Is cracked corn or whole corn better for horses? (2023)

Is cracked corn or whole corn better for horses?

Answer. Cracked corn is a common feed for horses, and it is often an ingredient in textured and pelleted feeds. Corn provides energy to horses primarily in the form of starch. Processing it—in this case, cracking—makes the starch more available to horses.

As long as a horse's teeth, especially its molars, are sound and free of disease, horses have no trouble breaking the tough outer coat of the kernels, which exposes the nutritious center to digestive enzymes.

Cracked corn is simply dried corn kernels that have been crushed (or cracked) into smaller pieces.

Oat starch is more digestible in the small intestine than corn starch, and this feature makes oats the safer feed choice when large amounts of cereal grain must be fed. Oat starch reduces the risk of hindgut acidosis, which is caused by starch entering the hindgut and undergoing rapid fermentation.

Possible consequences of this grain overload are diarrhea, colic, colitis, endotoxemia, metabolic acidosis and laminitis (founder). There are several factors that will influence the progression of events after such an overeating incident.

Many pleasure and trail horses don't need grain: good-quality hay or pasture is sufficient. If hay isn't enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse's calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks.

Timothy hay is a popular choice because of its easy digestibility and may be more suitable for certain life stages. However, alfalfa hay has a higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which makes it unsuitable for younger horses. Timothy hay has a balanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

Straight grains, like corn, barley, sweet feed or oats, can contribute to the onset of colic in horses. Bagged feeds, which have higher-fiber ingredients, are processed so they are gentler on equine digestive tracts.

Because of this, gastric ulcers are routinely diagnosed in racehorses of all types. Feeding corn is not necessarily the cause of gastric ulcers, but feeding high-starch grains such as corn has been identified as a risk factor for ulcers. Starch is the predominant energy source in corn.

When fed as a supplementary feed, cracked corn has many benefits. Corn is a good energy source that's high in carbohydrates. A kernel of corn contains roughly 62% starch, 19% fiber and protein, 15% water, and 4% oil. Starch is the primary energy source in poultry diets – and for a good reason!

What is the purpose of cracked corn?

Advanced Cracked Corn is a traditional high energy grain supplement, suitable for all animals including horses, cattle, pigs, chooks and other poultry. This is not a complete feed but can be mixed with protein meals and minerals or fed as a supplement to pasture.

Weevils lay eggs on grain kernels; after they hatch, the larvae burrow into the grain. Large cracked corn grains can harbor these pests before you even become aware of an infestation.

Oats, because of their high fiber and lower digest- ible energy content, are the choice grain for horses. The high fiber content of oats makes feeding oats safer compared to other grains. Corn is an excellent source of energy for horses.

What to offer as treats. Almost any fruits, and many vegetables, are safe treats for healthy horses. Apples and carrots are traditional favorites. You can safely offer your horse raisins, grapes, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe or other melons, celery, pumpkin, and snow peas.

Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse. If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets.

MYTH #4: Corn is bad for horses

Whole corn contains somewhere around 65% starch which, if consumed in large quantities, could overwhelm the digestive tract of the horse. Corn is however, an energy-dense ingredient, making it a highly available and desirable ingredient to provide energy in a feed ration.

All treats should be fed to horses in moderation. Horses notoriously have a sensitive digestive system and too much of certain foods can cause them severe gastrointestinal issues. Feeding too many carrots in one day could also cause your horse to not eat their normal food, which is essential for proper digestion.

Sugars in feeds cause a horses blood insulin to rise after eating and this is what researchers now believe triggers most cases of laminitis and certainly most cases of grass or pasture laminitis.

Choose a feed low in starch and sugar

A good veteran feed will be one that is high in fibre and low in starch and sugar as this is more natural for the horse.

Generally, most horses do well grazing on high-quality grass pastures and hay and don't need grain. If your horse relies on you to supply forage because it's kept in a stall, paddock, or bare pasture, it's best to feed your horse twice a day.

What not to feed your horse?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment. The small intestine loses some function - Older horses find it harder to digest protein in the small intestine.

Sugar content of grasses is higher in the afternoon than in the morning and sugar content is lowest at night, so grazing should be restricted to the safest times of the day to graze, early morning and night times.

Carrots, just like fresh spring grass, may be made up mostly of water, but they still have a relatively high sugar content, so feeding too much can lead to colic or laminitis, especially in horses with metabolic syndrome or Cushing's disease, or those with a history of founder.

Corn is a product that is available in excess, is cheap and is high in fat, which can help an animal put on weight in a hurry.

The most common types of colic are related to impaction, in which undigested feed or foreign bodies such as parasites block the movement of digesta through the intestines and cecum. More serious cases involving “twisted gut” can block blood flow to the area, causing tissue death.

Include alfalfa in the feed for horses with ulcers. Research has shown that alfalfa is a better buffer to acidity than other fibre sources due to its protein and calcium content.

Alfalfa-hay is a good choice for reducing ulcer risk in horses that require an energy-dense diet. It has a buffering effect in the stomach due to its higher protein and calcium content. Horses fed alfalfa-hay had a healthy stomach pH and lower number and severity of gastric ulcers compared to bromegrass hay.

You should include alfalfa pellets in your horse's diet for many reasons. However, you should not use them to replace hay. Why is that? These pellets do not have particles big enough to stimulate the horse's digestive tract.

Does cracked corn have nutritional value?

Rich in vitamins and minerals (618816%/cal) - a good source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Zinc and Selenium.

contains 110 calories per 31 g serving. This serving contains 0 g of fat, 2 g of protein and 24 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 0 g sugar and 1 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.

Scratch is a mixture of grains and cracked corn. Scratch grains contain 8- to 9-percent protein and few other nutrients.

Even though corn can be fed whole with satisfactory results, cracking or rolling prior to feeding will increase digestibility by 5 to 10 percent. In most instances, grinding or rolling corn will not markedly improve average daily gain, but proper processing will improve feed conversion efficiency.

Crack Corn is handmade in Ohio with locally-sourced puff corn. They focus on bringing the best ultra-premium puff corn to snack lovers everywhere.

Place the dried hominy (cracked corn) in a large pot or bowl and cover with an inch of water. Soak overnight. You can skip this step, but the corn will take longer to cook.

Dab a bit of vegetable oil on the silks of each corn ear to discourage corn earworms from crawling inside. Cut and destroy all corn stalks in the fall to prevent the insects from overwintering in them.

The bees collect the pollen-sized seed dust particles and yeast that are found in the cracked corn and other seeds we set out for our little feathered friend for which, I'm sure, the bees are extremely grateful. The bees will move on to their preferred food sources as spring flowers begin to appear.

The seedcorn maggot is an early season pest of corn. It may be more of a problem during damp, cool seasons and in manured or reduced tillage fields with decaying residue. The seedcorn maggot is a pale, yellowish-white maggot found burrowing into corn seeds.

Surveys show 54% of all horse owners own at least 1 “senior” horse. By age definition “senior” horse has been defined as 15+ years of age. Due to improvements in veterinary care and nutrition, horse routinely live 25-30 years of age, some into their 40's.

How many flakes of hay should a horse get a day?

The daily dry matter intake of an adult horse performing light work should be about 1.8% of its body weight each day. At least 65% of this amount should be forage. In other words, a 1,000 lb horse should be fed 18 pounds of dry matter each day.

Change feeds gradually

Replace only 20 to 25 percent of your horse's current feed every other day when changing their hay or grain type. This will allow you to make a complete change over a week or more. A gradual change from one feed to another provides enough time for microbes to adapt in your horse's gut.

Super foods for horses, such as pollen bee, Echinacea, and spirulina, are natural foods that have high-quality vitamins, minerals, cofactors, and enzymes. They support optimal digestive health and boost the immune system in horses.

Cheerios. All of my horses LOVE cheerios, and its a simple and healthy treat! I've found one of my old horses with her nose in my lunchbox trying to get to a bag of cheerios I had inside. They especially like the honey-nut flavor.

Can horses eat peanut butter? Unless your horse has underlying health conditions, peanut butter is a safe treat to offer in moderation. In fact, peanut butter is not all empty calories – it has some nutritional benefits that can actually make it a healthy treat for horses if given sparingly.

What is the fastest way to put weight on a horse? High fat, high protein grain combined with a rich alfalfa hay can quickly put weight on a horse, if there is not an underlying medical condition.

Improve digestion and balance PH levels in your horse

Apple Cider Vinegar works to acidify the horse's stomach for better digestion, cleansing the digestic tract. It can also aid in the absorption of minerals and helps balance the acid/alkaline ratio which is essential for good health.

Cracked corn is a common feed for horses, and it is often an ingredient in textured and pelleted feeds. Corn provides energy to horses primarily in the form of starch. Processing it—in this case, cracking—makes the starch more available to horses. Energy fuels growth, performance, and maintenance of body weight.

In general, horses find the corn palatable, first eating the kernels and later chewing on the cob. In some countries, like Peru, the whole corn plant is chopped and fed to horses fresh, especially in areas where there is a shortage of grazing.

If horses ingest the fungal toxin, they can develop a neurological disease called equine leukoencephalomalacia, also called moldy corn poisoning. This disease is quite serious as it is almost always deadly and no treatment is available.

What grains are best for horses?

The most common are oats, corn, and barley. Milo (sorghum) and wheat are other grains that are fed to horses as well. Grains such as oats, barley, and corn can be fed whole, though many are typically processed to increase digestibility.

It is essential that corn be fed correctly to reduce the risk of grain overload in the diet. Processing corn will increase its digestibility; however, finely-ground corn can cause colic and founder. Corn fed to horses is usually cracked, steam flaked or rolled.

Corn is high in Omega 6's. Omega 6's are inflammatory, Omega 3's are anti-inflammatory. Eating corn promotes inflammation in the body.

Feed ingredients such as oats, corn, barley, alfalfa and molasses have been identified by horse owners as causing “hyper”, “fizzy” or “hot” horses. Grains contain starch and sugar that may result in large fluctuations in blood sugar and result in mood or behavior changes.

One carrot contains about 230 milligrams of potassium. (source) Due to this relatively high potassium content, carrots are not suitable for horses with HYPP. You should never feed them carrots or any treats that contain potassium.

In summary, beet pulp is a good dietary supplement for "hard keepers", as a forage or fiber replacement for poor quality hay, and for older horses with problems chewing or digesting hay. The digestible energy content of beet pulp is greater than hay and less than grain.

Almost any fruits, and many vegetables, are safe treats for healthy horses. Apples and carrots are traditional favorites. You can safely offer your horse raisins, grapes, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe or other melons, celery, pumpkin, and snow peas.