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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
 
| Feeding Alfalfa hay from New Mexico? I usually buy my bales from a guy that gets it out of Arizona. But when I was picking up some feed from my other feed store I saw they had the most beautiful alfalfa hay in the back, big 125 lb 3 strand bales so I asked where they got it from. I'm always leary about blister beetles feeding alfalfa hay. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Nope, but I am paranoid about blister beetles. |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | No worries at all. It's grown in all the states where we've lived, all we've ever fed, for 3 generations of show horse owning. Never had or heard of any blister beetle issues or deaths. Seems more a fear of those who don't usually feed alfalfa and don't live anywhere near those primary growing states. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Tilt The Kilt - 2017-02-22 7:36 PM No worries at all. It's grown in all the states where we've lived, all we've ever fed, for 3 generations of show horse owning. Never had or heard of any blister beetle issues or deaths. Seems more a fear of those who don't usually feed alfalfa and don't live anywhere near those primary growing states.
they are around those beetles and there have been deaths or illnesses.. so always check.. we feed it but we also check best we can.. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Tilt The Kilt - 2017-02-22 6:36 PM
No worries at all. It's grown in all the states where we've lived, all we've ever fed, for 3 generations of show horse owning. Never had or heard of any blister beetle issues or deaths. Seems more a fear of those who don't usually feed alfalfa and don't live anywhere near those primary growing states.
My sister's good horse died of blister bug poisoning when she was at Alpine. The hay came from New Mexico. It was awful, I had to talk to her on the phone as it was happening trying to comfort her, so its a real fear for me. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Think I'll just stick to the Arizona & California alfalfa. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| GLP - 2017-02-22 4:54 PM
Nope, but I am paranoid about blister beetles.
Same here. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| They have blister beetles in Arizona too.
http://www.moormans.com/Horse/Equine%20Library/Horse%20Blister%20Beetles.htm |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | Blister beetles exist all over the U.S. NM has nothing to do with it singularly. Read through more threads here, NM fine, CO not, AZ fine, KS not...whatever anecdotal stories sooth you. By the logic of the few numbers discussed/occurances in general compared to loss from bagged feed, botulism in grass round bales, you may as well stay up worrying about all of it. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Tilt The Kilt - 2017-02-23 7:51 AM
Blister beetles exist all over the U.S. NM has nothing to do with it singularly. Read through more threads here, NM fine, CO not, AZ fine, KS not...whatever anecdotal stories sooth you. By the logic of the few numbers discussed/occurances in general compared to loss from bagged feed, botulism in grass round bales, you may as well stay up worrying about all of it.
Agreed! And sometimes I do worry and totally over think my forage! I've been buying my alfalfa from the same supplier for years and he services majority of the city and I haven't heard of a single problem, so I'll just stick with it. Really the only complaint I have is sometimes his coastal, while it's gorgeous hay, can be on the fine loose side... I don't feed much of it anyway since they have a roundbale, but I do keep a few bales of the coastal on hand in case I need to stall them due to weather or trailer them. I want to keep alfalfa in my program, cubes and pellets are not an option for me because of my choke prone horse! |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I have read that the high country states with their long, hard winters keep the blister beetles out. So I go with alfalfa cubes made from alfalfa in Idaho and Canada.
Tilt is right, though, about worrying about everything we feed our horses keeping us up at night.
That is why I just feed alfalfa cubes, grass hay and my Cur Ost supplements along with flaxseed, whole when I can find it.
I don't worry anymore......for now.  |
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Would you feel comfortable