can you soak alfalfa cubes overnight

Ive seen too many chokes that Im not willing to risk it. I wouldn't go much beyond that, thothey will start to smell rank of left too long (same with beet pulp). Our farrier gives some to his stud, and we had a mare here that had it. So no more for me. I have a garbage can that I mix 2 bags of alfalfa pellets to 1 bag of beet pulp pellets. ", Training, Performance, discussion, problem queries, Horse Tack, blankets and Equipment Queries. Sarah Cobacho on Instagram: "1-Ingredient Red Lentil Tofu Follow Personally, if I were to feed one or the other dry, I would go with pellets. Recommendations for hoof boots for driving. Choke isnt quite as big an emergency as with people (the horse can still breathe), but it is something to take seriously and avoid if at all possible. We are working every day to make sure our community is one of the best. That is the question. soaking alfalfa cubes | Miniature Horse Talk Forums Always soak cubes and pellets before feeding to prevent choke! The easiest way to feed soaked hay is to put your horses hay feeding into a small-hole hay net (while still dry) and submerge it in a large container, such as a plastic tote. I grew up riding in 4-H and went on to ride on my college equestrian team. there are good kitchen scales at Walmart that will handle ten pounds easily. You can still see/feel his spine, the dock (I think that's what that's called) and his shoulder bones. Trusted source of farm, garden & ranch supplies since 1991, Gastric Health: The Key to Your Horses Best Self, Horse Hoof Health & Nutrition: Balance Is Key. I use the pellets for my goatsthey love them! Alfalfa Pellets vs. Cubes: What's Better for Your Horses? Or am I better off reconstituting the pellet/cube, and feeding it that way? While soaking longer does equate to more sugar removed, longer soak times also negatively affect other nutrients available in the hay. I don't soak mine for that long, no more than 30 minutes if I use hot water an hour tops, usually start soaking and by the time I'm done with dinner its ready to go. 3 Ways to Feed Your Horse Alfalfa Cubes - wikiHow Pet If you have a horse on a low sugar diet, it is recommended to soak hay in cool, clean water for 60 minutes before feeding. Dengie Alfalfa Pellets v Northern Crop Driers Grass Nuts. So I'm not sure what you mean by soaking it twice a day, but if you're feeding soaked cubes twice a day, then they need to be soaked twice a day, and fed right after. We are working every day to make sure our community is one of the best. Oh yeah for sure! Alfalfa Meal: Fertilizer to Super-Charge Your Soil - Epic Gardening I bought one type that were so hard packed I needed a hammer to break them up. hahaha K I got a before of him from the rescue.. will take some this weekend for "after" and post on monday or so.. yeah I prefer the 50/50 mix but is it ok to feed it dry? Youre just making each pellet bigger and squishier and rougher without making it any less solid. Log in to my account, Unable to Live Without Chocolate or Coffee, Edited by JLazyT_perf_horses 2020-09-04 3:48 PM. When first introduced it may be advisable to wet the cubes as the horse will have easier time biting off small chunks to chew at one time. My horses are on soaked beet pulp plus . Looking for nutrition advice for horses with allergies or metabolic concerns? Aside from its availability in bale form, you can also buy alfalfa processed into cubes or pellets, which prolongs its shelf life while providing a different feed format. Depending on the product and the water temperature, you may need to soak anywhere from ten minutes to two hours prior to feeding. This post may contain affiliate links. What's new. Our horse supplements target specific nutritional needs and are formulated to complement todays feeds, thus safeguarding against over-supplementation. how long can you soak alfalfa cubes before they would be considered no longer any good "fermented" or whatever? Should you soak your horse's pellets and cubes before feeding? Do you add water to alfalfa pellets? Caveat: this is a 32 year old horse that has all of his teeth, just no longer has sufficient grinding surface. A "handful" is no kind of measurement and neither is a cube. They are not intended to treat or cure illness or injury. He had difficulty with the hay cubes and wouldnt eat them. Always weigh alfalfa cubes dry, then soak them before feeding. Any changes you make to a horses diet should be done gradually. You can substitute cubes and pellets with flakes of hay, pound-for-pound. Slowly introduce this new forage to minimize the possibility of any issues. I don't know if that was just from the beet color itself or what but my horses looked like crap on it and one got worse. A second benefit of wetting cubes is increased water consumption. I feed mine about 5lbs. Organic Alfalfa Meal Vs. Non-Organic: Which Is Better? Or not to soak? At the amount you are feeding it is not the alfalfa. (we opted for cold rather than warm because we think thats what the majority of our customers & horse owners have access to in their barns) And we found that after that amount of time Pride of the Plains and Ontario had soaked up enough water to be consumed easily by most horses. 7 Creative Ways to Lower Your Horse Expenses: The owner of this website, HorseRookie.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking HorseRookie.com Review to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. I put a single layer of cubes on the bottom of his feed pan, fairly snugly packed, and then pour very hot water over them until they are barely covered. Ditto. Only use water from the hose. i always feed the cubes dry. This ensures your horse gets the right amount of forage every day. I am only wanting to break it up into two feedings but don't want to rise and shine earlier than necessary if you know what I mean so just wanted to get some other ideas on doing the soaking overnight or while I am at work so that the cubes will be ready when time to feed. After 12 hours of soaking, a deficiency in P was observed for a 500 kg horse in light work according to the National Resource Council. EPM- Part II: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. The short answer is that it depends on the horse. Hay/haylage soaking, can someone explain?? I've begun feeding Dawn 1lb of alfalfa cubes soaked. xx. Forums. Let them soak overnight or for 8-12 hours. Alfalfa cubes are just what the name implies alfalfa hay that has been made into cubes. The one that generally prefers dry cubes with eat lightly soake/steamed cubes sometimes. But they are expensive.(not expensive over all, but on a per cube basis vs the big 50lb bags). Thankfully it resolved quickly on its own, but I never fed them dry again. Aug 2, 2007. At least half of a horses daily forage needs should be met with hay flakes (meaning you could feed ten pounds of hay flakes and ten pounds of cubes). Horses are my first love, but travel is a close second! Who gives alfalfa or alfalfa/timothy cubes to their horses? Soak the pellets and they break up really easily. I've found that in summer if I leave it too long during the day it gets rancid and stinks to high heaven. I mix soaked alf cubes with my horses feed. And we found it to be a fun way to take a closer look at an often over looked product. You can't soak pellets that way- shreds yes but the pellets stay hard in the centre unless you use boiling water- oh, hang on, I am still talking about beet pulp, I soak mine (alfalfa cubes and shreds) for half an hour as well and it is ample time for absorption. She rarely will even attempt to eat it all and leaves probably 1/-2-1/3 Of the portion in her feeder. Roughly 2 cups of crumbles. Alfalfa or rice bran. Click to see alfalfa cubes at Amazon Hay Pellets I just attended a horse feed seminar hosted by a feed supplement company. So they're not going to get any vital nutrients from it. could benefit from either. What are the benefits of soaking hay to feed to a laminitic? As an adult, I've ridden and shown Quarter Horses for 20+ years, including several wins at Quarter Horse Congress. I am feeding a senior 38+ horse. (hey, the rest of the chores wont do themselves, right?) Adding water increases the volume but doesnt add any nutritional value. I would not feed cubes dry, myself. A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Our nutritionist with Performance Horse Nutrition, Dr. Stephen Duren, answers this question by addressing an esophageal choke with aggressive or naive eaters in the video below. I have never had any problems. AND I add corn oil when starting them for extra energy, ( and keeping stools soft and moving. You must log in or register to reply here. But take the time to note if your horse is able to eat his entire portion easily, or if he seems to struggle or choke. Better practice is to WEIGH what you feed. If you have a senior horse with poor (or no) teeth getting hay pellets instead of flakes of hay, theyll need 15 to 25 pounds of pellets per day to maintain their weight. JavaScript is disabled. If a horseman chooses to wet the cubes, I can be done just prior to feeding. This can vary slightly based on brand, but on average, one cup of dry alfalfa pellets will weigh four ounces. Will alfalfa cubes put weight on a horse? It makes a nice alfalfa tea for them to drink, and the next day I dump that and they can eat the soaked alfalfa. baileys conditioning cubes - non heating? There are at least three reasons a horse owner (or equine caregiver) may want to soak hay before feeding it to horses. However, this is not possible during the warmer months in Arizona due to pellets getting hot and molding while being soaked. Both issues can be managed by keeping a close eye on portion size and calculating the correct amount to feed, while also taking into account exercise. Cover the jar with a mesh sprouting lid, which keeps out contaminants while also allowing air to flow freely into the jar. It does greatly increase the risk of choke. Also, chat with your veterinarian before making changes to your horses diet. Cubes, however, lack the long-stem fibers horses need for digestive health (most cubes are only one inch long, which is half of the length a horse needs). The Top of the Rockies took a little longer to soak through, being that it is a longer cube thats understandable. Alfalfa pellets tend to be a bit drier (depending on the weather when and where they were made) so I soak them for 5 hours to get them to completely break down. That is the question. How Much Alfalfa Pellets to Feed a Horse? [+Benefits & Cons] - HorseVills Long-time horse lover, first-time horse owner. This concentrated alfalfa mixture is turned in the die vask and pushed through a set of holes. We did a little experiment to take a closer look at the quality of the Alfalfa Cubes we carry and heres what we found. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It may not display this or other websites correctly. How can I get her to eat them? They do not need to soak for any length of time. In addition, if cubes are soaked for long periods in hot and humid conditions, they may begin to ferment in the bucket and emit an unusual odor. its entirely normal. It can be easy sometimes to just "dump & run" at feeding time. It took a while for the birds to get used to them but now they eat it pretty quickly. Try adding sweet tea to her feed. Dengie Alfalfa Pellets v Northern Crop Driers Grass Nuts. DawningDreams. Good quality turnout (good protein and adequate calories) in sufficient quantities and then you'll see this kind of improvement. You are using an out of date browser. You should plan to feed hay immediately after soaking to avoid the risk of mold growth. Some people soak them first. Added to the fluffed cubes/pellets were products that had not been exposed to water, but that were of varying textures. You are using an out of date browser. Do you soak Alfalfa Cubes??? - New Rider Forum I've never tried to feed the hay cubes to my hens, but I used to keep bags for camping with the horses. We have seen gain, but hard to say if that's just because he's got 24/7 turn out with us, or because of the alfalfa! Soaking Alfalfa Cubes | BinkyBunny His teeth are worn down and now a few missing. I would consider tossing some water on it right before feeding just to keep dust down but otherwise have at er! The choice comes down to which one your horse prefers to eat (or you prefer to feed). Step 1: Open the Alfalfa pallet box and Put the pellets in a bucket. Long-time horse lover, first-time horse owner. dry weight - this is all according to a nutritionist. Since switching to alfalfa pellets and another hi fat hi fibre feed he has improved greatly. I have read about choking issues with dry cubes but (knock on wood) have not had issues with them in the nose-it. Soaking alfalfa cubes | New Rider Forum There's a time & place for beet pulp, but its not for everyone, Support - Contact / Theyre also easier to store and dont leave as much mess as flakes of hay. Alfalfa vs. grass hay (horse won't eat grass hay), Best non-heating cubes/mix for horse in light work, hay replacement cubes - found them now- ignore post. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. I soak the cubes in a 5 gallon bucket and add only enough warm water to cover the cubes. Is there a particular reason that you want to feed alfalfa cubes? Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen. Soaking hay can: The recommended length of soaking time depends on the end goalIf you are aiming to reduce dust particles, soaking for only 10 minutes will accomplish this task. (I already have added a third cup of water. P.S. Feeding alfalfa cubes can be one of the easiest and most economical ways to feed the horses, depending on the circumstances. Perhaps a horse owner at a local stable would allow you to take one or two cubes to see if the chickens like them? Then I stir them around with a screwdriver or something just to break them up a bit more and feed em' to the birds. Best pulp is just for winter with the herd I have now. Alfalfa Cubes: A Little Experiment | Woodard Mercantile Alfalfa and orchardgrass need to soak for 60 minutes to reduce K to recommended levels prior to feeding HYPP horses. This post may contain affiliate links. Finally, the pellets are cooled and packaged. When using cubes or pellets to help with weight gain, dont substitute processed hay for flakesadd it! It may not display this or other websites correctly. You can also add a bit of oil to the soaked cubes for some extra fat. Both cubes and beet pulp shreds. Menu. This occurs at no extra cost to you. Alfalfa cubes instead of hay? | Keeping A Family Cow - ProBoards What about something like the Dengie chops? You are not alone! I just splash a shot of cold water in after its done to cool it off. Chaff alfalfa or chopped straw? For example, during the winter months, you can use boiling water to make a hot mash at night. Some people soak it & give it as part of a feed. Looking to add some fulness and extra fiber to a bit of a hard keeper. "We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us. Are hay cubes as good as hay? - Joreyko January 7, 2013 It's January. Alfalfa cubes and pellets can be a great way to help reach that total. Moldy hay can cause colic, which can be fatal. You can take alfalfa supplements in powdered form or as a tablet or use alfalfa to make tea. August 12, 2022 by Siun L Sharing is caring! or try platinum but that might change your whole program. We did feel that the Top of the Rockies pulled ahead slightly, having more foliage and even fewer stems than the other two. Alfalfa is higher in protein and calories than other hays, which makes it a great way to help your horse gain weight. I also add renew gold and two pumps of veggie oil into their morning g and evening meals. Ive begun feeding Dawn 1lb of alfalfa cubes soaked. A vet did part of the presentation focusing on how the horses digestive system works (with diagrams and discussion of each part of digestive system, starting with the mouth, chewing and saliva) and she talked about choke. Soaking hay can be beneficial to horses with allergies or metabolic concerns. Q: Will alfalfa cubes put weight on a horse? Its ridiculous! For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. But overnight shouldn't hurt it. Copyright 2023 Horse Rookie // Privacy Policy // Terms of Service. Should you soak your pellets and cubes? They both do much different things for the horse and serve their purpose for specific needs. Add some oil like flax. Lastly, I have a big soft spot in my heart for senior horses! In the winter i do add rice bran for my 27 year old who can be a hard keeper sometimes, due to the cushings. Now I have two brands he likes! If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets. Id also not discount choke with alfalfa pellets. While it may take a little effort to get an efficient process set up, this low-cost solution can be a great solution! With my cushings guy its one of my only safe options for feeding, but I give all of mine Exceed 6 -Way so even with it being devopid of nutrition they're still getting their needs met between the alfalfa and the MVP. 7 Creative Ways to Lower Your Horse Expenses: The owner of this website, HorseRookie.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking HorseRookie.com Review to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. It may not display this or other websites correctly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I never had an issue and my vet was the one who recommended it. Now she is home and I bring the bucket of cubes into the porch overnight, this is to prevent the condition known as alfalfa-pops (icles). I dont think she likes the mush because shell happily munch on small pieces of the cubes dry. Enjoy banner ad-free browsing with The Horse Forum Plus. Ive never tried the cubes, but mine did not like the pellets. The equine digestive tracts contain billions of protozoa and bacteria specifically designed to digest plant fibers (like the kind found in grass and hay). Sorry I do not know about soaking cubes - I believe you give them dry, as you find them in the package. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Hay cubes are made by cutting dried hay down into smaller pieces (usually one to two inches in length), mixing it with water and bentonite (a natural binder), then using pressure to form a cube. Alfalfa pellets cant replace grain completely, which offers a range of vitamins, minerals, and even prebiotics your horse needs for optimal digestion. Oct 11, 2012 I feed beet pulp as its really high fibre and hay stretcher pellets which do seems to go to a mush if they are left overnight I think you will have to experiment with them as I guess not all brands are the same. I break it in little chunks. How can I get her to eat them? The issue with soaking any kind of forage is that the horses need to eat it pretty soon as it starts to ferment and cause GI upset. My horses get 1/2 of a 3qt scoop 2x a day, soaked in water. You can wet them enough that you can crumble them apart with your hands, but they are still not soupy. Typically the longer you soak, the more nutrients will be removed. Please read our disclosure for more info. A lot depends on your turn out and what is available as well as how long the horse stays on it as you may not need to add much extra. Horses in work may need additional calories, whether that be more hay or grain supplementation. (They look like hard compressed hay in a 1 1/2" diameter squarish form and can be broken appart) I've always given it as a treat. Alfalfa for goats - Life of farmers Could you try that? Enjoy this article? You are using an out of date browser. I still have dark orange yolks and the eggs taste great! In short, we were pleased with the quality of all the cubes we offer to our customers. I also fed the pellets wet and dry and another horse choked when they were wet, vet believed he was eating too fast. You can also try pellets or beet pulp depending on what you are trying to achieve by adding the cubes. Do the cubes need to be soaked prior to feeding? I had my old gelding on it and he got pretty fiery and FAT. KPPusa.com, [] From the KPP Tips & Topics Blog: [], Your email address will not be published. https://www.understanding-horse-nutrition.com/alfalfa-cubes.html. Seeing how all of you use/feed them before I try them. Read our Privacy Policy. New posts New media New articles New media comments New article comments New profile posts Latest activity New showcase items New showcase comments. Alfalfa pellets are different. It can be easy sometimes to just dump & run at feeding time. #1 paneubert Crowing 7 Years Nov 20, 2015 1,965 2,797 271 Snohomish County, Washington State My Coop My Coop Thought I would see what the ladies thought of some Alfalfa cubes soaked with crumble overnight. Alfalfa can be very dangerous to your bun, if your bun is older than 6 months. Not if you soak it like you're supposed to, unless your horse takes massive bites and doesn't chew right. I soak it in a pail of water overnight, be careful you don't add too many cubes in the pail because it expands as it takes in the moisture. Many equestrians wonder how much alfalfa pellets feed a horse.
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