Feeding pellets soaked in water - how long can they sit in the bucket in the barn before they spoil

[Linda]

I feed a combination of alfafla pellets, and sweet feed to my horses along with their vitamins etc to my horses at night. Sometimes I make their buckets up earlier in the day - especially when I have a late meeting and am asking someone else to feed for me.

So my question is this…how long can the pellets or cubes soaked in water (in cool weather) safely sit in the barn? Its often easier to make the buckets earlier in the day and let them sit and disolve in the water.(and I dont let them sit when its hot out. ) But if I make them up early in the day, is it safe to feed them later - say arouond 5?

[tazycat]

If cool weather it should be fine for 8 to 10 hours.

[mydogs]

I’ve had soaked alfalfa pellets sit for about an hour or so while I rode. But, I had to put more water in the bucket as it dried up a bit. It was still soft but I like the grain to have a bit of moisture in it.

[dressager]

Honestly, if the weather isn’t hot I’ve soaked them overnight very often. For example, if a horse gets them for breakfast. I’ve only ever had a problem if it’s hot out.

[trubandloki]

I agree with those who posted above. If the weather is mild and the bucket is clean you will be fine.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

I agree. Depends on the temperature. In summer don’t leave anything soaking for very long, but in cold weather you can leave for a few hours or more. If you have a refrigerator in the barn, you can put them in there in warm weather…

[Scribbler]

I soak my breakfast mash overnight. It’s basically alfalfa cubes and beet pulp and some oats.

I do scrub the bucket clean after every use and make sure there is no rancid water left in it.

I usually start the mash with hot water and sometimes put it in an insulator bag. I also have a lid on the bucket that keeps out wandering spores.

I’ve never had trouble with mash spoiling up to 12 hours in our fairly temperate climate.

If you want to really know mix up a small quantity and just let it sit until you see visible foaming or yeasty smell. Science experiment!

Then toss on manure pile and scsld bucket obviously.

[Corky]

Here in the great white north, people often soak beet pulp over night, which in some barns means make it up at 5pm and feed it at 9am, so thats 16 hours with no issues, other then it will freeze if the feed room isn’t above freezing. Side note - make soaked feeds in heated buckets to avoid freezing - works amazingly well just don’t leave bucket empty and plugged in. I wouldn’t worry until temp is near 70F personally, then I’d try to limit soaking to 4-6 hours.

Do keep soaked feed covered from flies tho, a towel or feed bag works. I worry more about the birds or bugs getting into soaking feed and contaminating it more then I worry about soaked feed spoiling.