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 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
   
| Does anyone feed regular alfalfa cubes dry ?? It freaks me out to do so but my mare really needs the extra ruffage/calories. She won't touch Timothy or alfalfa in pellet or under any moisture of any level..she will pick at it at best when is slightly moist and broken apart. She has no problem eating them dry and seems to be able to chew them easily. I only give her a few at a time because it makes me nervous for her to eat them dry. |
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | Mine eat dry cubes and oats exclusivly.
Go thru about 3.5 tons a month.
weanlings to 27 year old babysitter. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Lately I've heard that dry pellets are more of a choking hazzard than dry cubes. Can't confirm that though since I've fed dry pellets for years and never had an issue. I'm curious to see what other responses you get though because I would prefer to feed cubes over pellets but have no way of soaking them. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| My sister's 26 year old mare eats them dry. She has really good teeth, though. She feeds all her horses dry alfalfa cubes and has for months now. The old mare has been on dry cubes for several years. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| cavyrunsbarrels - 2016-01-06 8:07 AM
Lately I've heard that dry pellets are more of a choking hazzard than dry cubes. Can't confirm that though since I've fed dry pellets for years and never had an issue. I'm curious to see what other responses you get though because I would prefer to feed cubes over pellets but have no way of soaking them.
I had a horse choke pretty bad twice on pellets BUT they were not alfalfa pellets, they were a feed pellet. I don't know if that makes a difference but I think it might. A couple times I was out of town and my son and husband fed for me and they didn't soak the alfalfa pellets and no one choked. I wonder if since the alfalfa pellets are from hay/fiber with little added to them this makes them easier to break up? |
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The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| cavyrunsbarrels - 2016-01-06 8:07 AM
Lately I've heard that dry pellets are more of a choking hazzard than dry cubes. Can't confirm that though since I've fed dry pellets for years and never had an issue. I'm curious to see what other responses you get though because I would prefer to feed cubes over pellets but have no way of soaking them.
Yes I hear this also....maybe I'll try them dry..the cubes that is....
Edited by Thistle2011 2016-01-06 8:39 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| we feed dry! no problems yet |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Not to steal OP's thunder, but what brands are you guys feeding? Pretty much all I can get is Standlee. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2236
Location: Sherman, TX | I feed mine dry, they eat them too fast if they are wet. Most of the cutting farms here do too, and their horses are worth 6 figures. Never had a colic or a choke in all my years of owning horses. I don't like the Standlee cubes, they are often dusty and ridiculously priced for coming in 40lb bags. My horses don't like them that much either. I feed Manzanola cubes which you can get for $10.95 at Dennard's for 50lbs or $12.95 at Sam's Club for 50lbs, my horses love them. Brittany Pozzi also feeds them and is their spokesperson. I also feed Hay Rite which are my horses favorite but most sellers are too far away to pick them up all the time. Prices vary on the Hay Rite depending on how many you buy and how the hay season is going. I have bought them as low as $9.95 a 50lb bag when on sale. You don't seem to feed as much of the Hay Rite either as they are such good quality. Many cutting farms feed that brand. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 434
Location: Northwest Florida | I would like to, soaking them is such a pain! I feed Standlee though, and half of the bag is really large, hard cubes. I'd be so afraid to feed those dry. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 492
| I feed Hay Rite cubes and only feed them dry. I have not had any issues. The important thing to remember when feeding cubes is to always feed them at ground level. This always the horse's esophagus to open. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 707
Location: The stix of Utah | I feed alfalfa cubes exclusively and only feed them dry. I have done so for years and have yet to have a problem. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | GLP - 2016-01-06 8:38 AM cavyrunsbarrels - 2016-01-06 8:07 AM Lately I've heard that dry pellets are more of a choking hazzard than dry cubes. Can't confirm that though since I've fed dry pellets for years and never had an issue. I'm curious to see what other responses you get though because I would prefer to feed cubes over pellets but have no way of soaking them. I had a horse choke pretty bad twice on pellets BUT they were not alfalfa pellets, they were a feed pellet. I don't know if that makes a difference but I think it might. A couple times I was out of town and my son and husband fed for me and they didn't soak the alfalfa pellets and no one choked. I wonder if since the alfalfa pellets are from hay/fiber with little added to them this makes them easier to break up?
Some pellets are really hard and I avoid them. If I can't break a pellet up with my fingers I won't feed it. My horse doesn't like soaked pellets or alfalfa cubes. |
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Expert
Posts: 2236
Location: Sherman, TX | Manzanola cubes and Hay Rite cubes are just as large and hard, dry...my horses have no problem with them dry... |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | I worked for a barn where we fed 70+ horses alfalfa cubes exclusively. We only fed them dry. Ranged from weanlings-retired broodmares and every age between. No issues. |
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Common Sense and then some
Location: So. California | I'll be odd guy out and I've never even heard of soaking cubes before.
We used to buy them buy the bulk bag, I think it was about 700lbs.... horses loved them and it was easy to feed. I'm feeding hay now, but would have no problem feeding the cubes, dry.... |
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 Expert
Posts: 2041
Location: home for the winter...what a dumb idea | Worked for outfitters in the mountains for years . we feed dry alfalfa cubes to all the horses 80+ over 400lbs a day never had a problem. Have had horses almost choke and due form horse cookies though . |
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Horse that will ONLY eat alfalfa cubes dry