Homestead mailing list

[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> >I'm interested in what a Belgian (or how much) would eat. I know
> pasture and hay. How much grain do they need if not working hard on a
> regular basis?

Big horses are like big dogs, they don't eat proportionally more food than 
the small versions.

If the Belgian is not working and has sufficient grass or pasture, the amount 
of grain required is zero.  Belgians and other very large horses are an 
artificial contrivance, as I said, they don't occur in nature.  So sometimes 
the 
very large horses can have a fat deficit and so Himself sometimes gets a 
ration 
of corn oil or soybean oil.  It's a trifle as far as expense.  He prefers to 
stay outdoors all the time, so in blasting cold weather he also gets some 
grain 
to keep his heat up (to prevent him losing weight).  But 90% of the time it's 
just grass or hay.

In one pasture I have the horse, pregnant milk cow, donkey, and two goats - 
one of them pregnant.  This pasture is sparce owing to the fact that it's 
January following a bad drought.  If the animals are not turned out into 
another 
pasture for the day, they have one hefty square bale amongst them.  The eat 
the 
bracken, lichens, some pine trees we are clearing to expand the pasture, and 
there is still some grass left which during warm spells continues to grow.  
We 
inspect the animals every day for any sign of weight loss.

Very fortunately, there's plenty of grass left in other plots and the hay 
fields did not get a second cutting are are still green.

With ample hay and grass, you do not need to feed an idle or very lightly 
worked horse any grain.  You have to watch really big horses because they 
aren't 
natural and do have some artificially acquired eating habits.


James