Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Tips On Feeding Alfalfa Cube

By Myrtle Cash


There are many benefits to feeding alfalfa cube. Livestock owners are often looking for good quality alternative especially in areas where hay is hard to find or very expensive. Many people are either supplementing with cubes or actually using them as the primary source of food for their horses.

There are many advantages to using cubes as a feed supplement. They are high in protein and very nutritious. The protein value is clearly labeled on each bag, making it easy for the owner to know how much to feed. Many people recommend mixing the cubes with sugar beet pulp to add extra moisture to the feed. Making a bran mash a regular part of the horses diet is also a good idea.

The cubes are packed into water proof bags and shipped all over the country. One of the best factors about feeding cubes is that they are much easier to transport and store than hay bales. They need much less room and can be purchased as they are needed. This saves a lot of the back breaking work that goes into stacking many hundreds of hay bales needed to feed a barn full of horses all winter.

The bags of cubes are easy to store and take up much less room than traditional hay bales. They do need to be kept in a cool, dry place and should not be exposed to any dampness. It is best to buy a small supply that can be used within a few weeks to avoid any storage problems.

Because of their low moisture content it is vital to ensure that the horses drink enough water. With this in mind every animal should have unlimited access to clean water at all times. Any horse that is prone to dehydration should be watched closely to ensure that they are drinking enough. There is no need to add electrolytes to the water.

Despite their many advantages, cubes do have a few down sides. Because they are highly nutritious horses will tend to over eat them. Most horses do not need to eat too many cubes and they should never be fed free range in the way that long stem hay is fed. It may also be necessary to cut back on other sources of protein such as grain.

Most of the cubes are manufactured in the western states where huge amounts of grassland are available. The Canadian prairies also provide idea conditions for alfalfa cube production. The grass is cut and left to dry for a few days in the field. It is then moved to the plant and dried even more. The grass is then mechanically chopped into very small pieces and compressed into cubes that measure approximately one inch by two inches.

Barns throughout the nation are making the switch to feeding alfalfa cube as a practical and nutritious alternative. Most horses seem to find them very tasty and tolerate them well. They are the perfect alternative for areas where baled hay is hard to find. It is far better to feed cubes than poor quality hay.




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