4,777 answers about horses & farm animals
Horses and farm animals run on routine — feeding schedules, hoof and health care, safe fencing and calm handling, in all weather. This page gathers the horse and farm animal library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic from daily care to travel and senior animals. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
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409 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 1 of 18
The clearest sign is body condition: on a Kunekune fed the right amount you can feel the ribs and hips under a thin covering when you press gently, while an overfed pig hides them under soft fat. Watch also for fat rolls over the shoulders, a wobbling belly, jowls that swallow the jawline, and fat pads above the eyes…
Most adult Kunekune pigs do well on two meals a day, typically morning and late afternoon, built around a suitable pig feed with grazing or hay making up much of the rest of their intake. Kunekunes are efficient grazers bred to thrive on grass, so their bucket feed portions are smaller than many new owners expect, and…
An adult Angora goat usually does best with forage such as hay or grazing available for most of the day, plus any measured concentrate feed split into two meals, morning and evening, rather than one large feed. Goats are browsers built for frequent small intakes, and a single big grain-heavy meal can upset the rumen,…
You are likely feeding a Boer goat too much if its ribs and spine disappear under fat, its belly looks heavy and swinging, and it leaves forage while waiting for concentrate. Feel along the ribs and over the hips weekly: on a correctly fed Boer you can feel the bones under a smooth, firm covering, not hunt for them.…
An adult Boer goat usually does best with forage available through the day and any concentrate feed split into two meals, morning and evening, rather than one large feed. Boers are browsers and ruminants, so constant access to hay or pasture matters more than meal count, and a single big grain feed can upset the…
You are probably feeding a Nubian goat too much if its ribs and spine have vanished under soft fat, it is gaining despite not being in milk or pregnant, and rich feed disappears instantly while hay is ignored. Nubians plead for food convincingly, so appetite alone is no guide; leftover hay, widening over the hips,…
An adult Nubian goat usually needs hay or pasture available through the day plus two measured meals, morning and evening, with a milking doe's allowance adjusted to her yield. Nubians are a large dairy breed with a reputation for rich milk and a hearty appetite, so portions should follow body condition and production…
An adult Alpine goat usually needs forage available through the day with two measured meals, morning and evening, and milking does may need their concentrate split to match milking times. A tall dairy breed uses considerably more energy than a small pet goat, especially in milk, so the two meals carry more substance…
You are likely feeding a Pygmy goat too much if you can no longer feel its ribs with light pressure, its belly looks round from above as well as from the side, and it leaves plain hay while waiting for richer feed. Leftover concentrate, rapid weight gain, and softer droppings after meals are further clues in this…
An adult Pygmy goat usually does best with hay available through the day plus two measured meals, morning and evening, rather than one large feed. Those two meals are the moments to offer any concentrate or mineral top-up in small amounts suited to a compact breed that gains weight easily, while clean water stays…
You are feeding a Nigerian Dwarf goat too much if she develops a soft, round barrel, fat over the ribs and spine, and keeps gaining while her grazing and hay stay the same. Grain is usually the culprit in this miniature breed, so weigh servings, count treat handouts from everyone in the household, and feel her…
An adult Nigerian Dwarf goat usually needs hay and browse available through the day rather than large set meals, with any grain split into two small servings, morning and evening. Many pet wethers and dry does need no grain at all on good forage, while a doe in milk may need those two measured servings to support…
You are feeding a Mustang too much if his ribs become hard to feel, the neck thickens into a crest, and he keeps gaining even though his workload has not changed. Mustangs are extreme easy keepers shaped by scarcity, so weigh any concentrate, track grazing hours on rich grass, and check condition with your hands every…
An adult Mustang usually needs forage spread across the day rather than set grain meals, and many healthy Mustangs in light work need no concentrate meals at all. If yours does need extra feed to hold condition, split it into two small meals, morning and evening, instead of one large serving. Mustangs evolved on…
You are likely feeding a Paint Horse too much if his ribs disappear under fat, a crest builds along his neck, and firm fat pads appear behind the shoulders and around the tailhead. Paints are classic easy keepers, so weigh the grain instead of trusting the scoop and feel for ribs weekly with flat hands, since a thick…
An adult Paint Horse in light to moderate work usually does best with forage available through much of the day and any concentrate feed split into two meals, morning and evening. Paints are often easy keepers, so that two-meal rhythm applies to the grain portion, not to hay, which should stay the foundation of the…
A Standardbred is getting too much when fat smooths over the ribs, the neck and hindquarters lose their athletic definition, and the horse grows sluggish or excitable on a ration built for harder work than it is doing. The commonest cause is a training ration that was never reduced when racing stopped or work…
An adult Standardbred usually needs forage in three to four portions a day when stabled, plus two or three smaller concentrate meals if it is in race training or heavy work. Unlike easy-keeping breeds, a working Standardbred often genuinely needs the hard feed, but splitting it keeps each bucket modest and easier on…
An adult Andalusian usually needs forage spread across the day in three to four portions when stabled, or steady grazing when out, with hard feed kept to one or two small meals only when work justifies it. The breed is an efficient keeper, bred on sparse Spanish grazing, so condition often rises on generous rations.…
You are likely overfeeding a Haflinger if ribs disappear under fat, the neck thickens into a firm crest, and fat pads build behind the shoulders and over the tailhead while hay is still being finished eagerly. Haflingers gain on rations that would barely maintain other breeds, so check condition by hand every two…
An adult Haflinger usually does best with forage available through most of the day, split into at least three or four hay portions if grazing is limited, plus no more than one or two small hard feeds if work demands them. Haflingers are classic easy keepers, so the hard feed is often the part to shrink, not grow.…
Never share bread, crackers, biscuits, chocolate, avocado, onions in quantity, caffeine, alcohol, salty snacks, uncooked dried beans, green potato peelings, or mouldy food with a Toulouse goose. This heavy breed is built to graze steadily all day, and a gorge of starch stops the grazing its digestion, legs and feet…
Never share uncooked dried beans, chocolate, avocado, green potato peelings, potato or tomato leaves, onions or garlic in quantity, caffeine, alcohol, salty food, seeds, pits, or mouldy scraps with a Silkie chicken — and never offer large hard chunks either. A Silkie's tiny body makes a toxic serving far smaller, and…
Never share bread, crackers, popcorn, chocolate, avocado, onions, garlic, caffeine, alcohol, salty snacks, uncooked dried beans, green potato peelings, or sugary cereals with a Pekin duck. A Pekin grows so fast that every cropful of junk displaces the niacin and protein its legs are being built from, and its begging…
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