How much alfalfa should I feed my 1000 pound horse each day?

Answer 1

a flake morning and night will be plenty, be careful when feeding grain if a horse is not being worked, we feed alfalfa and grass, straight alfalfa can cause problems, escecially if it has a high protein level, people dont understand that all alfalfa doesnot have the same amount of protein, it depends where it is grown, and rich straight alfalfa can cause problems including colic,if you feed alfalfa,, keep a few bales of grass around, it is good to feed for horses that think they have to eat all the time.throw a flake in for them to pick on through out the day if you decide to feed alfalfa.this helps with horses that are feed bunk hogs and get bored and they will be happier, grass and alfalfa togather is your best feed.....good luck

Answer 2

Alfalfa is the same as Lucern hay and chaff, its the most nutrious roughage available. High in energy and protein a good source of calcium. High protein.

I dont know if your horse is a baby or a senior horse, so....

a maintanence diet is 1.5% of its body weight, this should be its daily feed.

e.g.
12 hh is 150kg
13 225
14 350
15 425
16 525
17 600

e.g a 14 hand high horse in light to medium work provide 2% of its body weight. = 7kg

They feed should also be to a certain ratio, for maximum muscle repair and mantanence.

2:1 for young horses and 1.3:1 for grown horses, this ration is of calcium to phosphorus

The following feeds have Phosphurus and calcium

Phosphorus
Oats
Barley
Corn
Bran
Plooard
Linseed

Ballanced
Pellets Meadow hay
grassy pasture

non-offensive
oaten chaff
wheaten chaff
white chaff

Calcium
Lucern (alfalfa) chaff and hay
Clover
Molasses

for every 1 kg of phosphorus (oats barley etc) feed 1.3 kg of calcium (alfalfa) hope this helps and i haven't raved and ranted, need more info email me [e-mail]


P.S. I feed my performance horse about 3 biscuits a day when im at a local competition, and when he runs out, i usually give him more. I find, that if you give too much green feed, it will give the horse the runs. So if the grass is of higher quantity, reduce the alfalfa. Alfalfa shouldn't, to my beleif, be feed as a single diet. A mixed feed of alfalfa and maybe a white chaff and either a grain (oats, barley or boiled barley for weight gain) are good, pick something non-heating and easily digestible. A Pony pellet or a pre mixed cool mix is best.

I hope you find what you were wondering.

Answer 3

Not very much... it's got way too much protein and it's hard on the horses' kidneys if you feed it pure. Try to buy a hay that's a mixture of alfalfa/orchard grass/timothy or something like that. Even straight grass hay is much better for a mature horse that is in moderate training.

You can give your horse all the grass hay he wants, without any problems.

Answer 4

Just remember that there is more to feeding than just offering free-choice hay as not all hay is created equal when it comes to the health of the horse. There are major differences between legume hay like Alfalfa and Clover, and grass-type hays like Bermuda, Timothy, Orchard, Brome, Oats, and Rye. Because of these differences, when feeding on a free-choice basis, use grass rather than legume hays. Use alfalfa as a condiment and grass hay as the main course.

One difference is that alfalfa can have 50% or more calories and protein per pound than grass hay, and many times it is fed in the same quantities as the grass hay, or worse yet, offered as the only feed. No horse needs this much protein or calories. In addition to the higher calories and protein, alfalfa also has a high calcium to phosphorus ratio, often 4-1 and higher. The proper ratio for healthy horses should be 2-1 and no more than 4-1.

Furthermore, a study conducted at the University of California at Davis confirms that horses fed a diet rich in alfalfa may run a higher risk of developing enteroliths. These rock hard mineral deposits, also known as stones, build up in the stomach or intestine and can cause colic and death. The study revealed that horses suffering from stones had a higher pH concentrate in their colons and more alfalfa in their diets. It is also known that Cushings, Insulin-resistant, and chronic laminitic horses as well as ponies & burros are very susceptible to the ill-effects of Alfalfa.

By offering grass hays on a free-choice basis and limiting the amount of alfalfa, a good balance can be obtained. A simple formula to decide how much alfalfa to feed will enable the caretaker to monitor this intake. Take 1-2% of the horse’s body weight and divide this by four. This will give the appropriate poundage of alfalfa to give the horse daily in addition to grass hay.

For example; in the summer, Jake a 1000 lb. Quarter Horse ridden an hour four times a week would receive a third of 1% of his body weight in alfalfa a day. To find the poundage amount take weight (1000) multiplied by 1% totals 10. Now divide 10 by 4 resulting in 2.5 lbs. of alfalfa per day. In the winter months, when a horse needs more calories and protein, he may need an increase in the percentage by a half or full percent.

However, this calculation must be based on the individual horse, depending on his metabolism, activity level, and age. Here’s another example.

Nitro is a 1000 lb Polish Arab endurance horse who trains 3 hrs a day five days a week and covers many miles. He might need a quarter of 2.5% of his body weight. 1000 x 2.5%=25 divided by 4=6.25 lbs of alfalfa.

This brings us to another important point. WEIGH YOUR HAY!! Most people just grab a flake or so and throw it in. But as you will discover when you start weighing your hay, flakes can vary considerably in weight; not just from bale to bale but even within the same one. You can pick up a scale at many feed and farm supply stores very reasonable and it’ll pay for itself in no time based on the hay you will save.

Answer 5

Alfalfa isn't necessary unless you're working him hard. Most do well enough on a grass mix. Its a really rich hay. If he's not doing much I wouldn't feed more than 1 slice 2x. If you get a good grass mix, you can feed more.

Answer 6

Alfalfa can cause gull stones in your horse, use it sparingly, as a treat. Stick with the hay, and try to get your horse into eating oats.

Answer 7

a flake and a half of good Timothy or alfalfa in the morning and the same at night. a half of a one pound coffee can of sweet grain if'n your working it a lot should be enough. you should also put a salt block in his (or) her feeder. If it starts acting too hot, cut back on the grain. :)

Answer 8

You feed your horse crap? That's disgusting! I don't know how much you should feed him. I didn't even know you could feed them cow crap!

Answer 9

Depends on how much you want him to crap.

Answer 10

half its body weight