How Do You Feed Hay Cubes To A Horse?

Feeding Cubes When replacing long-stem baled hay with forage cubes, you would replace one pound of hay with one pound of forage cubes. To swallow and digest a forage cube, the horse must properly chew the cube. If the cube is not properly chewed, the horse can potentially choke.

Do you have to soak hay cubes for horses?

A second benefit of wetting cubes is increased water consumption. This is sometimes advantageous in the winter when horses may be cutting back on water intake. If a horseman chooses to wet the cubes, I can be done just prior to feeding. They do not need to soak for any length of time.

How much hay cubes do you feed a horse?

We have used hay cubes as the sole source of fiber in several research studies at Rutgers with good results, feeding up to 12 to 15 lbs of cubes per horse per day.

Are hay cubes better than hay?

Controlled feed intake – It is easier for the horse owner to monitor and regulate the daily intake of cubed forage than long-stem hay. Consistent nutrient content – The nutrient levels found in cubes tend to be more consistent than hay.

Is hay or cubes better for horses?

Horses that eat hay are likely to need less frequent dental care and have healthier teeth than those that eat cubes or pellets. Stomach Protection: It’s no secret that performance horses, especially when they travel, are prone to gastric ulcers.

How long should you soak hay cubes?

approximately 30-60 minutes
To properly soak forage cubes, the cubes should be totally submerged in water for approximately 30-60 minutes prior to feeding. This will soften the cubes until they dissolve into short pieces of forage fiber.

Why do you rub a horse down with hay?

The horse is rubbed or “curried” to help loosen dirt, hair, and other detritus, plus stimulate the skin to produce natural oils.

What is the best way to feed hay to horses?

If the ground is grassy and relatively dry, consider feeding hay on the ground to mimic the way a horse naturally grazes. However, if your soil is sandy or gravelly, elevate hay off the ground when feeding via a hay net or manger, as horses can ingest sand or gravel which can lead to impaction colic.

Can you overfeed a horse hay?

Providing hay or other feeds to our friendly companions daily is very important. But it’s easy to go overboard when feeding them with the wrong hard feeds or hay that is too high in sugar or protein. Overfeeding leads to problems like obesity, laminitis, and colic.

How many times a day should you feed a horse hay?

Typically, most horse owners feed their animals twice daily: once in the morning and once in the late afternoon or evening. This has more to do with convenience for us, rather than what is best for the horse. For example, it would be quite labor intensive to feed a horse 3, 4 or even 5 times a day.

Should I feed hay cubes?

Older horses may benefit from soaked forage cubes if dental issues limit their ability to chew hay, and horses with inflammatory airway disease are often offered forage in the form of cubes, pellets, or chaff to reduce the level of dust and mold that can be associated with hay.

Can hay cubes replace hay?

Forage cubes can be fed just like hay, at a 1:1 ratio of the like hay type the horse currently consumes. For example, you would replace five pounds of alfalfa hay with five pounds of alfalfa cubes and adjust the amount if needed to maintain the animal’s proper weight.

Are hay cubes cheaper than hay?

Interestingly, pure alfalfa cubes are usually cheaper than either timothy or alfalfa/timothy cubes. Excessive intake Most horses cannot be given free choice access to cubes as they sometimes can with medium-quality long-stem hay.

Are hay cubes the same as hay?

Hay cubes and hay pellets are made of the same basic material (dried plants) as long stem baled hay. Research has shown that no differences in digestibility occur between good quality baled hay and the same hay made into pellets or cubes.

Can hay cubes soak overnight?

In the winter, when it’s cold, I can soak the pellets overnight outside, or in an unheated garage. The pellets can still be okay after 12 hours, if it’s cold enough. However, my preference, when possible, whether hot or cold weather, is to feed them after 5 hours of soaking.

Are hay cubes or pellets better?

There is no nutritional difference between alfalfa pellets and cubes, so the choice between the two is based on which type your horses prefer and which you prefer to feed and store. Alfalfa pellets, cubes, and hay provide the same essential nutrients per pound.

What happens if you soak hay too long?

In warmer conditions, soaking hay for more than two hours is also likely to result in the hay starting to ferment and this is not desirable for then feeding to horses. Studies have shown that soaking for longer periods such as 9 hours, also increased the microbial contamination in the hay.

Do alfalfa cubes make horses hot?

Much of the excess protein is urinated away. So while alfalfa does contain higher protein it is not the culprit when it comes to the increased energy levels that might make a horse “hot”.

Are timothy cubes good for horses?

Triple Crown Naturals Timothy Balance^® Forage Cubes are a low protein forage replacement or supplement formulated with beet pulp and minerals. Designed for horses with Cushing’s disease, Insulin Resistance, laminitis and other conditions when a low starch and sugar diet is recommended.

Where should you not touch a horse?

Be sure to stay away from the sensitive areas of the horse like the eyes, ears, muzzle, and belly of the horse. While some horses might be OK with you petting these areas, many are sensitive and won’t like to be touched there.

Where do horses like to be petted the most?

Ideally, when approaching a horse for the first time, you will want to pet them on their neck. Horses are more sensitive on their heads and they do not always like to get pet there. The neck, withers and shoulders are the best places to pet a horse.