Finding good quality alfalfa hay in my area is a bit scarce. I want to give some to my OTTBs to help with weight and muscle mass. I was doing pellets for a while but one seems to like to choke on them so trying the cubes.
My question is, how much do you feed? Its really more supplemental. I give it after they have had breakfast while they are in for a couple hours. Do you guys mix with grain? Do you have a separate tub for it?
The people I know who feed alfalfa cubes fill a 5 gallon bucket with the cubes, add water to the top of the bucket, let soak and feed 1-12 hours later.
So naturally, it depends. At present both my horses get alfalfa, we soak it in a separate bucket as it really needs a lot of water…one horse had a prior choke. They each get about 2 quarts at a time, with lots of water added it fluffs up to fill one of those small grain buckets. One gets it once a day, the other twice a day. They both have free choice grass hay, so they don’t eat much alfalfa.
My guys will eat them in the same bucket as their grain, although the mare is sometimes particular and likes grain in one bucket, alfalfa in another.
My guys gets 2 cups alfalfa pellets with beet pulp, flax and supplements twice a day. I chose pellets for the protein and calcium, and currently he is doing well w/o added grains or mixed feeds. He looks better to me on this diet than when he was on a commercially mixed feed, and he is working pretty hard 5 days a week. He also gets grass hay 4 times a day.
Now I’ve started giving cubes post ride based on some recommendations. Vet really likes the cubes over pellets for the length of fiber stem. Apparently good to give w/in 30 min of riding to help with muscle recovery and building muscle. I have a flat dish his other meals go in, I add the cubes to cover the bottom then fill with water about halfway up the cubes. I do this as soon as I get to the barn and they are good to feed by the time I am done riding. He doesn’t like it sloppy, just wet enough they break apart.
WOW an entire 5 gallon bucket of dry cubes? My horses would never eat that much volume (after soaking) in one feeding.
My mare gets one scoop (3-quart, roughly 2 pounds) at each meal along with her grain. She is picky and doesn’t really like wet grain, so I put her grain dry on top after the cubes have soaked up. It’s only recently I’ve even been able to do that, I used to have to put them in separate buckets. My gelding gets 1/2 scoop, and his grain is also soaked so he gets it all soaked together.
Well, in terms of the nutrition, cubes are a 1;1 ratio with actual alfalfa hay.
How much alfalfa hay would you need in the diet to see a measurable difference from the extra protein? I’d say at least 5 lbs daily.
I use a handful of alfalfa cubes in my mash because maresy likes the taste. If I was feeding alfalfa because I really wanted the protein and calorie boost, then I would feed alfalfa hay. Cheaper and easier. One of those 120 lb three string bales can last almost a month at 5 lbs a day.
My horse has right dorsal colitis, so has to be off hay for a couple of months. I took him off of his normal group pasture that has a roundbale and put him by himself without hay (only grass). I give him 1.5 scoops of senior feed am and pm, and in the pm after he eats his feed, I give him 1/2 scoop of alfalfa pellets that have been in a bucket soaking. I make it soupy just in case the drier bits could hurt his colon. He loves it. I call it his green soup.
My OTTB won’t eat anything soaked. He gets the alfalfa cubes free choice in a bucket an nibbles them at will. He’s been doing this for years, never an issue with choke with the cubes (he did choke on the pellets).
Weigh them.
One of mine must have them soaked (choke), the other must not have them soaked (palatability). The soaked cubes include some ration balancer. The dry cubes include nothing else.
I have fed both alfalfa pellets and cubes - both with grain and on their own. I always soak alfalfa pellets or cubes (well i wet all my feed but that’s another story).
Currently the horses we have on cubes get about one quart dry (each) and we soak for a couple hours. They get it once a day as a third meal.
Some of Our other horses get a Timothy/ alfalfa pellet mix - the quantity varies on the individual horse. The horse who gets the most gets 4qts(dry) split into three meals (with some other stuff mixed in).
My guys get a feed scoop of T/A cubes twice a day with each meal. They soak for about 20 minutes (this last bag seems to take longer… ). They get very little actual grain, and are out 24/7. It’s a good way to be sure they get some water in them. I especially like it for shows.
Separate tub for cubes as I won’t feed anything dry…long story. I have been known to feed 2-5 lbs dry weight per horse in this huge red bucket I have, soak overnight in hot water. My horses are on soaked beet pulp plus Purina Ultium. Beet pulp is the sugar free pelleted form, soaked overnight. I don’t mix cubes with grain on purpose…the horses kinda do that.
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