Orchard Alfalfa mix
- Thread starter suz
- Start date
Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:
disneyhorse
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2002
- Messages
- 5,382
- Reaction score
- 192
I do feed it but I cut it with Bermuda grass additionally. Personally, timothy hay is the best horse hay available, as it has enough protein but is balanced in everything else. The orchard/alfalfa will probably be more "fattening" as alfalfa has a lot of calories...
Lucky-C-Acres-Minis
Well-Known Member
We feed it as well
Horses love it, like Kay said, little to no waste, our horses are "chubby"
but not fat, just the right weight to be going into winter..
Last edited by a moderator:
JMO here but free choice feeding and minis don't go together. My big horse could be on pasture all day and she would eat then stop. These little guys don't seem to get the stop! part.
If you do insist on giving free choice feeding then the alfalfa is probably too rich to give them. However if you feed them by weight, as I do, the alfalfa mix is good as it takes less of it (by weight) to give them the necessary nutrients.
If your horses are getting a lot of exercise then the free choice might work but those that are just stalled or standing around as pets will get very large bellies.
Leeana
Well-Known Member
I feed alfalfa / orchard grass mix, my hay guy mixes ours up special...it is about 25% alfalfa and 75% orchard grass..give or take a little, each bale is different it seems but for the most part its in that range.
The orchard grass is REALLY soft and the alfalfa isnt rough hard sticks...i think we get some of the nicest hay around our part of ohio and its only $3.50 a bale, i go threw about a bale a day...then mares outside are just on round bales of timothy, alfalfa, orchard grass...allot of everything mixed in together in those bales.
Inside horses are on square bales of the alfalfa/orchard grass mix...really there is NO waste at all and they love it!
The orchard grass is REALLY soft and the alfalfa isnt rough hard sticks...i think we get some of the nicest hay around our part of ohio and its only $3.50 a bale, i go threw about a bale a day...then mares outside are just on round bales of timothy, alfalfa, orchard grass...allot of everything mixed in together in those bales.
Inside horses are on square bales of the alfalfa/orchard grass mix...really there is NO waste at all and they love it!
This really depends on the horse. All of mine are on free choice pasture (plus hay during the winter) or free choice hay. Who gets a big belly depends more (with my horses) on activity level yes, but more on genetics
Katiean
Well-Known Member
I feed alfelfa/orchard grass and the horses love it. My bales (130#) come apart in about 1" sections. I fe4ed each adult mini one 1" section 2x's a day. They usually finish the breakfast flake by about 11. they then spend the rest of the day standing in the upper corner of the pasture or running around playing. Since your horse is stalled all of the time try getting him a happy ball or hanging a milk jug poked with holes and put a but of grain or even some rocks in it so he can bat it around. He needs to do things other than eat.
It also depends on where the alfalfa mix has been grown! If I fed that mix that has been grown here, it would be a great hot hay and weight builder because the protein would be very high.....around 14 to 16 percent.
But if I go just 180 miles west to the other side of our state, that mix is what would be perfect, as long as it was grown there. The percentage would be more around 12 percent.
But if I go just 180 miles west to the other side of our state, that mix is what would be perfect, as long as it was grown there. The percentage would be more around 12 percent.
