How much alfalfa pellets should I feed my horse?

Usually 15-20 lbs per day of alfalfa or timothy pellets for a 1000# horse. pellets daily over 2-3 weeks. Put the pellets in a bucket, cover with warm water, and then dump them into a large muck bucket and feed immediately.

How much pellets should I feed my horse?

Most horses will eat five pounds of pellets faster than five pounds of hay. Using a slow feeder or providing smaller meals more frequently will remedy that.

Can you feed a horse just alfalfa pellets?

Therefore, alfalfa pellets can be used to add pellets to a horse's diet but it is not necessary. The impact that pellets have on a horse's diet is minimal. Alfalfa pellets for horses usually come in fifty-pound bags and can be found at almost any feed store.

Can you feed alfalfa pellets dry to horses?

The pellets can be fed dry, but many horses prefer them to be soaked in water and fed as a mash. For young horses, old horses, and those with dental issues, soaking the pellets first may be a necessity. Horses can be sensitive to diet changes, so always make any diet change slowly.

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.

How Much Alfalfa Pellets Do I Feed My Horse?

How much alfalfa pellets do you feed?

Usually 15-20 lbs per day of alfalfa or timothy pellets for a 1000# horse. pellets daily over 2-3 weeks. Put the pellets in a bucket, cover with warm water, and then dump them into a large muck bucket and feed immediately.

Should alfalfa pellets be soaked for horses?

I have found alfalfa pellets need to be soaked in between five and six hours to fully break down. In the winter months, I soak them overnight so they are ready to be fed the next day. However, this is not possible during the warmer months in Arizona due to pellets getting hot and molding while being soaked.

Can horses choke on alfalfa pellets?

Choke can occur when a horse consumes it's food too rapidly, tries to swallow food without chewing it, has reduced or impaired salivation, cannot properly chew its feed because of dental issues and when eating food items that are large like carrots or alfalfa cubes.

Can you feed a horse too much 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.

Can alfalfa pellets cause colic?

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.

Is alfalfa hard on horses kidneys?

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

Can alfalfa pellets 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.

How much grain should a 1000 pound horse eat?

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.

How often should I feed my horse alfalfa?

In general, feed hay twice a day; limit alfalfa to one-half of your roughage; and feed grain according to body condition and use of the horse.

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.

How do you introduce alfalfa pellets to a horse?

Integrate alfalfa pellets into your horse's diet in small steps. Gradually reduce the amount of alfalfa you are feeding while subsequently increasing the quantity of pellets you are feeding in 1/2 pound increments. You will want to work your way up to the recommended pellet weight per 100 lbs of body weight.

How much water do you add to alfalfa pellets?

When feeding hay pellets, I do a ratio of 2:1, cold water to pellets. This works for alfalfa, timothy, or orchard grass pellets. Alfalfa pellets tend to be a bit drier (depending on the weather when and where they were made) so I soak them for 5 hours to get them to completely break down.

Should I feed my horse alfalfa in the winter?

If the weather is really cold and you want to stoke your horse's internal furnace, then feed him an extra flake of high-protein hay, such as alfalfa, every day. When his normal protein needs are being adequately met, the body will use the excess protein for energy, adding to his body-fat stores.

Are alfalfa pellets or cubes better for horses?

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.

Are alfalfa pellets as good as alfalfa hay?

A 1991 study compared horses that were fed long-stem alfalfa hay vs alfalfa pellets. The study showed there was no differences in digestibility for energy, protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and the trace minerals copper, zinc and manganese.

How much do you feed a horse per day?

If you're trying to figure out how much hay you need to feed your horse, there is a quick and easy rule-of-thumb to follow. Horses need to consume about 2% of their body weight in forage per day, which is about 20 pounds of hay for a 1,000-pound horse.

How much should I feed my horse calculator?

Horses should consume about 1.5 - 2.5% of their bodyweight per day according to their condition and workload, so to find out how much you need to feed your horse the first step is to calculate your horse's bodyweight. There are a number of ways in which you can do this including using a weigh tape or a horse weigher.

Do you wet horse pellets?

No, you don't HAVE TO, but it's best to add water to your horse's meals for a few reasons: Pellets and grains are often crunchy when they come out of the bag. Then you add your powdered supplements and electrolytes, and sometimes medications.