AND based on what you just told me though, please listen to the audio on “what to feed”.I really dislike beet pulp (potential pesticides because of it being a root by product)and it has NO nutrition, only bulk fiber.. hay is a less expensive source of fiber too) and I suggest adding to the oats instead of beet pulp our Just Add Oats 2x and our Weight Check oil ..the audio explains why… but essentially these two ingredients are what man knows they need daily.The Red Cal for lack of a better way to describe, provides the salt and minerals plus there seems to be qualities “unexplainable” that Mother Nature is providing.. sort of picks up the pieces for what man does not even know about yet.
