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Can Horses and Cattle Eat the Same Feed?
Q. My horses live with beef cattle. Our pastures are very poor and we are feeding hay, but all the stock is losing weight and I think I need to supplement them with some other feed. My feed store sells several all-purpose feeds which claim to be appropriate to feed both the horses and cattle. Are these really okay to feed to horses?
A. The short answer to your question is that all-purpose feeds are at best “okay.” Not optimal, but probably okay. This assumes that they’re really designed and safe for both species.
Ionophore Toxicity in Horses
I would never give horses feed made solely for ruminant species. The reason? Cattle feeds have the great potential of containing some type of ionophore (an antibiotic used in ruminant feed that is toxic to horses)
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Written by:
Clair Thunes, PhD
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