Sunday, October 27, 2013

Benefits And Shortcomings Of Feeding Alfalfa Cube

By Cornelia Reyes


When availability of hay and pasture is limited, horse owners usually resort to feeding alfalfa cube to their horses. The nutrient content in the cubes is usually very high and they also act effectively as bran, aiding the digestion process for your horse. The cube producers can make you a forage cube specific to your horses need; all you have to do is instruct them on the mix you prefer. These cubes are usually fed to other livestock such as swine as a substitute to what they normally take.

Feeding your horse forage cube is very beneficial when it comes to saving on feed. It is widely known that a horse will consume all the forage cubes presented to it unlike where it becomes very choosy where long stem hay is concerned. This makes sure you do not end up wasting horses feed which you would have had you fed the horse long stem hay, and it decides on consuming the leaves alone.

Another advantage is that the horse owner is able to regulate how much a horse eats by feeding it forage cube. Unlike the long-stem hay. You will be able to monitor exactly how the horse takes per day.

Another advantage to mention is that forage cubes usually have a specific nutrient content in them so the horse owner will know the levels of nutrients that have been fed to the horse. This is unlike the long-stem hay where you have no way of knowing the nutrient levels.

When you feed your horse long stem hay, a lot of dust or mold is usually consumed by the horse. This greatly affects a horse that has a breathing problem and might even add to its problems. The alfalfa cubes are usually dust free and lack the mold that are present in long stem hay which should be avoided.

The forage cubes are beneficial over long stem hay as you reduce your storage costs. This is as they are very easy to handle. They do not take up much in space if you decide to put it in your truck or store.

Forage cubes also have their shortcomings. They are very pricey as a result of the overhead and handling costs involved. This is due to the cubes having to be mixed with other nutrients so they can be 100% alfalfa or 50% depending on your needs and then adding on to it is the transport costs.

Another shortcoming is that the alfalfa cubes are very perishable especially if not stored in dry conditions. Any dampness that comes interacts with it, no matter how small makes the forage cubes inedible and you have to discard them. You will need to have a special shed that is always dry and is not exposed to humidity built.

Another disadvantage to note is that feeding excessive feeds to the horse leads to addition of excessive weight and digestive problems which in turn greatly affects the health and performance of your horse. It is strongly advised that feeding alfalfa cube be monitored properly to avoid overfeeding. This is because the horse will tend to eat all the cubes unlike where, were it being fed the long-stem hay, it would leave the rest as soon as it is done.




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