All powdered E should be dissolved in oil first.
--
Eleanor in PA

www.drkellon.com 
EC Owner 2001

And is the vitamin E from Mad Barn requiring oil to be added?  I have seen many times that the E needs oil to digest or something?
--
Kandace K Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Oct 2
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Kandace%20J%20and%20K

Kandace, sounds like a good plan.  Keep it simple.  My custom supplement from Mad Barn worked out to 1.22$/day, and it includes vitE (one of the more expensive things we recommend).  Their Amino Trace + is also an excellent option that works well for many hays and I have fed it for 1.5 years without regrets, but it is about 2x more money than a custom mix.

--
Kirsten and Shaku (IR) - 2019
Kitimat, BC, Canada
ECIR Group Moderator
Shaku's Case History  
Shaku's Photo Album   

Just as I suspected...my local feed store cannot order in the individual components without me ordering a 50lb bag of each, and then paying shipping on top of that. And no, I have no desire or time to be canvassing other local horse peeps to see if they want to go in on it with me. Most people in my area do not put that much thought into their feed programs, and have been fairly resistant to change when I've offered suggestions in the past. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

So back to my original conclusion...that for me, with what I have access to in my area, and the hay supply I am balancing, getting the custom blend was cost effective, easy, and beneficial. 
--
Allison in Ontario 2020

Sonseeahray Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Allison%20and%20Sonseeahray
Keegan Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Allison%20and%20Keegan
Keegan XRays and Hooves Photo Album: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=255699&p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

Thanks, Lorna!  No, I had not come across that before and it sounds exactly like what I was looking for.

I should modify that to say that I don’t remember reading that before.  It’s probably more accurate.
--

Hi Martha,

Not Linda, but just saw this message.

Have you checked this out ,when you're on Horsekeeping ?

One approach....

https://ecir.groups.io/g/Horsekeeping/filessearch?q=bulk+mineral+mix


--

Lorna  in Eastern  Ontario
2002
Check out FAQ : https://www.ecirhorse.org/FAQ.php

Linda, you are obviously very experienced at this.  I have not taken the step beyond adjusting a quality commercial mineral blend to better suit my hay.  For someone like you, who has a number of horses and does not want to mix the minerals every day, what are your tips in terms of figuring this out?

I have my hay analysis, figured out what I need to add on a daily basis and have a collection of 1# tubs of various minerals on my shelves, including larger bags of several.  Do you then scale it up by (days x horses) and calculate how much bran to add to make each serving measurable?  I would inevitably start with the most complicated routine before figuring how to simplify so I’m interested in what your approach is.  
--

-- Alison, Lorna and Kirsten and everyone else on this thread.  I guess its great to be having this discussion, but frankly you all have scared the crap out of me.
I have two horses with differing issues and three different hays.
I am going to go to Mad Barn, once I have all the numbers I need and get the best middlin, because you all have lost me.
BUT... in some of my further reading and researching I found that horses will excrete excess Magnesium through their urine so if I am overdoing currently I am hopeing its okay.
Kandace K Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Oct 2
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Kandace%20J%20and%20K

"Well now you've got me thinking Lorna"

Yes !! (and the others following,maybe)

The thing is the individual minerals last  a long time because such small amounts are used. Copper is one of them.

You'll should find iodine at feed store, too .

MadBarn has selenium. Maybe you know someone else to go in on it with you,because it goes a long way.

You can do the calcs ahead of time.Figure out the amounts of each, needed for at least 60 days.Or more.
That will tell you how much you can buy at once and not have to make another trip.
Or if your feed store delivers your feed, you can arrange to have them bring the minerals at the same time.Or....lots of possibilities,once you let loose.
Mag ox is dirt cheap,for example. If you can get the feed store to break open a bag,great.If not,a 50-pound bag will see you out. But maybe you know someone who feeds it,and would like some?
Or let that be one that you pay more for in order not to have a lifetime supply in the stable.

With individual minerals,etc.you are not paying for the filler usually used,which adds to cost,and does nothing for the horse. In fact , sometimes the filler is not recommended, even.

Have fun .

--

Lorna  in Eastern  Ontario
2002
Check out FAQ : https://www.ecirhorse.org/FAQ.php

Well now you've got me thinking Lorna. I only have one feed store relatively close by so I've got a call in to them to see if they can get the individual components for cheaper. In the beginning I priced everything online, and came up with my calculations.

I'm not opposed to doing the mix myself, but it's not worth it to me if I have to drive 30 mins each way to the feed store just to save $10/month doing it myself. I'll spend that much in gas just driving there and back LOL
--
Allison in Ontario 2020

Sonseeahray Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Allison%20and%20Sonseeahray
Keegan Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Allison%20and%20Keegan
Keegan XRays and Hooves Photo Album: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=255699&p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

Gosh,Allison,those prices sound really high to me.

I guess the question is where are you buying your copper sulphate? Or is it poly copper ? And where are you sourcing it?
And your zinc sulphate? Or poly ? Rhetorical.

My feed store is a good source for many of my minerals.They get theirs from Pestell Minerals, which supplies supplement companies,too.
For the majors, I'm fortunate because the feed store will break a 50-pound bag open and sell 10 pounds ( or whatever I need) at a time. Same for mag ox. 

In the old days it was difficult to buy individual minerals. I was told more than once that horse owners didn't know enough to be able to put mixes together for their ponies. 

But no one is trying to convince anyone to make their own mix,as opposed to buying a custom mix. You just do what you can, and are comfortable with. 
I just like to save every penny I can,without  having a negative effect on my boys.

--

Lorna  in Eastern  Ontario
2002
Check out FAQ : https://www.ecirhorse.org/FAQ.php

I guess it's really impossible to accurately compare our supplement costs since we are not all feeding the same hay, therefore are comparing apples to oranges. For example, to balance my hay that is high in iron, my individual cost for copper per day is $0.36, and zinc is $0.59. I'm already at $1/day just for those two things. I would love to be able to only spend $10/month on my one horse for his vit/min balancing, but with my current hay supply, that's not feasible. 
--
Allison in Ontario 2020

Sonseeahray Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Allison%20and%20Sonseeahray
Keegan Case History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Allison%20and%20Keegan
Keegan XRays and Hooves Photo Album: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=255699&p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

I forgot the magnesium, I also add that separately.

Linda K.
NY 2003 

It is my experience than a custom mix is WAY more expensive than assembling my own minerals. I add, copper, zinc,biotin, sometimes manganese, flax, iodine, selenium, salt, vit. E gel caps. For four horses this costs about $40 a month. A custom mix would be over $100 a month. It takes me five minutes every two weeks to assemble the mix. I add the salt, flax, selenium, iodine, vit. e separately. It really takes no time at all. 

Linda K.
NY member since 2003 

I meant to say the NRCPlus Grads group, not course .

--

Lorna  in Eastern  Ontario
2002
Check out FAQ : https://www.ecirhorse.org/FAQ.php

Just join the DEC2020 subgroup.
--
Eleanor in PA

www.drkellon.com 
EC Owner 2001

--
Cindy, Oden, and Eeyore, North Texas
On ECIR protocol since 2/19
https://www.facebook.com/LifeWithOden/
History: https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Cindy%20and%20Oden
Photos:  https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=91125

It's worth mentioning,for those who don't know,that once we sign up for a course with Dr. Kellon,we visit future runs of that course. 
And when one completes the NRCPlus course, the NRCPlus Grads course becomes available. It is really worthwhile.

--

Lorna  in Eastern  Ontario
2002
Check out FAQ : https://www.ecirhorse.org/FAQ.php

I forgot to say that my older IR horse also needs a tighter Fe:Cu:Zn:Mn ratio than my young healthy horse. If you have to add more Cu, Zn and Mn to bring the Fe ratio down it  will increase the cost of your minerals. The 0.50 /day was for my IR horse in moderate work.
--
Susan in BC 2020
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Susan%20and%20Copper%20and%20Ella