# So uh.. How much water do you actually add to hay cubes??



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I keep adding until it's the consistency I want-- it varies from product to product.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Keep adding water until there are no more dry bits, and most importantly, no hard pieces! It will take a while, but you'll figure it out eventually. I find it easier to use a transparent container to prepare hay cubes. I even put a piece of tape on so I know where the line is for filling with water. That way if I go away and someone else has to prepare the feeding, it's easy. 

I like the consistency to be something like uncooked oatmeal cookie dough. If there's puddles of water, it doesn't hold together really well and the horses have to slurp it. If it's too dry, there's a danger that there are still dry pieces in there that your horse could choke on. I was REALLY paranoid initially, and would run my fingers through it to make sure there weren't any hard pieces. But now that I know the ratio, and leave them for several hours to soak (in the barn mini-fridge), I know they'll be ok. I do stir everything in really well, so any hard pieces would come out. 

But 2 litres of water is a lot. Since it's for Trouble, you really don't need that much! I mix Z's vitamin supplement, plus all the other supplements I give (and I give a lot) in 100g of dry hay cubes. And yes, I have a food scale in my tack room where I prepare their feed. But that's maybe a cup. Add water, it's maybe 4-5 cups when it's wet. That's more than enough to mix in their supplements. You can ask Z, but I've seen the quantities she gives her horses. When wet, it's such a small amount that it would fit in a small Tupperware container. They don't need a ton of hay cubes!


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Best to soak them ahead of time. Not to far ahead though as heat/cold will affect them.

I start with really hot water, have a single layer of cubes in a bucket and cover them with the HOT water. Let that soak for 10 minutes or so, and stir with a sturdy spoon to get them to break up a bit.Then add unheated, mixing to cool them off. Check in another 10 minutes, stir, and if they are not too hot they are pretty much ready. If still too hot I add more water.

I serve them warmer in winter than summer.

PS Chief has great teeth and I don't worry about smallish lumps with him. Annie (23 yr old mini who has choked) I feed soaked pellets, but not sloppy. Pellets are easier to get to the 'mush' stage. If she had not choked though I would give her cubes for the fiber (soaked longer).

With Elwood, who had a tumor in his mouth, I would use 2 coolers at home. Pellets in one, cubes in the other and soak several hours before going to the barn.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Yes, hot water will make them crumble faster, which is useful in the winter. But I leave them in water for several hours so I don't bother with the hot water unless I forgot to prepare the rations ahead of time. I keep them in a mini-fridge in my tack room in the summer, and in the garage in the winter (our garage always stays just above freezing). I do NOT, however, mix the supplements in ahead of time as a precaution - those get mixed in just before feeding. I wouldn't advise letting them soak for hours unless you have the ability to keep them at a cool temperature of course.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

My horses don't like them super mushy. I like to put in enough water so it's the consistency of fresh grass. I cover the cubes with water about 2 or 3 inches above the top of the cubes.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I bought Standlee Brand hay cubes -- FWIW their brand is the one thing I can still get at Tractor Supply, all of their bagged hay products are of high quality.

I still feed their Timothy pellets and mix the supplants in with water.

Anyway, I would measure out the amount if hay cubes in the morning for the evening feeding and I. The evening for the morning feeding. I generously coveried them in water in a plastic container and put them in the refrigerator --- they won't spoil in the refrigerator.

Then I hand mushed them down to resemble wet grass. 

If you can't get Standlee brand, try different brands until you find one that is dust free, and soaks down easily.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

OH my GOD abort mission!! Abort mission!! I ended up with an overflowing bucket full LOL dear god!!! Now I know. HALF a handful of cubes and I'll be good! I just had to let it soak for half hour. 

Now onto another problem. Trouble wouldn't touch them. No one would. I had to dump it in the middle of the pasture and hang my head in shame, walking away. Even my gorby guts gelding took a sniff and turned his nose up. What could I safely add to it that might make him like it? I knew he was picky but come on.... :/


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I rarely soak hay/alfalfa cubes, I just spread them out around the paddock so they have to graze for them, prevents boredom. When I do soak them the odd time, they don't seem to like them as much, go figure?


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

waresbear said:


> I rarely soak hay/alfalfa cubes, I just spread them out around the paddock so they have to graze for them, prevents boredom. When I do soak them the odd time, they don't seem to like them as much, go figure?


How big are yours?? I couldn't imagine they'd even find them in our pasture! Mine are like the size of my thumb. It says on the bag not to feed them dry or by hand. It says to soak them to prevent choke :/


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

When I fed cubes (I did the oat/alfalfa) I never soaked them. I fed them for about 15-16 years & never had any problems. I would still be feeding cubes if my cube place was still in business. There is another company I could buy from, but it is more expense than the place I used to get them from. I used to buy in bulk (they'd fill up the bed of my truck). They were much bigger than my thumb. I still get some cubes to feed, but mainly feed baled hay. Would love to go back to cubes. I'll try to find a few articles I know of about cubes and soaking. It's not necessary to soak, although many people believe it is and many do it. What ever floats your boat ...


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

WhattaTroublemaker said:


> How big are yours?? I couldn't imagine they'd even find them in our pasture! Mine are like the size of my thumb. It says on the bag not to feed them dry or by hand. It says to soak them to prevent choke :/


Sounds like you have hay pellets, not the cubes, because the size of the cubes are the size of a toy block. When I get the hay or alfalfa pellets, which is rare, I do soak them because you are right, they would prolly choke on them.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

WhattaTroublemaker said:


> How big are yours?? I couldn't imagine they'd even find them in our pasture! Mine are like the size of my thumb. It says on the bag not to feed them dry or by hand. It says to soak them to prevent choke :/


sure you don;t have hay pellets, versus cubes?
Opps, see Waresbear has already answered you!


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## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

My gelding chokes on them, so I soak them or split them into 1cm slivers. 
I sit and split them while watching tv, usually for my sheep to get as treats. Horses get them soaked in HOT water, once luke warm, I feed them. 
Mine are on a track, so they love hay, sopping wet or not. If they were still on pasture, they wouldn't eat them wet what-so-ever!

You can try breaking them up real good, then adding a little water at a time, mixing it up as you go, until all are moist, but that is labor intensive. =/
How about hay pellets? They don't choke my gelding, so I don't soak those. Could you use those instead?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

only time I have used cubes, was on late fall mountain pack trips, as obviously one can pack in a bag of cubes much easier then a bale of hay! Snow was on the ground, so just fed them in the snow, not soaked
My son, on our weekend camp horse trip, used cubes, and he soaked them either over night, or during the day, while we were riding. Of course, with the horses tied to a hitching rail, no option of gazing, they ate those soaked cubes. Don't know if they were envious of my horse's hay bags!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I get my timothy hay cubes from Shur-Gain (you have to specify timothy only!) and they are about 1" x 1-2" squares, maybe slightly bigger. I'm guessing that's what you have but yeah, definitely bigger than a thumb. 

All sorts of things you can add. Salt is the first one. Apple sauce is an option, but not for an IR horse (though I still don't think Trouble is IR). Carrot juice works. You can also chop up carrots and mix them up really well with the hay cubes. Then the horses have to dig through them to find the carrots. You could even try grating them. And yes, I know carrots also have sugar, but this is a short-term solution to get Trouble used to the taste, and still better than apples. 

You might also try feeding Trouble in his stall with nothing else to eat for a while. He'll get curious. 

Did you put the vitamin mix in? If so, don't for the next few days. Some horses don't like the flavour. Re-introduce it slowly once he looks forward to the cubes. 

Mine go crazy for their hay cubes and I don't mix any carrots or anything else but vitamins. It's just something they get conditioned to. It will help if Trouble is a little hungry. I'd leave him in his stall for a couple of hours with nothing else to eat. 

And no, I would NOT feed them dry. These are definitely big enough to choke a horse, and the bag clearly says they need to be soaked. When you see how much water they can absorb, you realize why. A dry piece gets stuck in the oesophagus, is moistened by saliva, then expands... not good.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I know a lot of people that do not soak them but my older horse decided to choke on one bad enough I had to have the vet out to tube him so I stay away from the cubes. I prefer the pellets. Some of my horses eat them dry, some get enough water to make them soft and the old guy gets soup!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I don't like either, (cubes or pellets ) and only use cubes as for pack trips, when packing in hay is not feasible.
For me, beet pulp is the way to go, if you want an extra source of fiber that is both very nutritious , plus is a fiber very easy to digest. Soaked beet pulp. , to me , is the easier transport food for any supplements also.
I guess, during a severe hay shortage, I would consider cubes, but other wise, why not just add some good quality hay? That long fiber is what horses were designed to eat, and actually need.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

https://marketplace.horsedigests.com/1HD/8-15/html5.html#page/20

Couldn't find the other article ....

Certainly if you have a problem horse (senior, youngster, one who eats too fast, etc.), soaking is great. In general, you do not have to, but of course you can, soak cubes. 

Personally, I love cubes - easy, less mess, less work, less loss, my horses have always done well on cubes. But since they are now hard to come by in bulk (and does not make economic sense in the smaller 50# bags), I've been force to go to baled hay.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Mine get pellets (thumb size). No water. If it rains in their buckets before they finish eating, they won't finish. Apparently mushy pellets are yucky. Works for me...

They get one meal a day of pellets, two of hay. But when the wind picks up, they may go several days living on pellets alone. Same when it rains and their "dry lot" turns into "sea of mud". If it harms them, they hide it well. Trooper has been hiding it well for 9 years now.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Too lazy to quote everyone lol so here goes. 
@Acadianartist 
My cubes are tiny, like one inch by one inch, they come in a paper sac, like a fifty pound bag. I got mine from shur gain too. Ontario Dehy- premium quality forage cubes. It does say to soak them, and not to feed by hand to prevent choke. I've dealt with choke three times now here, and I WILL not take any more chances! 

I added a cup of sugar free mashed pear sauce, and a small handful of senior feed for flavour. It's soaking now so I'll see if he eats it. He's had a bit of runny poop for the past week or so, and I don't want to make it worse so I'm only giving him a bit. I also didn't add any of Zs supplements yesterday, because she said it tasted strong and I wanted to introduce him to the cubes first. He's always been a super picky eater, so I hope I can get him to eat it. 
@Smilie I did think on best pulp but my trimmer said it takes awhile for them to acquire a taste for it, and hay cubes would be closer to what he eats now - Timothy hay.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Success! I cut the amount of cubes in half, maybe 10 cubes in total, added a bit of pear sauce, enough water just to mush them apart, and a half teaspoon of his new supplements. He ate it with no hesitation. I also added almost a tablespoon of salt to everyone's feed today, as it's been (and going to be for the next two days) 30 degrees (Celsius) plus, and I want everyone to stay hydrated and happy. Sucks because they've went through their total second shed, and one or two have a good amount of hair on them. Darn weather! 2 degrees one night, 30 the next day.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Smilie said:


> I don't like either, (cubes or pellets ) and only use cubes as for pack trips, when packing in hay is not feasible.
> For me, beet pulp is the way to go, if you want an extra source of fiber that is both very nutritious , plus is a fiber very easy to digest. Soaked beet pulp. , to me , is the easier transport food for any supplements also.
> I guess, during a severe hay shortage, I would consider cubes, but other wise, why not just add some good quality hay? That long fiber is what horses were designed to eat, and actually need.


Because we need something to mix in the supplements. Whether it's beet pulp or hay cubes, there has to be something we can put the vitamins in minerals in. Hay cubes are just hay cut up and compacted.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

WhattaTroublemaker said:


> Too lazy to quote everyone lol so here goes.
> 
> @*Acadianartist*
> My cubes are tiny, like one inch by one inch, they come in a paper sac, like a fifty pound bag. I got mine from shur gain too. Ontario Dehy- premium quality forage cubes. It does say to soak them, and not to feed by hand to prevent choke. I've dealt with choke three times now here, and I WILL not take any more chances!
> ...


Yep, same thing I feed. So glad Trouble ate it! Like I said, mine go crazy for their hay cubes. I call them in with a cow bell twice a day because they can be a few acres away. They come running and I feed them the wet hay cubes with all the supplements. I think it's partly psychological, but they think it's a great treat (I usually do give them a little treat after - like a piece of carrot, just because I want them to keep running when I ring that bell!). And mine were fine when I mixed in the vitamin mixture. I can pretty much put anything in them, and they'll eat it now.


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