Alfalfa Cubes-are they worth feeding?......?

Question

My horse is 23yrs old and I consider him in good shape.He's not ridden much anymore and he doesn't have much grass in his pasture(4 acares of woods) He is fed hay and sweet feed but I would like to see him gain 15-20 lbs for the winter.So what is better -supplements(what do you recommend) corn or alfalfa cubes or any other suggestions. Thanks

Answer 1

I would have him on a senior feed instead of the sweet feed. If you choose to feed the alfalfa cubes they are better if you soak them first and break them apart. Older horses tend to choke on the cubes so that's why I soak them in warm water for 15 minutes or so and them break them apart by hand. I have a 21 year old gelding and a 24 year old mare that I feed alfalfa cubes to in the winter months. Neither one has lost weight over the winter while feeding these. The mare especially did before. Her teeth are not in the best of shape and she has problems with dry hay sometimes so the pre soaked alfalfa cubes work real well for her. Check in your area, you may be able to buy them in bulk other wise get the 50 pound bags. I feed pellets also plus the equine senior and as much grass hay as they will eat.

Answer 2

Pellets are not going to make your horse gain any weight. So recommending Strategy or Equine Senior is lame. I feed my horse Alfalfa cubes because all we have is grass hay in TX and he doesn't maintain his desired weight. The cubes help him keep weight on. Don't feed corn...small amounts are ok to help keep him warm but you don't want him hyper! Good luck!

Answer 3

It is a treat. a lot of people (including the owners of the place i board at) mix hay and alfalfa, just to get more flavor and a little easier chewing and digesting. I would say if its worth it for buying depends on how you keep your horses. If they are in a stall, it may be great for them to have another change, to liven up their diets a little bit, like a surprise every week or so... if theyre in pasture, they dont really need grain.....and they wouldnt really need alfalfa, but again, you can mix it with the hay you throw out.... try it, see how your horse likes it and reacts to it physically, and depending on the results, continue, or stop. :)

Answer 4

Alfalfa cubes are good for older horses. They are partially processed but less than pellets and they don't make a horse hot. Soybean meal works well to put on muscle/weight, too. A supplement that has enzymes and/or probiotics can help him to process his feed and make better use of it. Check his teeth too even a little sharpness can effect your horses ability to absorb nutrients.Hope this helps. Good Luck and God Bless.

Boy I took some heat for this. So let me share a little more info. The farm that processed my cubes did nothing else, so the hay used was not second but first quality. Pellets are heated to very high temperatures damaging many of the nutrients prior to being extruded into the pelleted shape and while they have added vitamins and minerals they are not always in an easily absorbable form for horses. Also binders are used in pellets,molasses (a form of sugar) and fat. Horses have a harder time digesting fat. Cubes are not cooked or heated and are of coarser fiber and retain more moisture than pellets, closer to the original hay, this makes them less likely to form blockages. And this would be where hay quality is not optimal, as it is cooked and changes form. Have you ever been to a plant that processes pellets, may I suggest you do so, education is a great thing. Oh and did I mention I took equine nutrition in college.

Answer 5

Equine senior w/ 1 cup of pure corn oil. Very nutritious, and high "healthy" fat. Alfalfa cubes can make a horse choke, use alfalfa hay or pellets instead.

This was recommended by my vet. Good luck !

Answer 6

id go with alfalfa pellets because they would be easier to chew when wet (i wouldn't feed them any other way). but a weight supplement may help if the pellets don't but they are mare expensive, Source is a great brand. choose what is right for him and be careful with corn because it can be hard to digest and hard to chew for older horses and it can possibly make a horse hiper (some people say it doesn't).

soaked alfalfa pellets is your best and cheapest option.

Answer 7

I would recommend the pellets over the cubes, especially cuz of his age..first of all they are cleaner and carry more nutrition than the cubes.....he will get more out of the pellets than cubes. Check out the Sacate brand Thouroughbred blend complete pellets and the purina senior feed for the sweet feed these are both easier for the older horses to eat & chew....plus he will get the extra vitamins and nutrition he needs...you can also give him the 3-way hay (oat,wheat,barley) for lunch to graze on since horses are grazing animals by nature and eat more frequently than 2 times a day.... it will also help him add & maintain his weight for the winter.i have had older horses and have fed this kind of regimen before and have had much success.....i had a nutrionalist help me for each elder horses specific needs....good luck!!!

Answer 8

Chopped alfalfa and molasses works wonders for weight gain. You can also use alfalfa pellets and put molasses over them with the same effect. If you use cubes, when you put them in the bucket, pour some water over them to make them softer, this makes them easier to swallow and digest.

Answer 9

No cubes...they arent as healthy and nutrious as pellets!!!
Cubes are actually compressed from leftover hay or last cuts....so its not as nutrious for them nor clean!!! the pellets are cleaner more balanced and have lots of vitamins especially if you use the complete pellets, also you can try a senior feed that will be good for him to....just not too much if it tends to make him hot!!!

Answer 10

personally i don't like alfalfa cubes because if 1 cubes becomes infected w/ bacteria every cube gets infected and it becomes a problem for you and your horse so, if you want your horse to gain weight i would recommend wheat bran that is what i gave my horse when i needed him to gain weight