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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
  
Location: NC | How do the people that feed alfalfa feed it? Cubes, pellets or hay? And why do they feed it in that form? Thinking about giving it to my mare during the season to help her ulcers but not sure what to feed. One of the last batches of hay i got was 2nd cut alfalfa mix. Unfortunately pure alfalfa hay is expensive so was thinking about cubes. As well as getting extra water into her. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I used to buy the compact bales and cubes from TSC, but now I feed regular bales and use the cubes when I want them to have more water. I also use chaffhaye now to mix their supplements with and my geldings love it. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | I feed the cubes. My horses go crazy for them!
I started with those because I felt like they weren't getting enough water when it was really cold and they were in love with warm alfalfa cubes on a cold night. It's easier for me to do it this way vs messing with how many flakes of different kinds of hay. I was going to take them off of the alfalfa for the summer but considering how good they look and feel right now, I'm pretty sure I'm changing my mind! |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Everybody at my house gets 3 lbs Standlee pellets twice a day along with free choice grass hay.
My mare gets about 16 lbs of grass/alfalfa cubes a day (this is where she self regulates), along with her pellets. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I feed Alfalfa hay...we have good suppliers here so we get premium grade alfalfa which is nice and leafy and green...I've fed pellets and cubes..not a huge fan of the big cubes because they seem hard to eat even when soaked..pellets i like but I prefer to feed the hay as it takes longer to eat and less choking hazard...i also feed free choice coastal hay and they get renew gold twice a day...my horses are ulcer free and I have no issues with them... |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | When I feed pellets it to fatten up or when I run barrels and haul a bit.Always soak them in water. I love cubes for a few reasons. First there is no waste. They have to eat it slow. They have to work at it so it takes care of any boredom and they stay fat on it. but is a little expensive. Alfalfa flakes my horse love it. it keeps them full and great for ulcers and stay fat on it. I also feed it free choice. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | Thank you! Currently they arent on our property (hoping to change that this year) so its very hard to feed free choice hay. They have been getting beet pulp every morning this winter soaked in hot water (from home) They get orchard/timothy hay.
I dont mind soaking cubes/pellets |
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | I can't buy in bulk & it's hard to find a weekly source of top quality alfalfa, so I just feed soaked cubes as well. They also get some beet pulp and mix grass hay as filler. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I feed the hay  |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| We grow alfalfa, so that's what we feed. We will put round bales out for some of the horses, or we feed off of small squares. Our small squares are around 60lbs and we feed about 10lbs twice daily. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I don't have anywhere to store more than a couple bales at a time, so I feed pellets dry and soaked alfalfa/bermuda cubes. I don't like the consistency of the pellets when they're soaked. They just turn to mush whereas the cubes are almost like grass. |
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 Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | I soak cubes, because I can't find reasonable, quality alfalfa hay in my area. They love the cubes soaked. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I like the cubes and the hay |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| I currently feed cubes every day, soaked. Then I mix Platinum supplements and some oats. I feed cubes because I board and my horses are penned with others at the moment. I also like to mix my supplements into something a bit wet and feel like my horses are not wasting any (or at least reducing the waste).
A year ago, it was a different situation and I could feed my horses individually. I also had a great supplier of quality alfalfa. It was simple to just throw a couple flakes to supplement the free choice brome hay. Cubes and pellets, by the ton, are MUCH more expensive than buying alfalfa bales by the ton. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4625
Location: Desert Land | I feed alfalfa bales. Out here in the West we grow really good alfalfa and don't have blister beetles. Our grass out here though, sucks. So unless something can't handle the alfalfa, that's all I feed. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | cavyrunsbarrels - 2015-03-15 1:10 AM
I don't have anywhere to store more than a couple bales at a time, so I feed pellets dry and soaked alfalfa/bermuda cubes. I don't like the consistency of the pellets when they're soaked. They just turn to mush whereas the cubes are almost like grass.
This is my biggest issue as well. I have limited storage area and thinking at least with cubes/pellets i can bring them from home and not have to worry about storing at barn. Thank you everyone for replying!! |
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 That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| I live where they produce both hay and cubes. The hay is significantly less expensive than the cubes. |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Whiteboy - 2015-03-16 1:26 PM I live where they produce both hay and cubes. The hay is significantly less expensive than the cubes.
We should talk lol. |
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That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| LRQHS - 2015-03-16 1:34 PM Whiteboy - 2015-03-16 1:26 PM I live where they produce both hay and cubes. The hay is significantly less expensive than the cubes. We should talk lol.
I've thought about just taking a load of hay down south and bringing me back a few horses since that is where all the horses I like are anyway. Just need to get those horses to haul good on a flatbed trailer! lol |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Whiteboy - 2015-03-16 1:37 PM LRQHS - 2015-03-16 1:34 PM Whiteboy - 2015-03-16 1:26 PM I live where they produce both hay and cubes. The hay is significantly less expensive than the cubes. We should talk lol.
Put the hay in your trailer!!!! |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | I don't soak T-Bo's cubes. He doesn't like them soaked. He is a slow eater and chews them up completely. My vet also feeds them straight out of the bag, no soaking. So I feel like if the vet does it, I can too.
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| I have fed cubes and hay. Price was pretty close to the same. Now that I have a good source of the hay I feed it-it takes them longer to eat the hay-only reason i prefer it over cubes. I fed both cubes dry and wet-preferred them wet, but in the winter time I'd come back next feeding and find frozen leftovers. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | Mine get some alfalfa pellets mixed with their beet pulp, and my one mare also gets a flake of alfalfa hay morning & night (along with grass hay).
If you don't have room to store a lot of full hay bales you could look into compressed bales. I would assume all TSCs would have them...I work for a company owned by TSC and we sell the Standlee compressed alfalfa. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | livexlovexrodeo - 2015-03-17 9:38 AM
Mine get some alfalfa pellets mixed with their beet pulp, and my one mare also gets a flake of alfalfa hay morning & night (along with grass hay).
If you don't have room to store a lot of full hay bales you could look into compressed bales. I would assume all TSCs would have them...I work for a company owned by TSC and we sell the Standlee compressed alfalfa.
Unfortunately there isnt a TSC nearby. The closest one is 3-4 hours away, thru multiple tolls and NYC. every horse person on long island wishes there was one closer. I can get pure alfalfa bales but they are expensive. We do have one feed store that i think sells big compressed bales (not 100% sure) but they are $45+ a bale |
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alfalfa question