Should I soak the beet pulp separately and for how long? In my area, thats orchard grass pellets or timothy pellets. Alfalfa is a type of forage that is high in protein and fiber, which are both essential for a growing goat. Maybe if they've finished and are still peckish, they'll eat them. which is 1-2% of the horses body weight. He ate like he was 8 years old again and gained all of his weight back. After years of working with horses, it appears that it may, in fact, lead to laminitis in some horses. Another long-shot, and probably not related, but I will mention it since your horse is a senior. Water is also very important, as a horse with minimal exercise needs to drink 4-5 gallons a day to remain healthy. Grain is a high source of sugar. Its so very scary. He seems to be able to eat 4.5-5 lbs at a time, but takes a very long time to eat (40 minutes to 1 hour) and usually leaves a small amount uneaten. I am a hay pellet believer as it has turned my unthrifty old BLM mustang into a fat shiny boy who looks years younger now. I cut him back (he did not self-monitor) and all vitals returned to normal. Yes, baby goats can eat alfalfa. There is none available in 100 miles unless I want to buy it from Tractor Supply for $11 per flake!). That mix will fix the CA/PH ratio as well. Yes, but it can not replace the regular diet. For my horses, I feed grass hay (1 1/2-2% of their body weight per day), alfalfa at 10% of their body weight per day, pasture and an herbal mineral supplement to make up for the nutritional deficiencies in the hay. He gets about 19 lbs at each feeding, twice a day. Perhaps all I had to do was remove the hay from his diet, find something else to feed, and maybe the diarrhea would disappear? He is a large horse, so if Im able to feed that much at a time safely, it helps a lot. Sometimes he eats almost nothing and sometimes he eats all but what is packed in too hard to eat. When can she start eating Hay again? Many times with seniors who arent 100% they will intermittently stop eating, may be just for 1 day and then resume, or theyll eat a little to keep living, but not a lot. A forum community dedicated to goat owners and enthusiasts. Some bigger horses can tolerate 5 lbs per feeding, but I lean toward 3-4 lbs just to allow for the stomach not being very big. Hi Tracy, thank you for your questions. What I like about that, is that I dont have to worry about the soaked pellets fermenting in the heat of summer. is there a mineral/herb for this. Hopefully this will be a long way off, but I always keep in mind with seniors that when their body is preparing to die they will stop eating anywhere from 1-5 days in advance of death. If the greeneries availability in natural browsing is low then alfalfa is fed twice a day. Since horses have a fiber requirement, but not a grain requirement, Im wondering if you could consider weaning him off grain and replacing it with grass hay pellets (and a ration balancer for vitamins/minerals). Yes, water is double the amount of pellets. how much of each feed, how to space the two feeds apart). In the winter months, I soak them overnight so they are ready to be fed the next day. of forage per day. To help, weve listed some signs associated with Hi, thank you for the article. However, this is not possible during the warmer months in Arizona due to pellets getting hot and molding while being soaked. He gets about 25 pds of hay a day as well Thanks. Once I put her on antibiotics for the infection she ate all of her herbs/supplements with no problem, and I stopped with the sweet feed. He does get 2lbs amplify pellets also. They tend to break down more quickly than the alfalfa pellets. The grass was also growing so that helped him as well. What Feed Your Horses With Pellets? pellets daily over 2-3 weeks. Alfalfa Pellets for Milking Dairy Goats - The Silly Couple I define forage as hay, pasture, hay pellets, hay cubes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The bonus was that I had no more vet bills after that! & questions for another time. 2K views, 17 likes, 3 loves, 15 comments, 4 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Thrifty Homesteader: This is how we soak the alfalfa pellets before feeding them to the hogs . My only other concern that I keep track of is making sure the soaking pellets dont ferment in hot weather. ! I taught her what to do, Makah told me to stand way back (I think he wanted it to be crystal clear that SHE was helping him, not me) and she helped him clear the visibly stuck/spasming bolus in less than 5 minutes. of soaked hay pellets twice per day and see what happens over 4 weeks. of forage per day. Im very broke but exceedingly blessed and happy. In general, if a senior horse is quidding hay and their manure is completely normal, then I would still let them have have hay here and there to chew on. I tend to add more feedings if they still need more weight gain. Absolute BEST Barn Design for Horses or Cows Cold or Heat! Thankfully its only that cold 1-2 weeks per year, where I live. As always, here at Standlee Premium Western Forage, we recommend that you contact your veterinarian or nutritionist with any dietary concerns for your I have found that diarrhea often is caused by something in the diet the horse can not digest. 2 cups of warm water. I have warm water in my tack room, so I can get my pellets dissolved in 5 to 10 minutes. Alfalfa Pellets vs Cubes and Hay - The Thrifty Homesteader then 1 1/2% of that would be 12 lbs. 2. A safe number is to increase it gradually over two weeks. But, it may be more due to greedy-eating behavior since there were several together and eating fast so they would get more. I have one horse and a boarder who will eat herself to death. Being a traditional western vet, in addition to a cutting edge equine dentist, he recommended going to a senior horse complete feed instead of hay. This is just an example. Now after reading your article I am concerned that is a dangerous way to feed which is sad because it worked for him. Many blessing to you for all you do for us. I would split the 20 lbs. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Heres an article I wrote on feeding seniors. Here, wintertime, and my daughters senior horse is looking thin. She did a thorough physical and found nothing wrong. Can Goats Eat Alfalfa Pellets? Safety Guide 2022 However, I would not feed more than 4 lbs in a feeding. But what about alfalfa for goats precisely? Good luck. If they were warm, he would turn his nose up at them. Im glad to hear that youve found something that works for your horse. I decided to put him back on sweet feed just to see what happened. Good luck finding what works for your horse. Hello, you mentioned several times that you use cold water. I dont see it listed specifically on their website, but you could contact them and see how to view the free webinar they have as an intro. How did I know that was adequate? I just obtained a very skinny adoptee TB. Beautiful! (However, my alfalfa pellets are much firmer and 3 cups of them weigh 1 lb. The last two nights I had put the pellets in with a 4-1 ratio of water and gave it to him right away. I have a 25 year old gelding who has PPID and has recently recovered from multiple hoof abscesses as well as surgery for pedal osteoitis. Small, frequent meals are preferable to large ones as you are probably already familiar. Thanks for the great info. Yes, I agree, finding the consistency each horse likes for the pellets is key. The stomach is not that big and really cant hold much more. If your horse can chew hay and his manure is normal, then Id just feed hay, never let him run out, and add a ration balancer. Forage can be a grass, or a legume such as alfalfa. I drink hot tea, and I am heating water in my coffee maker for my tea and the pellets, not boiling, but tiny bubbles. You can do warm water. I had one horse that loved his pellets so much, he would not self-monitor his intake and would keep eating well beyond 3 lbs. Im really curious of your system and your nutrients you give. It's supposed to be -27 overnight, with wind chills of -56. Whats the secret to growing world-class tomatoes? When you say Thrive feed, do you mean the SmartVite Thrive Pellets from Smartpak? Vet just floated his teeth, I try to do this every 9 months or so. Higher up on my list would be removing all grain and sugar out of the diet coming from other sources, especially for a PPID horse. per day for a 1000 lb horse) is a starting point. I like to keep it 3 lbs or less per feeding simply because the stomach isnt that big. How To Ask the Universe For What You Want And Get It, Dolphin CHOOSES Dental Work with No Anaesthetic. It's drinking one bottle of milk a day, and already is eating some grain and hay, and drinking water. Alfalfa vs grass hays for goats | The Goat Spot Forum I could see that with hay cubes. Or can he eat then dry? How to prepare your garden to protect against wind? Those have taken 5 hours to completely break down. If the cow has been grazing on pasture all day long, you can give them Alfalfa pellets to munch on in the barn. If a 1000 lb horse is eating 20 lbs. You can monitor your horse and see what works for him. Alfalfa pellets vs hay for goats I had him on senior feed for years and one day he just decided he wasnt going to eat it anymore. Required fields are marked *. per feeding of pellets. If its possible to eliminate the sweet feed and grain, I wouldnt be surprised if she lost weight easily. The only downside is that in very cold weather, like 10-15 degrees Farenheit, the pellets will refreeze after about 20-30 minutes of being in a feed bucket. However, alfalfa should only be fed to baby goats in moderation, as it can cause digestive issues if they eat too much. Split into 3 feedings per day this week as Im working from home. We don . Whats in the Bottom of My Bagged Forage? I am hesitant to do it because he has a tendency to step on it and flip it over :-(. Im not used to an 8 year old horse needing that. She was panicking, saying, But how can we help him if we cant even touch him??! Hi I am starting my 8 yr old gelding on Standlee Timothy pellets with Vermont blend pro and vitamin E added All together how much do I start with (pellets) to slowly introduce him to it? So long g story short, do you think the large ground bowl would work better? Alfalfa hay contains too much calcium and/or magnesium a. (I dont like my tea too hot.). Milking does can have all the alfalfa they want. For the bony TB, am I safe feeding 1% body weight in well soaked pellets? Alfalfa cubes can be fed dry, and your preference may even be to do so, since it reduces the mess a little bit: no alfalfa cube mash to have to clean from buckets, stall walls, and even the horse himself. Congratulations. Sep 10, 2019 383 333 171 Can I soak Alfalfa Pellets,corn, whole wheat and feed it to a bull calf? Is he still eating hay? Shes boarded in a pen without turnout but my daughter exercises her 7 days a week including gaming lessons and events. They have great success with keeping horses healthy and not needing pharmaceutical drugs. Summer and Autumn Goats are fed alfalfa only once in the evening per day if they are in a natural browsing routine as green fodder during the summer and winter seasons. Alfalfa Pellets 5/32 Inch, 1/4 Inch, 3/4 Inch. Need Details About Soaking Grain for Warmth | The Goat Spot Forum I found he would would eat just a tiny amount of chopped hay for a while then he decided to stop that too. Youll have to try and see, and let the horse tell you how much they need. Your horses are lucky to have you! If I have a 1000 lb horse, then I would start with 10 lbs of pellets per day and go up to 20 lbs. You can't slow down a goat that eats too fast, but you can make the situation less dangerous for them by mixing in non-grain feeds, such as the crumbs that fall off the bales of alfalfa. Does he have access to pasture? a day then I would decrease the number of pounds of forage per day. However, my preference, when possible, whether hot or cold weather, is to feed them after 5 hours of soaking. into 4 lb. Id feed up to 2 1/2% of the horses ideal body weight in forage per day when Im wanting them to gain weight. When I removed all grain from the diet and just added soaked hay pellets to help weight gain, they did beautifully. Can you advise me on the amount of pellets to replace a flake of Timothy hay, He gets about 19 lbs at each feeding, twice a day, Do I feed 19 lbs of pellets per feeding? Apr 23, 2009 I dont soak beet pulp for any of the animals. Age 20ish. My daughters pony was having trouble maintaining weight so we put on senior grain (soaked) but then happily put on a little too much weight. She also gets a 1/2 cup sweet feed and 3/4 cup grain with her supplements to get her to eat them. If I went to a straight ration balancer with my pellets, and that was it for feed, then Id be adding 1-2 lbs of soaked alfalfa pellets per day and an omega 3 fatty acid supplement in the non-growing season. a day, thats 2-3 lbs per day of soaked alfalfa pellets. From what you describe, it sounds like Thrive could be a ration balancer. If he still needs more weight gain, then Id add a 3rd feeding of soaked hay pellets. But my rule of thumb is I want the pellets, whatever kind they are, to be completely broken down simply because I dont want to have a vet call for a choking incident. Thank you! However, the horses stomach isnt big, so I dont feed more than 4 lbs. Just happy to find after such a long search. Why? Good morning, my 14 year old Arabian have choke on Friday, she is doing well on alfalfa-Timothy mash, Beets and rice brand, and some senior mash in water. Alfalfa pellets offer similar benefits to hay, with an even greater caloric value, making them a popular choice for top-fed horses. When I took grain out of the diet, the cribbing stopped, but it was a several year process to get the gut healthy again. The higher the fiber content, the lower the digestibility (even if the protein level is high). Hes 16 hands and about 1000 lbs, a bit too skinny, 19 yrs. What an interesting article. If the alfalfa is not available then alfalfa pellets could be fed to goats. Glad you found a system that works for your horse. That is why I prefer to forego grain, replace it with hay pellets and a ration balancer. Even the manufacturer labels tend to recommend a minimum of 30 minutes soaking prior to feeding. Or if you increase the amount of a feeding, Id increase it by 1/2 1 lb for a few days, see what happens and if the horse is ok with it, then several days later increase again. You have a Horse Herb & Supplement Shoppe?! It does get a bit mushy at the bottom, but I spoon it up for him, and he gobbles it right down. We don't soak alfalfa pellets but we do soak shredded beet pulps. For a big picture, Im wondering if you fed him 4 lbs. Im also unsure about how to know how much pellets he needs since he has free choice forage but quids most of it. Sounds like you found a way that works for your horse. He used to be a great eater but over the last 2 years he is very difficult. Its not designed for calories. I weigh the pellets dry. I have a 14 year old Appendix mare who is a hard keeper. But if you have more than a couple of goats, you won't have enough crumbs. In the winter, when its cold, I can soak the pellets overnight outside, or in an unheated garage. I hope you have many more years to enjoy your horse. He would take a break part way through and take a nap, then come back about 1-2 hours later and finish the rest of his pellets. Conveniently, I had been testing Livestream software at the barn, so immediately did a livestream with Natalie who of course, had arrived home 5 minutes ago. The Importance of Soaking Hay Pellets - Your Horse Farm Your horse might be able to maintain on less. Have you ever found yourself at a feed store looking at pellets or cubes but didnt purchase them because you were unsure of how to feed them, so back He seems to really enjoy the warm food. Its cheaper to skip a feeding than to have a vet call for colic. The pellets are soft but formed, and its still pretty warm when I carry it out. Having said that, what I like about Total Equine is that it has alfalfa in it. We just got a hot water tank in there and its been a lifesaver! Wet your horses feed at a ratio of 2 parts feeds to 1 part water. I have fed both soaked timothy pellets and soaked orchard grass pellets for variety in the diet. Can you plant onion sets before the last Frost? She is currently on soaked alfalfa and timothy pellets 1pound, 1/4cup coconut oil, half pound soaked oats ( she requests them), 1 and half pounds Safe and Easy Performance (Buckeye), 1 pound EQ8 Gut Health, and a quarter pound Gro-n-Win, am and pm. He seems to love that and ate it all because the pellets never got packed in the corners. Thanks for the tip Jini. Im glad you found a way that works for you, but Im not clear on what was dangerous about it? When they can no longer chew hay at all, then I replace all of the hay as soaked hay pellets, up to 3 lbs per feeding. An added bonus is that hay pellets are cheaper than grain. Feb 7, 2022 I have NDs that hate the size of the standlee alfalfa pellets. 1. Alfalfa is not bad for goats, in fact, it's good for them. Thank you for your help and Im so glad I found your article! You might experiment with how much you feed at a time to prevent any stepping in the dish. When feeding hay pellets, I do a ratio of 2:1, cold water to pellets. It really made my day. Why does Cobra Keep Running Zo out of the Paddock? It can also be difficult for senior horses to maintain weight on grain long-term because it is not forage based. You are not alone! Its the vitality red for fall/winter, vitality green for spring/summer: https://www.amazon.com/Anima-Herbal-Recipe-Book-goodies/dp/0967492629/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=anima+christine+king&qid=1607798038&sr=8-1, It was formulated to make up for the copper, zinc, selenium deficiency in my area. would be 24 lbs. If you wanted to tweak the diet further, this is how I would do it. esophageal obstruction. Are Timothy pellets and orchard grass just as good as timothy, and would you soak it the same way? All Rights Reserved. The horse knew the pellets were there and wasnt afraid of them being taken away so he did start to self-monitor his own intake. 2. no fermentation of the pellets (so the horse wont get sick). 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. I suppose I have to soak them first, right? how long are soaked alfalfa pellets good for, how much does 1 cup of alfalfa pellets weigh. When a horse can no longer maintain condition on that, then I start replacing some of the hay with soaked hay pellets. Granted, this is not necessarily all due to grain, however, when I can feed chopped up hay in the form of a pellet or cube as the replacement for hay when they cant chew, it does wonders and I can skip the detriments of added sugar (in the form of grain) to their diet. But I dont have any experience feeding grain. I never did it simply due to logistics. Our nutritionist with Performance Horse Nutrition, Dr. Stephen Duren, answers this question by addressing an esophageal choke with aggressive or naive eaters in the video below. ), Mischief, Feed Dishes & Increasing Awareness, Cobras Healing Journey The Conclusion Part 4, Absolutely Easiest Way to use Horse Manure to Create a Worm Farm, Guided Meditation to Connect with your Horse, Dog, Cat or Pet, Paddock & Pasture Permaculture Setup for Rainy Climate, Livestream: Despair, Shielding & Using Imagination to Create Reality, The Dead-Easy Simplest Way to Compost Horse Manure, Horse Herd Communication Energy & Body Language, The Treacherous Creek, Tree Ecosystems, Horse Wrestling & Smooches. of hay twice per day? Many times you end up giving more and more grain, the hindgut is unhappy and you end up with the old look that is typical of some seniors who are not in great health. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Sandra, Thank you for your question. Can I increase the pelleted hay ration too quickly? I would weigh the pellets dry and weigh the hay and made sure it equaled 12 lbs. Can you advise me on the amount of pellets to replace a flake of Timothy hay. that would be 24 lbs. If this happens, then I feed soaked pellets 3-4 times per day. My question is, you only feed soaked alfalfa pellets and no hay to your horses.? Neither of these things are painful, its just the body putting all its energy toward dying and not toward sustaining the body in living. Not enough calories, Your email address will not be published. They go into detail on how to manage it holistically and how to adjust the program to the individuality of each horse. They offer an online class on equine metabolic syndrome (includes IR, Cushings, PSSM) that is superb.