Posted 2016-01-04 8:30 PM Subject: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 582 Location: Wherever They Send Me
My horses need a few pounds and Im looking at up'ing their alfalfa/mix pellet amount. I recently moved to Louisiana so finding fresh alfalfa is going to be hard, plus I have a wide age range from 23 to 9 so I would like to stick to a alfalfa / mix pellet so I can make it as easy as possible to feed them (I board them).
What is the ratio of pellets compared to fresh flakes? Is it pound for pound? How much does a "flake" normally weigh?
Posted 2016-01-05 10:55 AM Subject: RE: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Expert
Posts: 2122 Location: The Great Northwest
So hard to say because of varables! The pellets are compressed. The flakes vary a lot in weight from different grass species. It will have to be adjusted to each horse as a individual.
Posted 2016-01-05 11:02 AM Subject: RE: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Expert
Posts: 2122 Location: The Great Northwest
skye - 2016-01-06 7:55 AM So hard to say because of varables! The pellets are compressed. The flakes vary a lot in weight from different grass species. It will have to be adjusted to each horse as a individual.
That being said - You would still want to be sure there is hay 24/7 to munch on. It doesn't take long for them to eat the pellets.
Posted 2016-01-05 8:02 PM Subject: RE: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315 Location: East Tennessee but who knows?!
A 3 qt scoop of alfalfa pellets generally weighs around 3.2 pounds. They need between 15-20 pounds a day total of roughage sources. I've usually fed 2 scoops per day and replaced the rest with actual hay.
Posted 2016-01-06 7:29 AM Subject: RE: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Elite Veteran
Posts: 639 Location: God's country...aka TEXAS
Just make sure they still get hay because pellets do not count as long stem roughage, which helps move things along in the gut. The alfalfa CUBES do count as long stem roughage.
Posted 2016-01-06 9:20 AM Subject: RE: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477 Location: Lost in the swamps
I'm in south Louisiana and finding quality baled alfalfa is absolutely ridiculous and expensive 22-25 bucks a bale!!! I do alfalfa cubes to some and pellets to the easy keepers. tractor supply has the standlee brand compressed alfalfa but I don't like it (lots of stem and pulverized leaves that turn to dust)
do they get any hay during the day?
again pellets can not replace your roughage completely. unless you feed a specialized sr feed like eq sr.
mine get Bermuda grass hay 2 x's day, pasture 24/7, feed 2x's a day
Posted 2016-01-06 7:43 PM Subject: RE: Hay Pellets vs Flakes
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 582 Location: Wherever They Send Me
Thanks everyone...that's interesting that cubes count as long stem but not pellets.
Yes, they are on hay or grass turnout 24/7 and get 1.5 lbs of Renew Gold a day. We moved from Alaska this past summer, so it has been an adventure for them.
Hay Pellets vs Flakes
