Is wheat bran a good weight gainer?

Question

is wheat bran better then beet pulp for keeping weight on horse,because have trouble in the winter keeping weight on my horse.

Answer 1

I'm in California and if I have a horse who's starting to look a bit "ribby" or I've purchased some rack of bones, I go out and buy a 50LB sack of A&M (Ground alfafa and molasses) (In the mid west they use beet pulp BUT I've been informed that you HAVE to add water to it or it will swell in a horse's belly causing colic), dump it into a tub or feeder in the horse's stall, then top it with some rolled barley corn that is mixed with corn oil and apple cider vinegar. (I feed a 3LB coffee can of the barley corn mixture once a day.) The horse will normally devour the first couple of bags of A&M, but then they will slack off as they get used to it (Never had an issue with colic or founder)...



I haven't fed oats or any mixed feed in decades, basically because I've had running horses and TBs I'm trying to keep quiet, so I feed the rolled barley corn mixture to them for weight, NOT heat.



I also give my horses a hot bran mash twice a week with a 1/2 CUP of apple cider vinegar and corn oil (I can mix the barleycorn into it.). I feed 1/2 a 3 LB coffee can of red wheat flakey bran and add enough water to it so that it looks like oatmeal in consistancy.



I make sure that they get 2 flakes of alfafa hay per feeding.

Answer 2

No it really is not. We had a mare come off of three surgeries and she lost about 300 pounds. I fed her gobs of wheat bran and she gained no weight. Switched her to beet pulp and she started gaining. Beet pulp and rice bran are great to help horses gain weight or keep up a nice weight. Wheat bran is a filler that is great to use to get water in them as it soaks up so much, but really does nothing as far as packing the weight on them.

Answer 3

All of the research on wheat bran advises against feeding it to horses. it is not a good source of nutrition and can cause mineral imbalances. It doesn't have the laxative effect many people who feed it think it has, so it won't prevent colic or help digestion. Beet pulp is probably the best thing to feed for weight gain. You can also use stabilized rice bran, but it must be stabilized, meaning the minerals are balanced so they don't create mineral imbalance in the horse. Beet pulp has been extensively researched and it does not have to be soaked, as has been the belief for years. Extensive studies have proven that it will not swell in the stomach or gut as was thought to be the case, so it is safe to feed dry.

Answer 4

No. I would be afraid that wheat bran might lead to a weight loss. It is a fiber laxative, like a human might take. A lot of people feed it, because you do want to be sure that things keep flowing through the horse, and impaction is deadly, but it is not for weight gain.



A lot of people do like beet pulp. I am a fan of rice bran myself.

Answer 5

Beet pulp is better than wheat bran, but rice bran is better than beet pulp. Ask your feed dealer about a rice bran supplement (Purina Athlete, Nutrena Empower, etc. (I think that's who makes those two specific ones))

Answer 6

Hey Jon what's up? Are you going to the gym?I think you should only take any kind of suplements after seeing a doctor,but if you won't do that, at least make sure you are doing some kind of exercise! Your body don't need any suplementation unless you are working out or doing physic activity,you could even gain a weight that is going to make you fat in the future by doing that;I think But if after all you still want to that,here's what I am taking,very good and "natural"(as far as the food and drug administration is concerned any thing that does not have,metal,plastic or things like that in it,can be called natural)be careful with that too! I'm taking MASS COMPLEX and MASS FUZION plus the KRE-ALKALYN COMPLEX/ I buy it in a place called NutriShop in Brandon,FL.

Answer 7

NO. Beet pulp is good and you can buy fat supplements or add corn oil to the feed.

Answer 8

No, but rice bran is.