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Location: Texas | I have a horse that doesn't like the "crumbs" (leaves or fines) from alfalfa. He will leave the loose stuff lay and eat his coastal out of his slow feed hay net. (I think he enjoys pulling the hay from the slow feed net.  ) Just wondering if anyone else's horse does this. I would like to feed him straight alfalfa, but he still wants coastal after eating most of his alfalfa, instead of cleaning up the alfalfa. And I don't want to NOT give him the coastal because I don't want him to go all night with nothing to eat or nibble on. (He gets bored easily!) I have never fed 100% alfalfa so maybe he would be fine. I just don't want him to waste it. He is currently getting one big flake (about 6" thick, 6 lbs.) at night, along with free choice coastal. This is about as much as I can get him to clean up before going to the coastal. Is this normal? I am considering trying the Omnis cubes to see how he does with those. Any thoughts? |
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Location: The best kept secret in TX | I wouldn't be picky with how he eats it.
One of my geldings used to pull his alfala out of the net, submerge it in water and then eat it.... Wouldn't eat it dry. He would turn his nose up at coastal. But he loved Timothy hay and Orchard grass hay.
My point is, some of our guys can be nuts! It's ok for them to leave a bit. As long as he isn't skinny, I wouldn't worry about it. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Treat for ulcers |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | classicpotatochip - 2016-09-27 4:40 PM Treat for ulcers
Thanks, but I don't think it is ulcers. He doesn't like anything powdery or loose. He eats his alfalfa pellets & oats great, eats alfalfa hay great, eats coastal great, eats on pasture all day. Just trying to figure out why he won't clean up the alfalfa crumbs! Never thought a horse would leave alfalfa of any form. But now that I think about it... I guess he just doesn't like crumbs. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| My 4 year old does this. It's not something I noticed before increasing her training and hauling. She eats everything else fine. I plan to treat for ulcers since it's not a lifelong habit but rather something she recently started doing.
We also have a gelding that used to dunk his hay. Several BBs suggested treating for sand. And this horse has sand coliced. So we treat annually for sand, more frequently if he starts dunking his hay again. |
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Location: Deep South | classicpotatochip - 2016-09-27 4:40 PM
Treat for ulcers
I second this.
Every single horse I have seen that didn't want to clean up alfalfa, did so after being treated.
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| BamaCanChaser - 2016-09-28 8:34 AM
classicpotatochip - 2016-09-27 4:40 PM
Treat for ulcers
I second this.
Every single horse I have seen that didn't want to clean up alfalfa, did so after being treated.
Yep. Without exception. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | classicpotatochip - 2016-09-28 10:17 AM BamaCanChaser - 2016-09-28 8:34 AM classicpotatochip - 2016-09-27 4:40 PM Treat for ulcers I second this. Every single horse I have seen that didn't want to clean up alfalfa, did so after being treated. Yep. Without exception.
I pmed you classic |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| Mine are quite the opposite. Mine eat the fines first. Having said that horses can be like people... maybe they are just quirky and have a preference. I cannot STAND Broccoli, no matter how its cooked, not cooked, or offered to me... I don't have ulcers. Good gosh, how did horses survive 30 years ago before all this business??? |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| BamaCanChaser - 2016-09-28 9:34 AM
classicpotatochip - 2016-09-27 4:40 PM
Treat for ulcers
I second this.
Every single horse I have seen that didn't want to clean up alfalfa, did so after being treated.
Third this... |
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  Living on the edge of common sense
Posts: 24139
Location: Carpenter, WY | FLITASTIC - 2016-09-28 9:45 AM Mine are quite the opposite. Mine eat the fines first. Having said that horses can be like people... maybe they are just quirky and have a preference. I cannot STAND Broccoli, no matter how its cooked, not cooked, or offered to me... I don't have ulcers. Good gosh, how did horses survive 30 years ago before all this business???
LOL....30 years ago most or alot of them worked for a living and were real hungry at the end of the day and weren't so picky. I can't stand Broccoli either :) |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Last night I gave him more alfalfa than he usually gets (he could use a little more weight). He also had coastal hay available. (I would eventually like to get him on 100% alfalfa, but I think he needs the coastal as a boredom breaker.) This morning all of the alfalfa & coastal were gone. The small amount of fines of alfalfa that he did leave had clumps of dirt in it from when it was baled. I swept it up and gave it to the other horses that don't get alfalfa and they promptly ate it, picking around the clumps of dirt. So I think he is just very selective!
I happen to be in an area yesterday that had a dealer for the Omnis cubes so I bought a couple of bags to try. He refused to eat them out of his feed pan. I hand fed him a couple as treats but he did NOT like them, dropped pieces out of his mouth and curled his nose up. Crazy horse!
Edited by TBone 2016-09-29 9:46 AM
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| My 3 LOVE the Omnis cubes but I also think mine would eat anything and they are by no means starved. They have plenty to eat. They are out on pasture 24/7. My pasture is by no means lush so they have to roam. But I think they would rather stay in the barn and eat their Omnis cubes. I haven't fed hay in like forever, they just get the Omnis cubes. Mine "never" leave crumbs. LOL |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | So I just tried giving him the Omnis cubes again. I hand fed him a couple as treats, he shook his head & made funny mouth faces but ate some & dropped some. Put a scoop full in his feed pan... nope! Won't eat them. Then I gave in and gave him a flake of alfalfa. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| FLITASTIC - 2016-09-28 10:45 AM
Mine are quite the opposite. Mine eat the fines first. Having said that horses can be like people... maybe they are just quirky and have a preference. I cannot STAND Broccoli, no matter how its cooked, not cooked, or offered to me... I don't have ulcers. Good gosh, how did horses survive 30 years ago before all this business???
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| We don't have on i here i feed standlee when i do and i always soak with water before feeding them. |
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