How Much Chopped Alfalfa Do You Feed A Horse?

Forage is the most important component of a horse’s diet and should be fed at a rate of 1.5-2.5% of a horse’s body weight.

How much alfalfa should I feed my horse per day?

So if you’re feeding nothing but alfalfa cubes, you should feed 1.5 to 2 percent of the horse’s body weight per day. If you’re giving it in addition to hay and/or grain, the total of everything should add up to 1.5 to 2 percent of the horse’s body weight.

How much alfalfa should I feed my 1000 pound horse?

15-20 lbs per day
For a horse who eats little hay, however, you will need to feed his entire ration as pellets. Usually 15-20 lbs per day of alfalfa or timothy pellets for a 1000# horse.

Can you give a horse too much alfalfa cubes?

Alfalfa hay can cause diarrhea in a horse that overeats it because the hay is rich and full of nutrients. Overeating alfalfa can also cause a horse to have excess gas, develop laminitis, and founder.

How much alfalfa should I feed my horse to gain weight?

About 4500 additional kcal per day over the normal amount fed should achieve half a pound of gain per day. This could be accomplished by adding 2 pounds of Strategy (3000 kcals) and 2 pounds of alfalfa hay (approximately 1800 kcals) per day, or maybe 2.5 pounds of Ultium (4750 kcal).

What is the best cutting of alfalfa for horses?

Second Cutting
This is the most common cutting of hay that horse owners give to their horses, and for a good reason. It is greener and more substantial, with more leaves and a sweet smell. This hay contains a lot of protein and fat, so it is excellent for horses that exercise.

Is alfalfa hard on horses kidneys?

Answer. Alfalfa (lucerne) products, whether hay, cubes, or pellets, are not known to cause kidney problems in horses.

How much feed would you give a 1000 pound horse a day?

The average thousand-pound horse who relies on hay for all their forage typically eats fifteen to twenty pounds of hay per day. Most hay is dispensed in flakes; however, the amount of hay in a flake can vary greatly, depending on the size of the flake and the kind of hay.

Can alfalfa cause stocking up in horses?

Alfalfa Hay Can Contribute To Excess Protein
It’s easy to overwhelm the horse with too much protein when feeding alfalfa hay because on average, alfalfa has more than twice the amount of protein as grasses.

What is the best thing to feed an old horse?

Therefore, the key to feeding older horses is to use high quality protein from sources like alfalfa, soybean meal and canola meal without oversupplying their requirements.

Do you have to soak alfalfa cubes for horses?

Healthy horses with normal teeth do not necessarily need to have soaked cubes, unless they bolt their feed; in these instances, soaking can help increase the time it takes them to finish the meal.

Can a horse colic from alfalfa?

Alfalfa increases the risk of colic.
Rapid diet changes are associated with colic, so it’s possible that if you change from grass hay to alfalfa hay all of a sudden, or you introduce alfalfa hay abruptly, you could increase the risk of colic.

Can horses colic on alfalfa cubes?

Alfalfa cubes and pellets can cause colic.
And pellets are concentrated in alfalfa hay, increasing the risk of colic. A horse will likely eat all the alfalfa cubes they have available, but when fed alfalfa hay, they are picky and often waste some.

How do I put weight on my horse’s topline?

The feeding rate is typically 1 lb per 1,000-lb body weight per day. Replacing 1 lb daily of your regular horse feed with 1 lb of a balancer pellet will provide the required amount of essential amino acids to your horse’s diet, and you should see an improvement in topline in a few months.

How much grain does a 1000 lb horse need?

For example, if you have a 1,000 pound horse who is in light work, a good diet might consist of 17 pounds of hay or hay cubes and 3 pounds of grain per day. The same 1,000 pound horse in a heavy work program may need 10 pounds of hay and 10 pounds of grain, since the grain is higher in energy.

Which is better for horses timothy or alfalfa?

Alfalfa hay is typically higher in protein and essential nutrients than timothy hay, making Alfalfa a better option for more active animals that need a high-protein diet. Alfalfa also has more calories per pound than timothy, so it’s generally the preferred choice of sport horse owners.

Is first or second cut alfalfa better?

The first cutting usually has a higher weed content, and quality decreases after the second cutting, so the second cutting is usually the best to feed.

When should you not cut alfalfa?

Late Alfalfa Cuttings
In more northern regions especially, alfalfa should not be cut or grazed during the period of 4 to 6 weeks before the first killing frost, or approximately between the first week of September and mid-October.

Can I feed my horse straight alfalfa?

“A lot of horse owners are intimidated by alfalfa and think they shouldn’t feed it, but it is a great feed for horses,” says Martinson. “Owners just need to manage the diet carefully … and make transitions to and from alfalfa slowly.”

What are the cons of alfalfa?

The most frequent concern of producers considering grazing alfalfa is bloat, but it can be minimized with precautions. Producers may lose more money from fear of bloat than from bloat itself because it keeps them from efficiently using the alfalfa pasture.

Can too much alfalfa cause laminitis?

Alfalfa hay can cause horses to founder and develop laminitis due to the excess nutrients provided by the high quality hay if too much is fed. If switching from grass hay to alfalfa, generally less alfalfa is required to provide the same nutrients present in the grass hay.