Alfalfa pellets/cubes

[appendix100]

So currently my horses have access to grass hay 24/7, w/ supplemental feeding of alfalfa in the pm. Depending on the horse they get from 1-3 flakes when they come in at night, along w/ some beet pulp & any supplements.

I am considering switching from the baled alfalfa to pellets or cubes.

1. seems like we have to hunt every year for quality alfalfa in our area
2. waste - I have one guy that picks out all the leaves & leaves the stems
3. easier storage.
4. consistency - 3 flakes to me & 3 flakes to my husband are not necessarily the same thing & the size of the flakes in a bale are not always consistent either.

anyone have any experience feeding these? What is the equivalent of a flake? Do I just weigh my flakes & then feed the same weight of pellets/cubes?
Pros/cons of feeding those vs the baled version? Like I said they have free access to baled grass, & that part isn’t going to change.

[Displaced_Yankee]

In my experience, I have preferred cubes over pellets. The cubes soak to an edible consistency much faster than pellets. Like 15 minutes versus all day. The cubes also closer resembled forage instead of alfalfa mush. The pellets seemed to need A LOT more water. But we were also going for a slushier meal with the pellets.

Horse on cubes = gastric assistance.
Horse on pellets = old, toothless wonder, prone to choke. So mush was ideal.

I weighed the dry amount of pellets/cubes I wanted for each serving. I marked off a scoop to where it should be filled each feeding, based on the volume. So I wasn’t weighing each serving, but it was consistent and close to what I wanted.

[mmeqcenter]

Yes, weight = weight, so whatever your flakes weigh, that’s how much in weight to substitute pellets or cubes.

The main digestive benefit of cubes over pellets is providing long-stem forage. Since they’re still getting free-choice grass hay, this doesn’t really matter for you.

I’ve personally never had pellets take all that much longer than cubes to soak, it always surprises me when people say they have that issue.

I like doing alfalfa cubes or pellets when supplementing grass hay (sometimes I put them on free-choice alfalfa hay instead of grass hay) instead of flakes because, being in Florida, it’s one way to ensure they’re getting some water. My mare won’t eat soaked grain. Also, being in Florida, it’s cheaper.

[lenapesadie]

If you’re not worried about the long stem forage bit as you’re already feeding plenty of hay, I think the pellets are a smidge easier. They scoop up a bit better IME.

In the other hand, some folks are comfortable feeding cubes dry and that can be advantageous if you’re feeding larger amounts. I don’t personally feed them dry, but some people do without issues

[JB]

@mmeqcenter

I’ve personally never had pellets take all that much longer than cubes to soak, it always surprises me when people say they have that issue.

I hadn’t either until I tried a bag of both Dumor and Standlee pellets from Tractor Supply. The Standlee wasn’t terrible, but they also didn’t immediately start breaking down like the pellets I get from Southern States.

The Dumor? I had to soak those for a couple hours to break them down. They are large and hard (Standlee is small and hard), and now I just use them for treats.

[wsmoak]

I feed the ancient one Alfa Green alfalfa pellets. I do soak them. 20-30 min is plenty (I fill a bucket at the kitchen sink from the hot water tap, soaking with warm water seems faster.)

When I lived in AZ we had that amazing alfalfa from the irrigated fields, but on the east coast it’s hit or miss what you can find, and the pellets are easier.

[mmeqcenter]

Do you use hot water? Dumor’s don’t take more than 20-30 mins for me with warm to hot water.

Great idea to use as treats though

[JB]

@mmeqcenter

Do you use hot water?

I used tap-hot water. It still took an hour or so for them to not have hard chunks left. I have seen a few references to some of the Dumor batches are harder than others. I’m not sure if that’s regional, having to do with the particular mills?

[horseshorseshorseshorses]

I prefer pellets over cubes as it does allow you to feed dry if your horse won’t eat any wet food. Back west most people I know who fed alfalfa pellets did not soak them. However getting nice alfalfa was much cheaper than compared to the SE so most people just fed that.

As for soaking pellets I haven’t seen a huge difference between the brands of soaking time. Most take 30-45 min even when it’s ice cold out. However the consistency of the mash can vary from fluffy short stems to slop.

[Peggy]

Some cubes are more compacted than others and I was advised to avoid those, but that may not matter if you’re going to soak them. Might affect the soaking time. The vet said you should be able to pull the cubes apart with your hands if fed dry. I am in the west, the land of not soaking food.

I’ve been told that some cubes are made from pretty junky hay, but that may also be true of pellets.

And then there are those of us in Southern California who are old enough to remember the great cube disaster of 1989 that killed 16 horses according to the linked article. Botulism. It was quite a mess.

I avoid cubes when possible for the above reasons.

[candyappy]

My advice is to get a small quantity and try feeding it first. I bought a bag of nice Standlee alfalfa pellets and my youngster would not eat them. I am guessing he didn’t like the size of them . His current feed is small extruded/ pellets. Thankfully I could mix it with someone else’s feed.

[blue_heron]

Another vote for try before you buy. I was feeding my mare alfalfa pellets for extra cals for a long time but she didn’t “love” them. I accidentally got a bag of cubes and she refused to eat them, and now won’t eat the pellets either.

I also think the cubes are easier to soak but was tolerating the pellets because that was the only way she would eat them. If you’re only feeding a little bit of pellets and teeth are good, I wouldn’t soak.

[B-burg_Dressage]

I like the pellets because I don’t really soak them. I toss some water on in the feed pan and go out to get the horses, so they’re soaking for maybe 5 minutes. While the cubes have to actually be soaked to break down into small enough bites. Some cube brands are better about this than others but they all take time.

I may get in trouble for saying this, but for my guy who only gets a handful, he gets them dry.

[trubandloki]

@B-burg_Dressage

I may get in trouble for saying this, but for my guy who only gets a handful, he gets them dry.

Mine too!

If your horse does not have a history of choke on a pellet that size/shape then the risk of these pellets being an issue are not anymore than any other pelleted thing.

[JB]

@B-burg_Dressage

I may get in trouble for saying this, but for my guy who only gets a handful, he gets them dry.

no trouble from me. If I have to bring the horses in at a non-feeding time (usually to put on or take off blankets), I toss a handful of dry alf pellets in everyone’s bucket.

Even the giant fat hard Dumor pellets I got, which take too long to soak to use for meals, get used as treats by the handful

If your horse is a thoughtful chew, pellets don’t need to be soaked

[cnd8]

I use the Dumor pellets and they are big and thick and hard, so they soak for 8-12 hours between feedings. I am not so sure I’d feed this brand dry, but the Standlee pellets are normal sized and I wouldn’t hesitate feeding those dry. Not sure if this helps.

[Jarpur]

I also feed the Standlee pellets dry (anywhere from a handful, when they come in, to close to a pound at mealtime).

[Shagyas_Rock]

I have fed both pellets (timothy and alfalfa) and cubes - mostly has a hay-stretcher, for the past 23 years and I have never soaked any of it. And I’ve never had a problem.

[CindyCRNA]

My guys are on a daily mash which they love. The pellets are easier to scoop but they way prefer the cubes. Both get beet pulp and alfalfa cubes soaked daily with their supps. The pellets are too mushy and they don’t like the consistency.

[LilDunFilly]

I’ve fed both but prefer pellets since they are easier to handle/store. My mare happily goobles up pellets dry, though I like to make it into mush (extra water is always good in this climate). The pellets are small enough that I don’t worry about her choking on one or two if she doesn’t chew properly. Conversely, the cubes are a lot bigger and I do worry about her choking on a chunk of a dry one if she doesn’t chew. The occassional dry cube as a treat would be fine but not a bunch as a meal. I’d feed them soaked.