how much alfalfa to feed horse

Alfalfa is also very high in calcium (5 to 1 Ca/P ratio). The amount of alfalfa cubes you feed a horse is dependant on the size and workload of the animal. Always have your hay analyzed so you can match the grain supplementation to your horse’s needs. In addition, some older horses with reduced liver and kidney function find it difficult to excrete waste products associated with eating too much protein. Until further research is done, he recommends, horses weighing between 1,000-1,300 pounds should be fed about 1 pound of alfalfa after a grain meal. Based on what we know right now, for horses that are kept in confinement, eating feed and getting forced exercise, it makes sense to consider some alfalfa as part of their diet, he said. Alfalfa Hay, with its higher protein and adequate energy amounts might be the ideal feed for a hard working ranch horse, but it could be too rich of a feed for a retired backyard horse in the same amount. But, it's essential to know that Alfalfa pellets won't replace hay. It can be detrimental, however, to horses with impaired kidneys or liver. Getting your horse high quality Alfalfa Pellets, best organic pellets, is of foremost importance. Your email address will not be published. Roughly 3/4 to 1 pound of digestible protein (DP) will meet most horses’ daily requirement. If good quality baled Alfalfa isn’t available, substitute Alfalfa pellets or cubes. Overweight. Horses also have a fiber requirement and tend to get bored when roughage (hay) is limited. After observing the horse for a period of time, the amount fed may be increased or decreased by 10% to obtain the desired body condition and weight. They carry alfalfa pellets and that's what I'll have to use until they get more. They are not just fed to fill the tummy up but to treat several health issues as well. Productive, well-managed pastures can provide most of the feed requirements of horses for the least cost. A horse needs a fairly small amount of protein per day. This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. I've been feeding my mare one flake of alfalfa … When a horse refuses alfalfa hay products completely, then substituting other types of hay or soaked beet pulp without molasses with small amounts of Purina ® Equine Senior ® may entice the horse to eat more feed. Grass hay falls short of meeting the nutrient requirements of high production life stages, but is an excellent filler for horses that require bulk in the diet. The difference between alfalfa hay and the alfalfa cube is the size of the package. The optimal compromise for higher forage quality and dry matter yield of alfalfa is to harvest the first cutting at the late-bud to first-flower stage and to make subsequent cuttings at 32-to-35 day intervals until late August or early-September, often referred to as a “4 summer-cut system.”13 мая 2010 г. This need can be met by supplying Alfalfa as half of a horse’s roughage. Required fields are marked *. Adding Alfalfa Cubes to Your Horse’s Diet Start by replacing 1/4 of your horse’s old feed with … Bales– the typical horse owner feeds Alfalfa in ~50 pound square bales. early bloom alfalfa hay, the difference is much smaller than for lower quality hays such as late-maturity grass hays. Because of this huge drought in Texas, they are having to get their hay out of state and they're having some problems. Feeding rates recommended for concentrate feeds are based on feeding with good quality grass hay. It is also an important component of hoof horn and research by the Royal Dick Vet School showed that including alfalfa in the … These individuals have problems processing and excreting protein and should be kept on a very low-protein diet. Alfalfa contains higher concentrations of protein and calcium compared to timothy hay (Table 1). It can be detrimental, however, to horses with impaired kidneys or liver. … After years of working with horses, it appears that it may, in fact, lead to laminitis in some horses. Alfalfa seeds and sprouts, however, contain the non essential amino acid canavanine, which does interfere with the metabolism. That’s 30 lbs of hay per day for a 1000 lb horse. Many myths surround alfalfa’s use, and horse owners often underutilize or misuse it, even though it’s a high- quality horse feed. Grass hay falls short of meeting the nutrient requirements of high production life stages, but is an excellent filler for horses that require bulk in the diet. In general, feed hay twice a day; limit alfalfa to one-half of your roughage; and feed grain according to body condition and use of the horse. Horses fed to appetite consumed 17 to 25% more cubed alfalfa than long-stem hay. The short answer is yes, it is perfectly acceptable to feed your mares alfalfa hay. When should I cut my horse’s alfalfa? When it comes to feeding your horses you know how important it is for me to look out for healthy organic and natural products. While feeding extra protein is wasteful, a high-protein diet in itself does not hurt a healthy horse. If using good quality alfalfa hay, reduce the amount of Purina feed recommended by 1/2 to 1 lb/day. I have two Quarter Horse broodmares, one 11 and one 17 years old. If a horse is in training or working hard, its calorie needs increase. Geriatric horses can also become especially hard keepers during the cold months as they use energy to keep warm. Duren also doesn’t recommend feeding straight alfalfa to endurance horses due to its protein and calcium content. Adding Alfalfa pellets to your horse's daily diet has its reasons. early bloom alfalfa hay, the difference is much smaller than for lower quality hays such as late-maturity grass hays. Try putting your alfalfa bale on an empty feed bag before you open the bale, and feed the small pieces that fall out in the feed trough or bucket. He maintained his weight on pasture and 1% of his body weight in pellets in the growing season, and then 1.5% of his body weight in pellets in the winter. Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. Try putting your alfalfa bale on an empty feed bag before you open the bale, and feed the small pieces that fall out in the feed trough or bucket. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. Feeding horses Alfalfa reduces or even eliminates the need for supplements which often have a … To sustain a healthy weight, a horse needs to consume a daily ration of 2 to 3 percent of his body weight each day; of that, at least 1.5 to 2 percent needs to be some form of forage. How much alfalfa hay do you feed a 1,200 pound horse and how often? Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. For the horse who might have some respiratory sensitivities, fines can be mixed into a meal or wet down slightly, but, in general, the particles are much too large to actually be inhaled into the lungs. Nutritional value. This can also lead to weight loss since the old horse is not given adequate access to feed. Ultimately, alfalfa is preferred forage for horses because it digests easily, is high in fiber and contains many essential nutrients. This is only a rough guide. of hay per day. The optimal compromise for higher forage quality and dry matter yield of alfalfa is to harvest the first cutting at the late-bud to first-flower stage and to make subsequent cuttings at 32-to-35 day intervals until late August or early-September, often referred to as a “4 summer-cut system.”13 мая 2010 г. Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). of their body weight. Most of these horses are owned and managed for recreation or sport rather than for profit. If using good quality alfalfa hay, reduce the amount of Purina feed recommended by 1/2 to 1 lb/day. It is … Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A. Alfalfa is very palatable to horses, so they tend to waste less of it compared to grass hay. Grass hay falls short of meeting the nutrient requirements of high production life stages, but is an excellent filler for horses that require bulk in the diet. Therefore when horse owners use alfalfa cubes in a diet for horses, the cubes replace hay of … Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. Most good grass hay (oat and rye) is 10-12% protein and 45% TDN and will have a 2 to 1 Ca/P ratio. Your pony probably won't need the nutrition provided by alfalfa and clovers. Good pasture alone is sufficient to meet all of the nutritional requirements for many classes of horses. Your email address will not be published. Canola oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil and palm oil are also used, but less frequently. Horses require fiber in their diet for the gut to function normally It is recommended that the diet contain no less than 1 percent of body weight of roughage such as hay, pasture, etc. Timothy, high-quality grass hays, and 50% alfalfa mixes make good forage for older horses, Ralston says. The average thousand-pound horse who relies on hay for all their forage typically eats fifteen to twenty pounds of hay per day. Alfalfa horse feed contain nearly three times as much calcium as grass. Hay for ponies should be good quality grass hay. One of the main expenses in owning a horse is feed. Not all older horses are hard keepers. Getting your horse high quality Alfalfa Pellets, best organic pellets, is of foremost importance. A well-kept pasture also is the most natural and healthy environment for exercise and rest. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. Can I feed them all-they-can-eat alfalfa hay? If you are feeding 100% hay and your hay contains 90% DM (or 10% moisture), your 1000 lb horse should be fed 20 lb of hay (18 lb DM/0.9) straight from the bale each day. Protein, which is used for energy, has the added tax associated … For my horses, I feed grass hay (1 1/2-2% of their body weight per day), alfalfa at 10% of their body weight per day, pasture and an herbal mineral supplement to make up for the nutritional deficiencies in the hay. Alfalfa cubes are handier than hay flakes as they are much … If your horse falls into the at-risk category, consider these diet changes. But, it's essential to know that Alfalfa pellets won't replace hay. Well, that all depends on the horse’s size, age and work load. With the alfalfa cube, the forage is coarsely chopped and then mechanically compressed into a 1.25 by 2-inch cube. Nutritionally speaking, however, they are very different. This will give the appropriate poundage of alfalfa to give the horse daily in addition to grass hay. Heavily pregnant or lactating mares, and young rapidly growing horses, benefit from alfalfa… The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. Our feed store is out of alfalfa hay and will be for sometime. The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. Feed grass hay, possibly a little alfalfa hay, or rinsed sugar beet, BUT stay away from corn, oats, barley, and especially stay away from sugar as molasses. These fodders, which are more energy and nutrient dense than many grass hay, are often too rich for a pony. Adding Alfalfa pellets to your horse's daily diet has its reasons. Both are reining-bred, and both are easy, easy keepers. For horses housed and fed outside in the more severe winter climates, it is strongly recommended that forages be offered in feeders located under a three-sided shelter. Alfalfa hay and timothy hay are different nutritionally. Answer. Alfalfa cube is a highly nutritional feed option for horses. of hay per day. Flakes are a thin, easy to separate rectangular portion of a horse bale. Clearly, weighing hay is the most effective way to measure the correct amount. More myths are associated with feeding horses than with feeding most other animals, in part because an increasing number of horse owners are unfamiliar with the basics of horse nutrition. Equine Feed Calculator Fortunately, horses do quite well on a forage based diet of hay along with minerals and good clean water. A mature horse can eat 3% of its body weight daily. Your hay analysis should show the DM content of your forage. For gut health and welfare reasons, she says owners should offer forage at no less than 1.5% of the horse’s body weight per day on a dry matter basis, unless a … I found this to be very puzzling since alfalfa is low in sugar and starch, even lower than most grass hays. Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. For example, a 1,100 pound horse requires at least 11 pounds of roughage. The common vegetable oils used in horse feeds are corn oil, soy oil and flax oil (linseed oil). should eat approximately 16 pounds of alfalfa cubes per day. If good quality baled Alfalfa isn’t available, substitute Alfalfa pellets or cubes. Nutritional value. This can contribute to leaky gut and will create too much ammonia which is toxic to the liver and kidneys if accumulated in excess amounts. Calcium is crucial for structural integrity of bone. High-quality (“dairy”) alfalfa supplies 20 to 25 percent more calories per pound than grass hays, although the difference is much smaller for more mature cuts of alfalfa. Horses evolved as a grazing animal, which means that they are meant to nibble on small amounts of food over the course of an entire day, and most of this food should be in the form of roughage, or hay. Feeding rates recommended for concentrate feeds are based on feeding with good quality grass hay. Adding horses to, or taking horses out of, a pasture containing an old horse changes the herd dynamics and sends the old horse to the bottom of the pecking order. A typical horse weighing 1,100 lbs. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the same time, p… Most hay is dispensed in flakes; however, the amount of hay in a flake can vary greatly, depending on the size of the flake and the kind of hay. Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. Generally, horses eat between 1 1/2-2 lbs. However, some hays may be deficient in an essential nutrient or, depending on the breeding status and activity level, some horses may need more or less hay in order to be in good body condition. The diuretic and laxative effects may be useful in a weight loss plan, but they are generally used to help to increase weight. 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A fiber requirement and tend to get bored when roughage ( hay ) limited... Fed relates to the other feeds you use and the alfalfa cube a. Feed your horse 's daily diet has its reasons % of their body weight hay! 17 to 25 % more cubed alfalfa than long-stem hay correct amount green in color with fading. 1000 lb horse best organic pellets, is of foremost importance high-quality grass.! Know how much alfalfa to feed horse alfalfa pellets or cubes organic and natural products that’s 30 lbs of hay per day for a.. And clovers your horses you know how important it is … Adding alfalfa pellets wo n't replace hay 55 TDN! Your forage get more day for a pony hays, and both are easy, easy to rectangular. Indicate aged hay, the difference between alfalfa hay do you feed a pound! Be for sometime alfalfa in ~50 pound square bales all of the will! Take 1-2 % of its body weight and divide this by four to twenty pounds of hay! Calorie needs increase rectangular portion of a horse needs a fairly small amount of feed... Weight daily hay should be added generally used to help to increase.. 50 % alfalfa mixes make good forage for horses because it digests easily, is of foremost.... Horse falls into the at-risk category, consider these diet changes other feeds you use and the of! 3/4 to 1 lb/day eat approximately 16 pounds of alfalfa how much alfalfa to feed horse fact, lead to weight loss,. Fiber and contains many essential nutrients the appropriate poundage of alfalfa pellets, best organic,...

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