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 Mrs. BigWig
Posts: 1868
   
Location: chasing kids and animals | I was just curious to how much alfalfa everyone feeds? Benifits, pros and cons |
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Expert
Posts: 1226
| We feed all alfalfa. But we also live in AZ where they grow it pretty much year round. So it's always a good quality. For the horses being ridden a lot we do a flake and a half twice a day and they get a snack in the middle part of the day. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Thru the winter I feed one big flake off a 3 string bale with timothy and coastal. I have 100 acres, when the grass is back I cut that in 1/2. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: Georgia | I live in GA so I can not get good quality for a resonable price like some other places. But I feed one big flake, sometimes 2 of the nicest stuff I can find, once a day. They get a high protein feed also |
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Mrs. BigWig
Posts: 1868
Location: chasing kids and animals | Thank you. I have been feeding a flake in the morning and evening and they are also getting regular hay and I feed Pegasus ( alfalfa based feed ). They are looking and feeling good.
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| We feed 1 flake 6/8lb flake twice a day. I'm guessing on the weight. Some hard keepers get close to 20lbs a day. We used to feed coastal/Jiggs but they would waste it. All mine are pasure kept so they also graze 24/7.
Pros - Feeding less hay than normal with alfalfa.
My horses look better on alfalfa.
Cons- Cost wise it is a tad bit higher but like I said your feeding less. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | 20% of their required weight requirement forage during the cool season. Cut back in summer during grass abundance. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| As much as my horses want ... we have a large round bale set out and they can eat as they please. |
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 Shoot Yeah
Posts: 4273
Location: Where you need a paddle... Oregon! | Pretty much free-choice. Grass hay free-choice, also. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Mine get 1 hefty flake in their stalls at night. They are turned out on grass and a roundbale majority of the day. |
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 Party Girl
Posts: 12293
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | Mine are pretty much free choice. I come from the land of good alfalfa. |
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  Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | 3-5 # per day for any age horse because it fills the protein and mineral gaps in the base diet of grain and grass hay. More if they are a lactating mare or hard keeper. I don't feed it free choice because that's all they would eat. lol It's like candy to them. |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| UTAHCANCHASER - 2017-03-08 12:30 PM Mine are pretty much free choice. I come from the land of good alfalfa.
I have one that would never quit eating if I fed free choice, he is a pig! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 516
| Pretty much free choice alfalfa. As long as they're cleaning it up, I'll give them more. |
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Mrs. BigWig
Posts: 1868
Location: chasing kids and animals | mine too!! they love their alfalfa and when i put it in their stall she will go grab a bite of it before eating her feed..no way I could afford to feed it free choice...but they do have pasture and then a roll of hay out with them also |
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 Lived to tell about it and will never do it again
Posts: 5409
| Our horses are dry lotted and we feed alfalfa only, no grain. The get roughly 10lbs two times a day.
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 Veteran
Posts: 158
| anywhere from free choice to a 1/2 flake depending on each horse |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Most of mine get zero. But I started to give my show horse a flake or 2 at night while he is in the barn under lights. And then since my crippled mare Bella is outside or in a stall next to him if the weather is crappy, I feel she needs a flake too. I mean it does smell so good and she has the sweetest puppy dog eyes when she sees him gets some |
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 Veteran
Posts: 288
| 20# or so. They get solely alfalfa as forage. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Has anyone had a horse that sweated excessively if feed alfalfa in the summer? I have one that is sweating really bad in the summer since feeding alfalfa. Our summers in South Texas are high 90's to 100 degrees with high humidity. I don't have stalls with electricity, so fans are out, although he has trees and a run in shed that is open on all sides. |
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