Rising prices are causing big concerns for animal owners. The price of hay is especially worrying for horses, cows, sheep, and more. A lot of people will be looking to reduce how much they are spending. However, don’t fall for a false economy; the wrong decisions could actually leave you with even higher bills. Let’s have a closer look, then you can talk to us about horse feed if you need help.

Feeding volumes

The best piece of advice we can give is never to rush into choosing a cheaper feed just to save money. Look carefully at the ingredients and how much you need to give each horse.

The biggest mistake here is changing to feeds that mean you need to increase the volume. If you save a little on the bag price but need to use more for each feeding, you’re actually worse off overall. You will get through bags faster and end up needing to restock more often.

Expensive additives

It’s also a big mistake to switch to a cheaper horse feed if it means you need to include a balancer or supplements. Lower cost feeds may be missing vital ingredients, including vitamins and minerals. If so, you may need to pay more to include them to get a balanced diet.

Feeds for other animals

A vital thing to remember is you should never switch to a feed for different types of animals. For example, don’t give horses feeds for cattle or sheep. It can actually lead to serious health problems like colic and mineral deficiencies. Keep in mind horses have a complex digestive system that is quite easy to upset. Only give them feeds formulated for horses.

How to save money effectively?

If you do want to save money on feed, there are a few things you can do. They are more effective then choosing cheaper feeds.

Firstly, have a close look at the specifics of the feed. Is the chaff fortified? That means it includes vitamins and minerals. However, it may be unnecessary if you already provide a balanced diet with other products. In this case, you’re paying more for no reason. Switching to a non-fortified chaff could reduce your costs.

Secondly, think carefully about where you shop for horse feed. In many cases it’s better to buy locally. This means you don’t need to travel as far to collect products or they don’t need to go as far to get to you. It can save on fuel or delivery costs.

Thirdly, buying in bulk is always a great way to save money. It’s the same with almost any kind of goods; if you buy more, it reduces the unit cost because of economies of scale. Just remember if you do bulk order, you need to store feeds safely. Make sure they won’t deteriorate, get contaminated, or be targeted by pests.

Speak to us about horse feed

JS Hubbuck Ltd knows how stressful it can be for horse owners when feed prices increase. However, you need to avoid mistakes here that could cost you more money or put horses at risk. The goal should be to ensure you provide a balanced diet as cost effectively as possible.

If you need any advice about horse feed, speak to us. We’ve been helping clients from our base in Hexham for generations, providing quality products and excellent customer service.