How Many Alfalfa Cubes Equal a Flake: Avoid Overfeeding Your Horse Hay cubes can be compressed in varying degrees. https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/equestrian/10935303.the-pros-and-cons-of-hay-and-haylage/, http://www.dauriobrothersalfalfa.com/alfalfa-cubes.html, https://afs.ca.uky.edu/content/alfalfa-cubes-horses, I'm Bo, the owner of Smarter Horse. | Find, read and cite all the research you . About 6 pounds. They are easy to transport and can be purchased at any feed store; they dont have to come directly from a farmer, as bales of hay do. Well, that depends on the size and weight of the cubes. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'besthorserider_com-box-3','ezslot_5',176,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-besthorserider_com-box-3-0'); Ever get sick of hauling hay bales around the barn? Look for a fine, soft, leafy hay rather than a coarse, mature hay. So if you switch your horse from 10lb of hay flakes a day, don't just use two alfalfa cubes. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "besthorserider-20"; Join us as we interview leading equine researchers from the University of Kentucky, Problem Solver Series: How to Control Nuisance Birds on Horse Properties. If youre trying to estimate how much hay your horse will need this winter, you can do a rough calculation according to how many flakes are in a single bale. A full profile at the beginning of the growing season will allow the crop to take full advantage of available water and put on rapid, early season growth, when soil and water temperatures are not likely to be so high as to stress the crop and limit production. However, Alfalfa cubes have much more proteins and other things your horses need, so its a great option. Nutritionists and veterinarians sometimes recommend soaking cubes in water for 10 minutes to soften them before feeding. However, this is a rough estimate based on the average size of the feeds. I am moving to a place where I will no longer have access to good alfalfa, so I'm going to have to result in feeding cubes. To find out more about me, click here, Your email address will not be published. How many alfalfa cubes equal a flake of hay? Flakes can vary in size, leaving some bigger and some smaller than others . Webcast | Degenerative Joint Disease in Horses and Adequan i.m. var cid='5064586589';var pid='ca-pub-9714530194334982';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-besthorserider_com-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=1;var alS=1021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;ins.style.display='block';ins.style.minWidth=container.attributes.ezaw.value+'px';ins.style.width='100%';ins.style.height=container.attributes.ezah.value+'px';container.style.maxHeight=container.style.minHeight+'px';container.style.maxWidth=container.style.minWidth+'px';container.appendChild(ins);(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'stat_source_id',44);window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'adsensetype',1);var lo=new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent);lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId+'-asloaded'),{attributes:true}); No, hay cubes are not bad for horses but can be a better alternative in many cases. alfalfa cubes price per ton normally works out cheaper than purchasing individual bags. 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. Hay cubes and flakes are both made from compressed hay, but they differ in texture and nutrient content. Alfalfa cubes and hay flakes are the most common feeding methods most people use for horses. Climate data and information needs of indigenous communities on reservation lands: insights from stakeholders in the Southwestern United States. How Much Water Does Alfalfa Need? - Extension A partnership of Nevada counties; University of Nevada, Reno; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Expand or Collapse to view popular links for this site, Expand or Collapse to view links grouped by top level headings, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Science, Natural Resources & Environmental Science. Manufacturers use heat and steam to press finely ground and coarsely chopped alfalfa into either pellets or cubes, respectively. Baling is the process of cutting, drying and then tying up hay for easier transportation. A flake of alfalfa hay normally weighs around 5lbs. How Many Alfalfa Cubes Equal A Flake? The weight of a flake can also vary extremely on the machinery used to bale the hay. This is a very rough average, and horses may require more or less, depending on their metabolism, workload, what else they may be eating, and the time of year. Hay comes in bales. Source: Ag Notes - Montana State University - IRRIGATED ALFALFA PRODUCTION, AGRONOMY NOTES NO. So that is after adding water. This is a question you may find yourself thinking if you have decided to start feeding your horse alfalfa cubes over flakes of hay. If you are feeding 100% hay and your hay contains 90% DM (or 10% moisture), your 1,000 lb horse should be fed 20 pounds of hay (18 lb DM/0.9) straight from the bale each day. Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. But did you know that the size of an alfalfa cube can actually make a difference in how your horse digests it? I've fed cubes for years and it really depends upon the rest of their diet. Because they are made of dehydrated hay, the amount to which the nutrients are compressed can depend on the quality of the dehydration technique used, as well as other factors.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'besthorserider_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_15',155,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-besthorserider_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0'); This makes it hard to say whether there is an exact quantity of hay cubes you should feed a horse. First, youll need to figure out 2% 3% of the horses body weight. All Rights Reserved. If you are considering alfalfa cubes as a possible feed option for your horse, it is important to know how many cubes are equivalent to a flake. Our favourite Alfalfa cubes at OwnTheHorse.com are Ernst Grains Stampede Alfalfa Cubes. This calculation normally excludes any, An average-sized horse typically gets anywhere from two to four flakes of hay with each meal. They provide essential vitamins and nutrients that may be lacking from a horses diet. So, if you have a 1,000 lb horse, he should get 10-20 lbs of hay per day. So, if your horse weighs 1,000 pounds. For instance, hay that is not bright green on the outside of the bale might have good color on the inside. ), Feeding a Dog Based on Size 5 Things You Should Know, Turkey Molting: Signs, Stages, Reasons and More, Worms in Chicken Eggs: Symptoms, Causes+ Prevention Tips, Chicken Breathing with Its Mouth Open: 9 Reasons+Tips, Duck Broken Leg: Signs, Causes and How to Fix it. Feeding the horses by volume can cause problems in their diet. 2020-41595-30123 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. So how can you know how much you are feeding? They are also a good choice for insulin-resistant horses. This can be helpful if your horse is struggling to maintain their weight, as it can help them get the nutrients they need without overfeeding them. By early June, this can increase to 1.5 inches per week, while during the warmest part of the irrigation season, water use might be as high as 2.0 inches per week. Let me explain. All Flakes of Hay are Not Created Equal - The Feed Room | Resources and So there is only one way to feed your horses hay, but with the cubes, you can serve them in quite a few ways, so they dont choke on the dry cubes. These factors are: Several studies have compared the growth of roots and forage of alfalfa flood irrigated for various lengths of time and at different temperatures. These reduced yields are the result of direct interference with normal plant physiological processes. The meal is dried and then pressed into pellets. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Q: What horses benefit from alfalfa in their diets? By taking a core sample from several bales and sending them in for analysis, horse owners can determine exactly how much nutrition is being provided by the hay, she says. of hay per day. Can You Feed Alfalfa Cubes And Hay Flakes Together? If they are the small, square ones, then it takes about 40 to make a pound. PDF | Evapotranspiration (ET) of fully-irrigated and deficit-irrigated (no irrigation in July, August, and September) was measured in five alfalfa. This works for alfalfa, timothy, or orchard grass pellets. This is a question that many horse owners ask, and there isn't always a clear answer. It would be best if you fed your horse according to their weight. Alfalfa cubes are also made from Alfalfa meals, but the meal is compressed into blocks or cubes instead of being made into pellets. It's Time to Bring in the Hay! - Horse Lover's Math Besthorserider.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. A flake of hay typically weighs approximately 5 pounds. He gets 6 flakes of hay a day, and he has 10-hour access to grass.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'besthorserider_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_10',160,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-besthorserider_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Its averaged that a horse eats a pound of grass for every hour they are exposed to it (so long as it is available). What Type of Forage Should You Feed Donkeys? They can help manage a range of horse health issues, and they're easier to store and transport than bales of hay. Its really a matter of trial and error to see what works best for your individual horse. Each weighs nearly 5 pounds, so the feeding amount of the two methods is almost the same. We love these because they are certified as non genetically modified and 100% natural. Im Jack Johnson, a proud Texan and passionate horse lover. Complete Guide How Many Alfalfa Cubes Equal a Flake? Although not scientifically proven, some horse owners attest that high amounts of energy in their horses diets cause undesirable behavior changesoften described as the horse being hot.. You end up dropping a third of the flake on the ground before it makes it into your horses stall. The high humidity and heat plus the tendency of one of my horses to sweat more when on a higher alfalfa diet is why I feed lower amounts. in forage daily, depending on the body condition score of the horse. On average, legume hay provides 1.19 Mcal (megacalories) per pound of digestible energy, whereas grass hay provides 0.91 Mcal per pound (Equi-Analytical). Top Bottom: BamaCanChaser Reg. Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with, If you are interested in adopting this donkey, please submit an Adoption Inquiry via AAE's website; No texts please: https://www.allaboutequine[dot]org/how-to-adopt.html., Horse breeding from planning through foal care, Horse-health-problem risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, Design and maintain a healthy horse operation, Prevention and treatment for problems of the equine foot, How to care for the basic health needs of horses, Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of leg lameness, Proper feeding practices for foals, adult horses, and older horses, All aspects of caring for performance horses, News and issues for equine health professionals, Discussions about the welfare of our equine friends. Grass hay has smaller blades and packs a little fluffier requiring a larger flake size for the same weight. But like any other great thing in life, it does have its disadvantages. It would be best if you weighed the standard flake of hay and then matched the number of Alfalfa cubes to that amount. 24 amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; FEEDING TIPS: Weigh the amount of forage provided to each horse to ensure you are feeding the proper amount. When you switch from one feeding method to the other, you can only expect your horses to accept the change after some time, so you will have to introduce them gradually to the other method. The daily dry matter intake of an adult horse performing light work should be about 1.8% of its body weight each day . Hay that is bright green can be an indication of quality but should not be the sole factor considered, says Corriher-Olson. While an important source of energy, protein, minerals, and vitamins, forages also provide a "nutrient" that horses require-fiber. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) All rights reserved. Many factors can influence the quality of alfalfa, including growing conditions and season of harvest, says Corriher-Olson. what does a flake of hay weigh? Archives | The Feed Room So, a large square might last me a week, maybe a bit more. This means that if you are feeding your horse two flakes per day, you would need to provide him or her with eight to ten alfalfa cubes. Indeed, consuming more energy without an adequate balance of energy expenditure (exercise) can lead to excess energy. There are two reasons for this. Horses also have a fiber requirement and tend to get bored when roughage (hay) is limited. Flea Bitten Horse Color Basic Grey Horse Colors Explained. What Is a Flake of Hay? How Many Flakes in a - Dogs | Cats | Horses However, cubes can be messier than pellets since they tend to crumble when eaten. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. by horses How much alfalfa hay do you feed a 1,200 pound horse and how often? I hope this article has helped shed some light on the benefits of feeding hay and what the correct quantities of both flakes and cubes are! If you flood irrigate and are concerned about proper irrigation water management practices, either too much water, to salty water, temperature too high, flooded too long, then look for the following symptoms: 1) reduced stand vigor and loss of alfalfa, replaced by grass, especially where water is turned into the field or in low spots in basins; 2) yellowing and loss of the lowest leaves on the plant, followed by progressive loss of leaves up the stem; 3) rotted taproot and/or development of many fine, short, lateral surface roots; 4) progressive reduction in alfalfa tonnage; 5) the development of fine, new leaves at the axis on the stem where leaves have fallen off. Depending on the size of your horse and his or her individual needs, the number of alfalfa cubes required will vary. A Flake Of Hay Is Equal To How Many Alfalfa Cubes? Alfalfas positive attributes make it an exceptional roughage source for many types of horses. Thats anywhere from four to eight flakes a day. Generally, alfalfa cubes are about 5 pounds heavy so one alfalfa cube is equal to a 5-pound or equivalent flake (Considering the default size of a flake ). When you measure the food by volume, you can overfeed your horses or underfeed them, and neither of these is very good for your horse. It was this passion that led me to create my own business, Own the Horse, to help aspiring horse lovers learn the fundamentals of horse care and training. How heavy are your flakes? Hay is an alternative to Alfalfa cubes, and Alfalfa cubes are an alternative to hay. Stay up-to-date on the latest news about your horse's health with FREE newsletters from TheHorse.com. Which Horses Benefit From Alfalfa? The high humidity and heat plus the tendency of one of my horses to sweat more when on a higher alfalfa diet is why I feed lower amounts. Combining Water With Alfalfa Cubes Method, 4. It is recommended to feed the horse by pounds. Alfalfa is a great hay for some but not all horses, says Krishona Martinson, MS, PhD, professor and equine extension specialist in the University of Minnesotas Department of Animal Science, in St. Paul. As any horse owner knows, alfalfa comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. A common mistake many horse owners make is buying the cheapest hay they can find. If you have access to affordable alfalfa, its a good option for providing necessary roughage to certain horses. The correct quantity of forage for your horse can be calculated using Purinas Horse Feed Calculator at this link. The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. Alfalfa cubes can be used to add variety to the diet of a horse that is malnurished or overworked. Length of time flood irrigated: Length of flooding time and irrigation water temperature can have an effect on the growth and survival of alfalfa. The main issue with hay cubes is that they are easier for horses to eat than hay your horse may finish off his evening ration before the sun has even set! Of course, as you get more experienced, it can be easier to judge how many flakes your horse needs without weighing it every time. Each flake weighs approximately 5 pounds. However, when wet, alfalfa cubes weigh considerably more, and the weight will vary according to the amount of water you have added. So, if youre feeding your horse one flake of hay per day, you could replace it with two cubes of alfalfa.