I see folks giving their horses pieces of alfalfa cubes as treats. (It shocked to learn some horses won’t eat peppermints???) Since alfalfa cubes must always be soaked to avoid the dangers of choke,
is it safe to use alfalfa cube tidbits as treats?
Done it for years with no problems. If the horse has dental or choke problems, then of course not.
[QUOTE=grey_mare;8735824]
Since alfalfa cubes must always be soaked to avoid the dangers of choke,
is it safe to use alfalfa cube tidbits as treats?[/QUOTE]
Alfalfa cubes do not have to be soaked to avoid the dangers or choke so yes it is safe to use them as treats.
There are places that hay cubes are fed dry as a normal part of a horse’s diet.
Disclaimer - horses being the creatures that get up every day looking for creative ways to cause a vet bill it is best to know your animal and decide if your animals is OK with cubes or not.
I have a gelding who chokes repeatedly if I feed him a scoop of dry timothy cubes, so I soak them. However, I give them to him dry one at a time as a treat/reward with no choking ever.
I always soak mine for my senior horses. I even switched to alfalfa pellets as my 36 year old does much better with these–of course still soaked as his teeth are worn down.
I wouldn’t take a chance when you can give small roughage cubes as a treat. They are about an inch in size.
If I am feeding a bucket, they’re soaked.
But I use alfalfa cubes for treats all the time for my guy. He loves them, they’re cheap and convenient.
Buy the Seminole freeze dried cubes as they flake off wonderfully so you can use as much of a cube as you wish. Not hard and choking like the Purine cubes and other brands.
No I do not work for Seminole nor do I get a discount. (Timothy is now $25 a bale, yikes!) But Seminole mills each week, does not store it’s feeds for months in warehouses, and buys the clean Canadian hays and cubes, so the company guarantees its products.
I used to quiz the drivers every week when they delivered to one feed store.:lol: The trucks run from Ocala up here once a week. With freshly milled feeds and clean Canadian hay and cubes.
My horses self-serve themselves dry cubes out of their Amazing Grazes on a regular basis. Only one or two pop out at a time and they eat them in a head-down position, so I personally feel the benefits outweigh the choke risks.
They also get soaked cubes in their meals. In a situation where they are scarfing down their feed with exuberance, I do feel the choke risk is significantly increased.
I used to use hay cubes exclusively for treats when I was being hyper-aware of my cribber’s sugar intake. But then I decided I have better uses for my time and energy than policing how much sugar she eats.
I’ve done it before without issue but only by breaking off chunks, not a whole cube at a time.
My herd is hooked on their “treats”. I use alfalfa/Bermuda cubes (TSC) which are a little softer than straight alfalfa cubes… Goats love them too. LOL–Garth Goat will fetch if I pitch it out for him. He eats it before he manages to brings it back, though.
Like the other posters have said, I soak the cubes if I’m feeding more than one or two at a time.
