Back to Nature - Grass Pellets

[Tab]

Does anyone feed pelletized alfalfa or timothy grass pellets instead of grain preparations or oats? Views?

 

[Marty]

I feed a handful of alfalfa pellets but not to replace my oats. Only as a treat really.

 

[candycar]

I feed timothy pellets, mixed with a little BOSS and now oats. I only feed about 1 cup (5oz by weight) timothy pellets, 1/2 c oats and 1/4 c BOSS. Once a day for 2 B size minis . The mini mule gets about 1/2 of that. It makes them feel like they are getting a treat and hopefully brings them in from pasture when we start using one.

I used to feed alfalfa pellets but mules shouldn't get them so I switched to the timothy pellets. I am trying the oats for the first time, used to give a hay ration balancer instead. I also sometimes use the pellets as treats when I need more than a few. They like them the same as cookies.

 

[amysue]

I have a mini with a stomach ulcer and alfalfa pellets really soothe his belly. I found they weren't enough to keep him looking healthy, hegets strategy too. The ccombination of the two keep him looking sharp.

 

[Minimor]

I rarely feed pellets at all. We cannot get timothy pellets herenot enough demand for them I guess, and no one will stock themI do buy alfalfa pellets once in awhile; a year ago I was feeding them to several horses that needed extra. My hay last year was very poor and there were a couple mares that lost too much weight, so I started giving them the pellets. Once I got better hay I quit; They were getting 1 lb each of alfalfa pellets, oats and 14% pellets 2x a day. I did also give the pellets to the two pony stallions, but they quit eating them. Gold would just leave his, but Venture would fling them all over the groundhe didnt want them and he didnt want them in his tub! Pelleted grain rationsome of mine will eat it, others will pick the oats out and leave the pellets, and a few will simply leave their grain completely if I add pellets to the oats. SoI dont buy pellets very often.

I would never substitute hay pellets for oats, and in view of the fact that so many of my horses dont care for pelleted feed I would also never use pelleted grain in place of oats. Oats has been my grain of choice for years. Forever in fact! It works well for me and always has, and I see no reason to change that. Mind youMonday when I went to buy oats the elevator didnt have any bagged, so all I could get was a bag of 60-30-10a mix of oats/barley/corn (all rolled/crushed). It is actually a bit lower in protein, fat and fibre than the straight oats. One pony refused it completely, most tried it with suspicion then decided yes, that works and ate it readily, and several said WOW, this is AWESOME. Quite obviously they think it is better than oats! So, I will look at buying some of that mix in place of oats in future.

For treats I use oats or a peppermint (or licorice) horse treat, either Manna Pro or Start to Finish.

 

[chandab]

I've not used pelleted hay in place grain (oats or commercial), but have used it as hay replacement when needed. I've also used it as "rattle" in the dish for those that don't need grain, so they get something in their dishes when others are getting their grain (I guess in a way this would be in place of grain). I use grass hay pellets in my stallion's toy, gives him something to do and he really likes chasing that treat ball around. I have two that I wish would eat more of the grass and alfalfa pellets, they don't seem to get enough out of baled hay, but they won't eat enough or won't eat them at all. [seems to be the way it goes, those that need something refuse to eat, and those that don't need it will scarf it down.]

 

[horsefeather]

We feed pellets. We also purchase beat pulp and soak the beat pulp. We then add the pelleted feed to the soaked beat pulp and mix well. We feed this to our minis, shetlands, sheep and goats and everyone seems to like it, never have any left in feed pans. Used to feed Strategy but got to expensive and had used beat pulp before, so we switched to beat pulp again.

Pam

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I mix grass/alfalfa pellets and beet pulp and soak together. I soak overnight if I am using cold water as this suits me, or for half an hour if using hot water (cold days it makes a nice old fashioned "mash") Grass pellets take around twice to three times as much water by volume, and beet pulp pellets take around five times as much so I do have to juggle the water a bit but as I then mix the result with grass chaff it all comes up well. I will add their grain ration to this mash. My horses love it (but I have to say I do not have any picky eaters!) I feed straight grain, and make up my own mix which is barley, not oat, based, but that is mainly because I can get good barley cheap and oats round here, because it is classed as "horse feed" is a lot more expensive. It is also hit and miss for quality, again, because the "good" stuff is sold at a much higher price. I never feed the pellets dry- the ones I get are a guaranteed vitamin/mineral and protein content but they are quite small and hard and I do feel a greedy guts like my lot could choke on them. Added to which, of course, one of the reasons I feed them is the water content, so soaking is necessary.

 

[Tab]

I must say I'm liking the looks of the standlee grass pellets more and more. They don't use binders, and the alfalfa/Timothy mix produces about 12% protein. Straight alfalfa is about 16%. Their hooves were in bad shape on oats. Doesn't bother me a bit that they are a popular choice, you use what works for your horses! I went to a vet clinic years ago where the vet warned against high starch. My gut says that my minis aren't really being worked at the moment, so in winter, hay and fresh (unfrozen) water is the best colic and founder preventative. I've tried just about everything over the years, but my herd is aging and the nutritional demands are changing. Over the years I've tried patriot, nutena, dumor, straight oats. Now I'm going to try out the grass pellets. I have been giving them as a treat, and sometimes that is all that is needed! I used to give bran mashes in the winter and after foaling, but we learned that wheat bran led to a nutrient deficiency. Soaking pellets is still a wonderful way of introducing extra water into the diet or making a soothing mash. Appreciate learning from all of the individual viewpoints! Thanks!

 

[Carolyn R]

My horses do not like the grass pellets, but love the soaked hay cubes and prefer the standlee brand. Other brands will make due, but there is a strong preference to the much greener alfalfa or alfalfa timothy cubesby standlee. Mine also get a little grain mixed in, keeps them well hydrated, eases my mind when it comes to water intake too.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

The soaked grass nuts are an acquired taste, they are quite sharp (Yes I did try them!) but they do get there in the end. I mixed mine in with beet pulp pellets to start, and did not drain the molasses. They soon got there. We cannot get the hay cubes here- well, they can be got but are ridiculous in price!- so that would not be an option, but we can get Alfa A- which is a similar thing but not pressed into cubes.