Soaking alfalfa cubes

L

LMS

New Member
Sep 14, 2005
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Ontario, Canada
Who gives alfalfa or alfalfa/timothy cubes to their horses? (They look like hard compressed hay in a 1 1/2" diameter squarish form and can be broken appart)

I've always given it as a treat. I break it in little chunks.

Some people soak it & give it as part of a feed. I was wondering: how much water do you add to it? I gather it would have to be hot water. And for how long do you let it steep for?
 
SUPRISE I DO!!!

hahaha.. do you post looking for me?? Or do I just stumble on you to annoy you :D

I actually soak it right in with the beet pulp - I toss the beet on the bottom then the cubes on top.. Because the hay doesn' thave to be swelled. I use the large scoop.. one beet three hay cubes and 3/4 of a bucket of water to feed my skinny mini's and my Heaves mare - it's working like a hot damn.. I am going to get some before and after photos of Bear here.. it's really astonishing! I should find some "grain" photos as well.. although they arn't much better then the befores

It doesn't take much water at all, and I just use the water from the pump. Hay alone looks good in about an hour - the beet goes over night and the horses wolf it down :)
 
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LOL!!! Looks like either doesn't it? Heck I'm just glad anyone replies to my posts at all!:p

So the hay cubes don't really swell then? So why are they soaked then?

Yesterday I decided to time how long it took for the beet pulp to swell. I had a regular margarine container & filled it half way. So there was maybe 1 1/2 cup? (Darn forgot to measure)

I boiled water in my kettle & poured it on then put a foil on top of the popcorn bowl. In 30 min it had swelled up 4X it's original size & it was about over 90% finished swelling. There were only a few pea sized firm lumps.so safe enough to feed.

And boy oh boy were the girls ever happy to have a nice yummy warm breaky! Mind you I could then only give them each a full container of this margarine container (so at least 2 cups each?).
 
hahaha K I got a before of him from the rescue.. will take some this weekend for "after" and post on monday or so..


I really don't know what the weights or meassures are.. I am bad for eyeballing stuff - I admit it!

I soak mine because I am feeding a horse with a lack of teeth and the other has heaves, so the water "kills" the dust for her. It leaves them with an "oatmeal" like pile of feed that keeps them happy :) I try not to feed Alfalfa if I can.. but the 50/50 split has been working well for me :)
 
So I can feed it dry? What a relief! I've always seen it fed soaked unless it was given as a treat like we do carrots & such.

I always thought if it wasn't soaked, the horse had a higher chance of choking on it.

Thanks everyone:)
 
Our farrier gives some to his stud, and we had a mare here that had it.

Were the farrier gives it with enough water to get in all wet (He just takes the hose and sprays water on it.

And the mare just got it dry.

We used to just hand them to the horses as a treat, they LOVED them.

:D
 
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