Feeding fundamentals
How to Read Your Feed Tag
The biggest number on the bag is only the beginning. Read the intended use, the guarantees, and the feeding directions as one set of instructions.
For learning to read a tag. The shortened horse-feed example below is not a recommendation for other species.
In this guide
Read the tag in this order
YOUR FEED TAG
Read the purpose, the analysis, and the directions together.
Identify the feed and its purpose
Check the product name, intended animal, feeding purpose, and bag weight. Feeds for different species or stages are not interchangeable just because the protein figures match.
Read the guaranteed analysis and ingredients
The analysis lists nutrient guarantees. The ingredients describe what goes into the feed; they are not a substitute for the analysis or the feeding directions.
Finish with directions and cautions
Check the amount to feed, whether forage or another calcium source is required, and any restrictions. Keep the current tag with your feeding notes. [1]
A Tucker catalog example
Eqceed Ultra Balancer is a ration balancer for horses. These selected rows demonstrate how minimum and maximum guarantees appear; they do not reproduce its full bag tag. [2]
Shortened catalog excerptHorse feed
Eqceed Ultra Balancer
| Nutrient | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Crude Protein | 30.00% | Not listed |
| Lysine | 2.50% | Not listed |
| Crude Fat | 6.00% | Not listed |
| Crude Fiber | Not listed | 6.00% |
| Calcium (Ca) | 2.50% | 3.50% |
What the numbers mean
Minimum is the guaranteed lower limit for the named nutrient. Maximum is the upper limit. A range with both is different from an exact measured amount. Crude protein and crude fat commonly carry minimums; crude fiber commonly carries a maximum. [1]
In this excerpt, 30.00% is the crude-protein minimum. It describes the feed’s concentration. It does not tell you how much the horse eats each day. Read the unit alongside the value: a percentage, ppm, and IU/lb are different measures, not numbers to rank side by side.
A dash in this shortened table means that no value is shown for that basis in the catalog row. It does not mean the feed contains none of the nutrient.
Compare the whole feeding program
Compare feeds intended for the same animal and purpose, then read their directions. A balancer’s concentration and feeding amount serve a different role from a feed used in larger amounts. The nutrient percentage alone cannot choose the ration. [3]
Use Choosing the Right Horse Feed or From Chicks to First Eggs for those feeding decisions. For a product’s quantities, cautions, and intended animals, open its full catalog page and check the current bag.
Sources
Extension guidance explains the reading method. This shortened example shows selected values from Tucker Milling’s published catalog. Read the full product information and the current bag tag.
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Purpose, guarantees, ingredients, units, and directions. Accessed October 8, 2026.
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Eqceed Ultra Balancer: full analysis and feeding directions ↩
Selected nutrient rows and the copper caution come from the published product information.
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Providing your horse vitamins and minerals ↩
Concentrated nutrients and the amount fed. Accessed October 8, 2026.