Hay-Alfalfa

[lvponies]

Happy Friday all! I have been offered square bales that are a mix of alfalfa & orchard grass. I have never fed my minis alfalfa before and seem to remember past discussions saying that the protein level in alfalfa may be an issue with minis. I would appreciate any information/experience you all may have on feeding alfalfa to minis. Thanks so much!!

 

[bevann]

My minis LOVE alfalfa mixed in with orchard grass.have fed it when i can get it and no problems.Your horses will love it and love you, but it may spoil them for just pain old grass or timothy hay.

 

[Mona]

I have fed alfalfa mix (STRONG alfalfa content) to my horses all the years I have owned them. NEVER a problem. BUT, I fed limited quantities. I have never "free fed" mine.

 

Have fed pure Alfalfa hay to mine for many years with no problems. In fact, it is a wonderful boost of protein and a tummy soother as well.

 

[Foxhaven]

The breeder we got our minis from fed an alfalfa/grass mix along with his own grain mix. They did reasonably well.

It would seriously impact our donkey though, so we don't. Orchard grass, timothy, and Purina Mini Horse & Pony with EquiPride supplements and salt blocks, that's it.

Oh, OK, carrots and apples and pears as available and limited quantity. Everybody needs to work for a paycheck...

 

[chandab]

I primarily feed straight grass hay, always have (nearly 30 years of horse ownership and the last 9 years with minis), sometimes with a little alfalfa in the mix (20% or less alfalfa). I have one mini donkey, so what ever pen she's in gets straight grass hay, and if anyone needs extra protein or needs alfalfa, then those horses get it in the form of alfalfa pellets with their grain meal (all are separated for grain, but share hay). I can free feed grass hay, and in winter that's a great thing around here.

 

[disneyhorse]

In moderation, it's a great hay.

 

[lvponies]

Thank you everyone! I've always and forever just fed straight grass hay. Think I may get 50 bales of the mixed and see how they do.

 

[BSharpRanch]

I will add that it should never be fed free choice, all they can eat. It is okay with grass bit never alfalfa.

 

[misty'smom]

I buy my hay from a farm nearby, the guy that empties my manure containers has either brought me hay from his farm or another farm near him. The quality has varied though, it is all suppose to be orchard grass. The last batch was from a farmer near him and it looked a little funny, more of a flat grass, leaves and it had a different smell kind of sour?????? I love the smell of good hay Also a couple of the bales looked old when opened up, very brown and kind of hard and brittle. Sometimes I get bales with lots of stick too. What should a good quality orchard grass hay look like???? I need to find a farm that sells good quality hay, I do live where there are lots of farms so I need to investigate!!

 

[HGFarm]

I have fed straight alfalfa for 40 years now, as most everyone in the southwest does. It is not something you want to free feed, as your horses will get way too fat. Depends on how much is in the mixture of hay you have. The only horses that should probably not get alfalfa are ones who have foundered.

 

[Foxhaven]

... it had a different smell kind of sour?????? I love the smell of good hay Also a couple of the bales looked old when opened up, very brown and kind of hard and brittle. Sometimes I get bales with lots of stick too. What should a good quality orchard grass hay look like????...

It shouldn't look or smell like that (but you knew that). I don't mind SOME stems but when it is brown (late season) and too stemmy it's a sure bet my horses won't like it. I've had variable luck with hay too. The one they liked the BEST was grown in Westcliffe CO and cut and baled by a guy who uses horse teams to do it, and it was a fair price to boot. Some of it had mint in it... and they LOVED THAT! Fresh breath too. ;-)

I would not feed sour smelling hay.

 

[Treciah]

No one has mentioned the one major downside to alfalfa is making sure it is blister beetle free. I have fed alfalfa most of my life while growing up and living in California to my big horses as well as my miniatures I had back then with excellent results and until moving to Arkansas had never even known about blister beetle but if you ever face the consequences of feeding alfalfa even with a few blister beetles in it you will never ever want to repeat that again. Something to ask about if the hay came from an area that has it and if unknown then really watch what you feed as only a couple of beetles present could kill your mini..and it is a pretty horrific death.

 

[wingnut]

I started feeding my minis a orchard grass/alfalfa mixture hay 3 years ago. I prefer it to straight grass hay. My girls have done well on it.

As far as what good hay should look like? It really is something that you know once you see it. It should be soft, with a good deal of green visible. It should not be dusty, smelly or moldy. It shouldn't have much in the way of "foreign content". If your horses are picky like mine, they can sniff out hay that is not to their liking and I see it wasted. Good hay? Nary a stem or leaf to be found because they've hoover it up better than any fancy vacuum could ever do!

I found some great hay for a secondary supplier last summer. I think it's always wise to have more than one source. Unfortunately, while the hay was great (all orchard grass, no alfalfa), it had some type of stem with thorns & "berries". I remember finding out that this was dangerous for the horses if they ate it...and most of the time they wouldn't eat it but still. This was in every single flake, of all 10 bales I had bought. In addition, something in that hay made my own arms itch like crazy every time I touched it. I didn't go back for more but I did let the supplier know why.