How Much Hay Pellets Should I Feed My Horse?

Again, most horses need about 2% of body weight per day in dry feed, so 20 lbs of feed for a 1000# horse (or a horse who should be 1000#). If your horse is still eating a lot of hay and the weather is warm, I would recommend beginning with 2-5 lbs per day of pellets dry, then add water as described.

Can you feed a horse just hay pellets?

Horses often eat hay pellets faster than traditional hay because the smaller, ground particles are easy to chew and swallow. Hay pellets also do not provide any long-stem forage. However, for horses with poor teeth, soaking these pellets can still provide important fiber and nutrients.

How do you use hay pellets?

If feeding pellets or cubes, soaking them prior to feeding is recommended. Soaking cubes or pellets one- to two-parts water to one part pellets or cubes for 20 minutes – 2 hours can help slow the rate of consumption and provide hydration. If soaked in water, grass hay pellets typically expand 2 to 4 times in volume.

How much hay should a 1000 pound horse eat a day?

fifteen to twenty pounds
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.

Will alfalfa pellets put weight on 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 horses eat hay pellets dry?

If your horse is still eating a lot of hay and the weather is warm, I would recommend beginning with 2-5 lbs per day of pellets dry, then add water as described.

Can a horse colic on hay pellets?

Alfalfa cubes and pellets can cause colic.
Two primary causes of colic in horses are overeating and diets that include grains or concentrated foods. If allowed, horses eat more alfalfa cubes and pellets than is healthy. And pellets are concentrated in alfalfa hay, increasing the risk of colic.

Do hay pellets have to be soaked?

Hay cubes can be fed wet or dry. When first introduced it may be advisable to wet the cubes as the horse will have easier time biting off small chunks to chew at one time. As a horse becomes accustomed to eating them, they can typically be fed dry. With that said, wetting the cubes should not be discounted completely.

Do you wet horse pellets?

Typically, feed is soaked to soften it and make it easier to chew. Horses with poor dentition are the primary beneficiaries of this practice. But even if your horse has perfect teeth, you can still soak feed. Soaking feed helps increase the amount of water your horse consumes.

Can you overfeed hay to a horse?

However, keep in mind that the bulk of your horse’s diet should be made up of grass or hay. Underfeeding hay or pasture, and overfeeding grains and concentrates can lead to colic.

Will a horse overeat on hay?

Horses can overeat grass, especially if the pasture is lush, but it is also easy to let a horse get too fat from eating hay. And, sometimes too little hay can mean a horse will lose weight. So, what is the right amount of hay for your horse? Just how much your horse will need will depend on its weight.

What happens if you feed horses too much hay?

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. Healthy horses need a very simple diet of good pasture or hay.

How much alfalfa pellets does a horse need a day?

The quantity of pellets fed depends on how much the horses will eat. You could start with adding 1 lb (0.45 kg) per day per horse and see how well they tolerate it. Then you can slowly increase the amount as desired.

Can you feed a horse straight alfalfa pellets?

It can be detrimental, however, to horses with impaired kidneys or liver. These individuals have problems processing and excreting protein and should be kept on a very low-protein diet. Duren also doesn’t recommend feeding straight alfalfa to endurance horses due to its protein and calcium content.

Do you need to soak alfalfa pellets 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 hay pellets replace hay?

Like forage cubes, forage pellets can be fed just like hay, at a 1:1 ratio to replace hay. Forage pellets are the fiber choice for horses that have lost teeth or have poor dentition since forage pellets can easily be soaked in water to form a mash or slurry.

How long should you soak hay pellets?

between about 15 minutes to 2 hours
Pellets and cubes are recommended to be soaked between about 15 minutes to 2 hours at a 2:1 water to forage pellet or cube ratio.

Is Timothy hay pellets good for horses?

Great source of energy, as well as copper and zinc. Hay pellets can be fed to all classes of horses and other animals at any stage in life.

What is the most digestible hay for horses?

Timothy hay is a popular choice because of its easy digestibility and may be more suitable for certain life stages. However, alfalfa hay has a higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which makes it unsuitable for younger horses. Timothy hay has a balanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

Do horses need hay in winter?

Hay is an extremely important part of your horse’s winter diet. It is an important source of calories and the internal heat of fiber fermentation helps to keep your horse warm when it’s cold outside.

How long can horses go without hay?

Ideally, horses should go no longer than 4 hours between forage meals and be fed on a consistent schedule. However, it’s hard to predict when, or if, an extended time period without forage will cause health issues like colic and ulcers.