Cutting Feed Costs

By Lori K. Warren, PhD, PAS Illustrations by Jean Abernethy

The “Guaranteed Analysis” is a listing of the concentration of specific nutrients in the feed. For example, the Guaranteed Analysis might list crude protein at 14%, which means that 14% of the total content of the bag is made up of protein (and thus, 86% of the contents are presumably other nutrients). The representation of nutrient concentrations on a feed tag differs from a human food label where each nutrient is presented as a specific amount per serving. For example, a human food label might list 40 grams of protein per 8-ounce serving.

When comparing two different feeds, it can be misleading to base your selection solely on the concentration of nutrients listed in the Guaranteed Analysis. For example, a product containing 32% crude protein may appear to provide your horse with twice as much protein as one containing 16% crude protein. This would only be true if the serving size was the same for both products. However, if you fed one pound of the product containing 32% crude protein, it would actually provide half the amount of protein (0.32 pounds protein) compared to feeding 4 pounds of the feed containing 16% crude protein (0.64 pounds protein). Therefore, product comparisons are best made by calculating the actual quantities of the nutrient your horse will receive based on the amount of product that will be fed (i.e., serving size).

With some simple math, you can calculate how much of a nutrient your horse receives per serving. For nutrients listed as a percent (%) in the Guaranteed Analysis, multiply the concentration of the nutrient by the serving size. For example, feeding 5 pounds of a feed with 14% crude protein would provide 0.70 pounds of protein per serving (5 lbs x 0.14 = 0.70 lbs protein). For nutrients listed as parts per million (ppm), you must first divide the serving size by 2.2 and then multiply by the ppm concentration. For example, feeding 5 pounds of a feed with 120 ppm Zinc would provide 276 milligrams of Zinc per serving (5 lbs / 2.2 = 2.3 x 120 = 276 mg Zinc).

Evaluating Ingredients
The Guaranteed Analysis can help you calculate the nutrients provided in a particular serving of feed. However, it tells you nothing about the specific ingredients in the feed, nor the quality of the ingredients. For example, two feeds may have the same Guaranteed Analysis, but arrive at these nutrient concentrations using vastly different feed ingredients. Therefore, the Guaranteed Analysis provides only half the information that needs to be considered when comparing and evaluating feeds. The other half of the information comes from inspection of the list of ingredients.Similar to the nutrient profile, the list of ingredients on a feed tag differs from a human food label. On our food labels, ingredients are listed in order of prevalence—the first ingredient is the one included in the greatest amounts, followed by those included in lesser amounts in descending order. In contrast, listing ingredients in order of inclusion is not required on a feed tag. Some feed manufacturers elect to list their ingredients in order, others do not.

Although an ingredient’s placement in the list may not necessarily reflect its relative contribution to the total mix, the list can give you some idea of what ingredients were used to generate the feed’s Guaranteed Analysis. In Florida, regulations require that ingredients be individually listed by their real name. This is unique, because other states allow the use of “collective terms,” which are essentially generic labels for a group of ingredients that share similar nutritional characteristics. For example, if a feed contains oats, corn and barley, the tag would have to list each of these grains individually if sold in Florida. If this same feed was sold in another state, it could list all three grains under the collective term, “grain products.”

Again, because the exact recipe is not disclosed on the feed tag, we can only speculate which ingredients contribute to the figures provided in the Guaranteed Analysis. Nonetheless, an evaluation of the list of ingredients is still a useful tool for comparing feeds that have the same or similar Guaranteed Analysis.

To demonstrate this, Figure 1 shows two feeds that both contain 12% crude fiber, but each contains different ingredients. The ingredients that have the potential to contribute large amounts of fiber in the “Bargain Brand” feed include peanut hulls and rice hulls. In the “Premium Brand” feed, high fiber ingredients include beet pulp and soy hulls. All of these fiber sources can be used to reduce the starch (nonstructural carbohydrate) content of the feed. However, the fiber sources included in the “Premium Brand” are more easily digested, thereby providing more energy (calories) per pound, and potentially reducing the amount of feed needed to meet the horse’s requirements. In contrast, the fiber sources in “Bargain Brand” are more difficult for the horse to process, which could require feeding larger quantities to meet the horse’s needs.

Cost-Cutting Tips
Calculating the amount of nutrients provided from the Guaranteed Analysis based on serving size is one of the first steps you should perform when comparing feeds. For example, it is often less expensive to feed a lower protein feed. However, this also means you have to feed more per day in order to continue meeting your horse’s protein needs. Protein is particularly critical for growing horses and broodmares, so don’t skimp! But if your cost calculations indicate that feeding a lower protein feed in higher quantities is more cost-effective and at the same time won’t overload the horse on starch or fat because you are feeding more, then it may be a solution. In most cases, this is not going to be the case. Similarly, if you choose to buy a lower protein feed and supplement protein, do a cost analysis to see if you are coming out ahead.

The second step in feed selection is to evaluate the ingredients included in the mix. Use of lower quality ingredients will certainly decrease the cost per bag of feed. But if you have to feed more to meet the horse’s requirements and keep them in good condition, are the savings still there?

Another cost-saving strategy would be to select a non-fat added feed. The costs of oats and corn aren’t the only things that have gone up. The price per barrel of oil has nearly doubled in the last year (and I’m not talking crude oil!) Although there are numerous benefits to a fat-added feed, the cereal grains and fiber sources included in the mix are still the primary source of calories in most feeds (even fat-added feeds). Some feed companies, including Seminole Feed, are reintroducing traditional feeds that are going back to these basic ingredients.

Consider re-evaluating your supplement program to see where savings can be had. Does your horse need all of the supplements you give him? Are you over-supplementing? The daily cost of many supplements often exceeds the cost of hay and feed, combined. Cheating your horse of key nutrients by skimping on quality hay and grain, and then trying to make up for it through multiple supplements is usually not cost-effective.

Finally, remember to make changes to your feeding program slowly. Rapid changes in the amount or type of feed can throw off the microbial population inhabiting the horse’s digestive tract. The end result can range from a minor episode of diarrhea to something as extreme as colic or laminitis. And if there is one expense that can top your feed bill, it’s a trip to the veterinary clinic for surgery! When you switch to a different feed product, structure the switch-over in feeds so as to allow your horse 7 to 10 days to adjust. Start by introducing 25% of the daily ration as the new feed and increase the amount by an additional 25% every 3 to 4 days. This type of commitment also means that it is generally not feasible to change the feed product every time you go to the feed store.