How Much Alfalfa Should I Feed My 1000 Pound Horse?

As a general rule of thumb, you should feed your horse 1-2 pounds of alfalfa pellets per day for every 1,000 pounds of body weight. For example, a 1,000-pound horse would need 10-20 pounds of alfalfa pellets per day.

How many pounds of alfalfa should a horse eat a day?

The average horse will eat about 2% of its body weight daily (1.5 to 3.0% range) of dry (as fed) feed. A horse that weighs 1100 lbs. (average 15 hand Quarter Horse) will eat about 22 lbs. of dry feed (hay) each day.

How much feed does a 1000 pound horse need?

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.

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).

How much alfalfa is good for horses?

Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. of hay per day.

Will alfalfa fatten up a horse?

Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse. If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets.

Can you overfeed a horse alfalfa?

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 grain should a 1100 pound horse eat?

For horses that are just starting on grain, it is usually safe to start the horse with a half-pound of grain every day for every 100 pounds of body weight. Since the average horse weighs about 1,100 pounds, this would result in 5.5 pounds of daily grain.

How much should an 1100 lb horse eat?

Typically, a horse consumes 1.5-2.5% of his body weight in food per day. Say, for example, you have a horse that weighs 1,100 pounds. The math is simple (I promise!): 1100 x 1.5% = 16.5 lb of food/day.

How much grain should a 1200 pound horse eat?

1200 lb horse, in light exercise. In this example, this horse would need to eat between 4.8 and 7.2 lbs per day of this feed to receive the nutrition he needs. Some horses that are easier keepers can fall to the lower end of the range, while harder keepers may need to push the upper limit.

Can horses eat alfalfa every day?

High protein feeds, including alfalfa hay, should ONLY be fed when required as a supplement to improve protein levels; but should never be used as a primary staple or to replace grass hay. However, horses are not anatomically designed to metabolize large amounts of protein. They are designed to ferment fibre!

How often should I feed my horse alfalfa?

Because of the limited capacity of its stomach, a horse should be fed small amounts of feed often. Unfortunately, domesticated horses are fed once or twice a day and if stabled, spend much of the day not eating.

Can you replace grain with alfalfa?

Feeding alfalfa is an excellent alternative to feeding excessive amounts of grain at meals to get more calories into a horse’s diet. Alfalfa is usually lower in ber, higher in energy, higher in protein and higher in calcium than grass hays.

Is second cutting alfalfa good 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.

Can you feed a horse just alfalfa pellets?

​Many horses do as well on alfalfa pellets and cubes as they do on alfalfa hay. One reason people prefer pelleted or cubed hay is that it tends to be a more consistent product that changes little between bags, unlike hay cuttings.

What puts weight on a horse the fastest?

4. Use alfalfa hay to put weight on horses. When a horse owner is trying to help their thin horse gain weight, they should look no further than alfalfa hay (legume). Alfalfa contains more calories and protein than traditional grass hays, making it an excellent choice for an underweight horse.

What do you feed a horse to build topline?

Feed high quality protein
To build topline you must provide the building blocks your horse needs to make muscle. Using feeds with protein provided by soybeans, lupins, faba bean or canola meal will give your horse access to good quality sources of protein, which builds muscle.

Is alfalfa hard on horses kidneys?

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

Can a horse colic on alfalfa?

Any feed material can cause a digestive impaction if it is consumed rapidly. Many horses are safely fed diets consisting solely of alfalfa pellets without problems. However, poor quality alfalfa pellets or a rapid change to an alfalfa pellet diet can contribute to colic symptoms.

Are alfalfa cubes or pellets better?

Alfalfa cubes overall are better than pellets for our purposes. Pellets can’t be a substitute for alfalfa hay, but cubes can. Alfalfa cubes are convenient, provide high nutrient value, and have little waste.

Is timothy or alfalfa better for horses?

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.