# Alfalfa versus Cubes or Pellets



## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

I've always wondered on here... Why does everybody feed alfalfa pellets or cubes instead of actual alfalfa? My horses turn their noses up at pellets or cubes but relish a good flake of alfalfa hay.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Nobody grows alfalfa in my area. I'm in Timothy/Orchard Grass land. Cubes are all I can get.


----------



## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

In many areas alfalfa is unavailable or cost prohibitive - the pelleted/cubed form can be found pretty much anywhere (even if the local feed store doesn't carry it, they can order it in). Many people choose to use pellets/cubes as a supplement to grass hay and find the processed form to be more convenient. 
For me, it's a combination. Alfalfa is available here, but is somewhat pricey. I am lucky enough to have a source for a nice blend that is mostly grass but has a good bit of alfalfa in it. Rather than having two separate bales of hay to feed out of every feeding, I opt to supplement the grass/mix hay with alfalfa pellets which are cheaper than purchasing the bales outright.


----------



## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

Do you soak the cubes or pellets?


----------



## deineria (Mar 22, 2009)

No one sells Alfalfa here, so we do cubes and pellets. I do not soak either.


----------



## leapoffaithfarm (Jun 26, 2009)

I am not able to get the hay here no one sells it. So I choose the cubes. We only feed the cubes to the older horses so yes they are soaked


----------



## close2prfct (Mar 9, 2009)

The alfalfa grown here isn't typically suitable for horses so I feed pellets. My horses turn their noses up at the cubes soaked or not they won't eat them. Pellets however they eat with no fuss.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My horse is parrot mouthed, so I soak the hay cubes.


----------



## AussieDaisyGirl (May 21, 2009)

It's not easy to get right here, that's why I get the pellets. Otherwise I'd much rather feed the hay.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I stick with the actual alfalfa. Here it is cheaper and easier to get enough for long periods. All my horses are very good at self regulating as they have free access to big bales (mixed with grass in summer and pure in winter). They are fat but healthy and we have never had an issue with either colic or founder since we stopped feeding sweet feed.


----------



## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

For me a large part of my preference for pellets is that I do not feed grain. I feed a mix of Beet Pulp and Alf Pellets to keep the "herd" happy when my 30 yr old appy gets his big ration of the above with his Total Equine. I would love to feed him Alf hay but finding a good and safe supply isn't as easy as just buying the pellets for all. And I can soak or just wet his feed down in winter to help get more water in him. He never did drink a lot in winter. He's losing teeth so he really doesn't eat but about 2 flakes of hay a day. All my other horses are on full pasture and they don't need a richer hay in winter either.


----------



## Bronco Hollow (Jul 21, 2009)

Some people even with access to alfalfa still use pellets or cubes as they are easier to store, cleaner than stacked bales and less dust. When we traveled a lot with the horses we took pellets as they took up less space.

If a horse has trouble chewing they can be moistened, but most horses will eat them dry.


----------



## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

I figured it was an accessibility ease of use issue. I just wanted to make sure that my horses weren't missing out on any nutritional bonuses from the pellets cubes. Thanks for the responses everybody!


----------



## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

The alfalfa hay in our area is not only pricey, but tends to have blister beetle issues. It's cheaper and safer to buy the pellets. I don't know if cubes are even available in this area. I soak the pellets with the beet pulp - don't want the daughter's mare to colic on us. She has already had some scary colicky moments. She's dreadfully skinny - but since we **finally** convinced the son-in-law that mare's don't always wean their colts at the right time and we pulled her 14 month old, still nursing, nuisance of a colt off of her and are feeding her separately from the colt, she is putting on weight rapidly.


----------

