Safe feed supplement

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debbiesshelties

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Hello,

I seem to be feeding more and more feed to keep the weight on this year. It has been unusually cold so far. Would alfalfa pellets be a safe addition to their feed to help keep the weight on? I am feeding Legends performance 12/10/18 pelleted feed. Thanks,

Debbie
 
What kind of hay are you feeding? Can you increase their hay. [its cold here, so mine are now on pretty much free choice grass hay.] More hay to munch on usually does good to keep them warm and helps with weight.

Unless someone has allergies, alfalfa pellets are usually safe to feed. [You'll also want to watch that you don't have one that bolts their feed, those that bolt sometimes choke on pellets.] I've not had any issues with feeding pellets (the kind I can get are 1/4" diameter pellets).
 
Our hay does not have any alfalfa in it, so I feed alfalfa , but I don't really feed too much, and I only start feeding them in late October.

I actually prefer the alfalfa cubes, but I'd never give them to my horses as they come out of the bad. Most of the cubes are too big and too hard. So, I first put the dried beet pulp in my bucket, and then I count out only two or three of the big cubes per horse. I have 16 horses, so I usually put anywhere from 40 to 50 cubes into the bucket. Then I bring the bucket into the house in the morning after chores, fill it with water, and set it next to the wood stove.

Sometime in the late afternoon all the beet pulp and alfalfa cubes are soaked, and the cubes have fallen apart, so I give it all a good stir. When I'm ready to go to the barn in the evening I quickly drain off the excess water, and then each horse gets about three really heaping cups of this mixture; less for weanlings. It goes right on top of their grain, as I don't like them eating grain unless they've got something else in their stomachs, because of the way the grain metabolizes on somewhat empty stomachs.

They also get their feeders filled with hay, but I've found that giving them this beet pulp/alfalfa mixture and their grain makes their hay last much longer into the night. That way they will be sure to have something to nibble if they aren't sleeping or if it's really cold, and it's always really cold here this time of year!

Towards the end of March I start cutting down the alfalfa, so that by the time they are getting onto pasture for a short time every day in April, they are off the alfalfa, but they get the beet pulp all year round.
 
I've used alfalfa pellets with good success in the past, but my picky older mare decided they weren't yummy enough, so I've switched to Alfa Supreme, which is chopped dried alfalfa that comes in a bag. I like the pellets because they seem to be easy to chew and they "dissolve" quickly. I have also used alfalfa cubes in the past, but having to soak them is a pain, so the chopped alfalfa is where we're at these days.

I like feeding a bit of alfalfa (our main forage is grass hay) because some studies are showing that it helps avoid ulcers. Seems to be working (knock on wood!) with my older, picky, tummyache-prone mare... And for my gelding, the fluffy alfalfa makes it look like there's more grain in his dish. He doesn't get much, and inhales it in seconds, so the alfalfa makes him happier and slows him down a bit. I also think that the higher protein is a good thing - it has certainly helped my horses to look better as their toplines are filled out more and their bellies have decreased.
 
You can add rice bran pellets to keep weight on. They're 12% protein and 12% fat.

They are already in most feeds, so you're really just increasing the amount in the feed.
 

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