first cut alfalfa really bad for your horse here in Kansas

bit · first cut alfalfa really bad for your horse here in Kansas

Hey, first cut in California was some pretty nice stuff. I just asked my neighbors about where I could purchase a bale of alfalfa for some training with Eclipse. They said it "might" be safe by now, since it's not the first cut. They wouldn't feed it. Alfalfa is not something really good for horses in Kansas because of blister beatles. They can kill a horse. Does something bad to the inside of their mouths. Something to think about if you are new to an area. Don't just assume that all that stuff you feed your horse is the same wherever you move. I wudda never thought it.

Scarlet Belle

I have always been a no way alfalfa feeder.

I know it can be good, but one beetle can kill a horse.
People will tell you it was grown in the proper climate, but that is not always true. So I stay away from it.

We grow tift 85 , a drought resistant coastal brumuda hay and we bale our own hay, square and round bales.

I square bale for my horses and then, the rest is round baled for neighbors cattle...as most horse people around here do not want to come out in the heat and pick the square bales out of the field...

We do not sale hay anymore. People just call around January desparate for it...but, they are too lazy to work to help us for it.

So.

cory

Blister beetles can occur in numerous states but highest concentration is in the more arid areas where grasshopper population is high. The beetles depend on grasshopper eggs for their own life cycle. Although blister beetles can occur in any cutting of hay, the greatest population of beetles is generally after the first cutting. The beetles contain a very potent toxin that is especially lethal to horses. It affects the intestines and first sign may be colic. It can also damage the heart and other organs.

The problem is made worse with crimping the hay for conditioning as it crushes the beetles. The beetle doesn't even have to be present in the hay as the toxin remains on the leaves and does not break down over time.

Scarlet Belle

Cory,
Thanks, as much as I know you can feed less alfalfa than other hays..it is bad in that if you do not know where it comes from it can be deadly and soon. Hence, I do not use it, period.

Sonya

appellativo

http://hoofrecovery.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-thoughts-on-alfalfa.html

I've been reading too much lately, ha ha! But I am revisiting the possibility of feeding my horse one flake a day to see if it makes an improvement. According to feedxl (and all the other horses on the same diet at my boarding barn,) she should look better than she does. I'm at a loss. I will admit that the last batch of round bales (which they have access to 12 hours a day) looks very dark and stemmy and that may be why her weight and coat look worse lately. That and she has to fight all the other horses for her grain. I'm just frustrated and looking for something to help her......lots of people's horses are on alfalfa and they seem to do fine on it. Could it just be some horses can have it, some are better without, and would I be so terrible if I gave it a shot?

Pyrgirl

bchorse

Please note my comments are from my own experience and may differ from others.

I have found there are a lot of things to consider with alfalfa. We feed an alfalfa grass mix that is rather high in alfalfa content. We have older horses that need that extra protein content to keep their weight on. Our vet recommended this quality of hay for our situation. Other horses it can make hot. (I have a couple of those as well)

In the bitter cold, the alfalfa is often digested quicker than a grass hay, so they don't maintain their body heat from digestion as well as on grass hay. This again would depend on quality of alfalfa and the amount of roughage it contains. This isn't a problem for us because we feed 24/7 in colder temps, but our neighbors that feed twice a day, this has been an issue.

There can be major differences in the quality of alfalfa as well. There is more stem and more grass typically in the first cutting in our area. Second cutting is more leafy and less grass. Sometimes we get a 3rd cutting, but we can't count on that here. Typically 3rd will have more grass than second cutting, but usually less than first.

Mind you this is from my experience and from my part of the country. (Central Wyoming) Each area is going to be different as well as different hay producers. I spent many years finding good quality hay for us. We are lucky to have a good producer that gives us the best he has to offer. Probably has to do with us being a regular customer of 3 truck loads, but I am happy and so are my horses.

As a side note. I don't grain any of my horses at this time. My hay does a very good job of maintaining their weight and giving them plenty of energy for any job we have for them to do. At one time I was graining an old horse (in his 30's), but this was due to his lack of teeth and the need for a mash, as well as free choice alfalfa, to help him get his feed requirements.

Right or wrong, I am not an expert on this. I can tell you that my horses all look good. Some of them are rather plump as they are easy keepers, but as far as their health, I have few problems.