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 Member
Posts: 40
Location: Texas | I've read that quite a few feed free choice alfalfa hay. If that isn't an option, would free choice alfalfa pellets be okay? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
 
| Yes, it sure is. I have a mare that I had to take off of hay due to allergies.
So I feed Standlee alfalfa pellets (it's about the only brand avail in my area). I feed very little grain, only enough to give supplements. So she gets 10 lbs soaked morning and night, 20 total (you will have to adjust this based on your horses current weight and condition). I use an old mineral tub to soak them in. She has done very well on this regimen and she's a bit of a hard keeper. I will add I have little/no access to pasture so I supplement 90% of my forage with the pellets.
Standlee does have a nice forage calculator on their website. |
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Member
Posts: 40
Location: Texas | RedHead84 - 2017-11-22 11:56 AM
Yes, it sure is. I have a mare that I had to take off of hay due to allergies.
So I feed Standlee alfalfa pellets (it's about the only brand avail in my area). I feed very little grain, only enough to give supplements. So she gets 10 lbs soaked morning and night, 20 total (you will have to adjust this based on your horses current weight and condition). I use an old mineral tub to soak them in. She has done very well on this regimen and she's a bit of a hard keeper. I will add I have little/no access to pasture so I supplement 90% of my forage with the pellets.
Standlee does have a nice forage calculator on their website.
Thank you!! |
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| How do you get her to eat them through out the day? My gelding is off of hay due to allergies and IAD. He gets 8 lbs in the morning and 8 lbs at night of alfalfa pellets plus 5 lbs of pelleted feed. He eats it all in an hour.
Edited by WetSaddleBlankets 2017-11-22 7:15 PM
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Thought I would share, have read several articles that pellets are not a replacement for forage, that cubes are a better choice. I have a COPD horse too, when he has to be stalled I give him a mix if cubes and pellets. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I would not free choice cubes or pellets. With "some" horses you may be able to free choice cubes.
For Forage only, I do feel cubes are a better choice but both can be fed as sole forage ration. I've done both. |
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| I actually like Chaffhaye over cubes or pelletes. |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Pellets are not meant to be fed free choice. I have tried several brands of Alfalfa cubes. Hayrite is really hard. My horse bruised his mouth and several others have had their horses get blisters in their mouth. Omnis are good but have a tendency to not be consistent. I switched to Cube It Alfalfa cubes. They are soft and fresh. They are in Texas. But their Alfalfa is from Idaho. If your interested PM me and I will give you the owners number. He feeds them free choice.
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Hay-Rite has a really nice complete alfalfa pellet.
http://hay-rite.com/products.asp
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Location: Oregon | Just make sure that if you feed cubes or pellets you soak them first as they can choke on them.... |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| I<3BarrelRacing - 2017-11-23 3:27 PM
Just make sure that if you feed cubes or pellets you soak them first as they can choke on them....
With Cube It cubes there’s no need to soak. They are soft. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I<3BarrelRacing - 2017-11-23 3:27 PM Just make sure that if you feed cubes or pellets you soak them first as they can choke on them....
I've never had a problem feeding dry. I would be more concerned if you own a horse that bolts at his feed and that horse would be getting a slow feeder or have salt blocks or big smooth rocks to slow that down. I've seen more horse's choke on sweet feeds then cubes. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-11-22 7:14 PM
How do you get her to eat them through out the day? My gelding is off of hay due to allergies and IAD. He gets 8 lbs in the morning and 8 lbs at night of alfalfa pellets plus 5 lbs of pelleted feed. He eats it all in an hour.
I have heard of people putting in large rocks or salt blocks with them to slow them down. You might try that?
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| rodeomom3 - 2017-11-22 7:53 PM
Thought I would share, have read several articles that pellets are not a replacement for forage, that cubes are a better choice. I have a COPD horse too, when he has to be stalled I give him a mix if cubes and pellets.
I would prefer cubes. But no matter how well I soak them she's have several episodes of choke. I don't know why? And I can't stand around and watch her eat all the time. So, pellets are my best alternative. She has done really well on them. |
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| RedHead84 - 2017-11-24 8:10 AM WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-11-22 7:14 PM How do you get her to eat them through out the day? My gelding is off of hay due to allergies and IAD. He gets 8 lbs in the morning and 8 lbs at night of alfalfa pellets plus 5 lbs of pelleted feed. He eats it all in an hour. I have heard of people putting in large rocks or salt blocks with them to slow them down. You might try that?
Edited by WetSaddleBlankets 2017-11-24 10:22 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-11-24 10:21 AM
RedHead84 - 2017-11-24 8:10 AM WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-11-22 7:14 PM How do you get her to eat them through out the day? My gelding is off of hay due to allergies and IAD. He gets 8 lbs in the morning and 8 lbs at night of alfalfa pellets plus 5 lbs of pelleted feed. He eats it all in an hour. I have heard of people putting in large rocks or salt blocks with them to slow them down. You might try that? That's a good idea. I forgot to add in my post that I feed Chaffhaye too. But pellets to supplement obviously. Chaffhaye is more expensive so I give a few pounds of pellets or cubes.. I soak cubes when I do get them. Having a horse completely off of hay is such a challenge.
It is a huge challenege. I am not sure where you are located, but I am in the Midwest and we don't have many choices.
The closest Chaffhaye dealer is 2 hours one way. We have no Hay-rite dealer. No Omni cube dealer.
Besides Dumor, which my mare hated and it smelled awful, we have Standlee or some other off brands, so I use Standlee because I've been happy with the quality. |
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| RedHead84 - 2017-11-24 11:01 AM
WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-11-24 10:21 AM
RedHead84 - 2017-11-24 8:10 AM WetSaddleBlankets - 2017-11-22 7:14 PM How do you get her to eat them through out the day? My gelding is off of hay due to allergies and IAD. He gets 8 lbs in the morning and 8 lbs at night of alfalfa pellets plus 5 lbs of pelleted feed. He eats it all in an hour. I have heard of people putting in large rocks or salt blocks with them to slow them down. You might try that? That's a good idea. I forgot to add in my post that I feed Chaffhaye too. But pellets to supplement obviously. Chaffhaye is more expensive so I give a few pounds of pellets or cubes.. I soak cubes when I do get them. Having a horse completely off of hay is such a challenge.
It is a huge challenege. I am not sure where you are located, but I am in the Midwest and we don't have many choices.
The closest Chaffhaye dealer is 2 hours one way. We have no Hay-rite dealer. No Omni cube dealer.
Besides Dumor, which my mare hated and it smelled awful, we have Standlee or some other off brands, so I use Standlee because I've been happy with the quality.
Midwest as well. Luckily Chaffhaye is pretty abundant but yes only standlee alfalfa cubes and pellets besides a few off brands :/ |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | My 35 year old gets alfalfa/oat cubes for his forage. He will not eat them soaked so I spend a little time every day breaking them into small pieces so that he will not choke on them. I do not feed them free choice, but I do know pretty well how many he will eat without wasting. |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | What about Omnicubes? |
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 No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
Location: Texas | If you are looking for a true free choice feed, you might try One N Only by Wendland(?) not sure if that is spelled right. It is more of a waffer with the consistancy of dog food. We used it to put weight on an older horse and it worked great. |
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