Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Advantages And Disadvantages Feeding Alfalfa Cube

By Cornelia Reyes


Feeding alfalfa cube is a kind of feeding forage that is used in the form of a cube as an alternative to long stem hay. It can also be used effectively as the sole source of roughage for all classes of horses. The alfalfa cubes have very high nutrient like protein, vitamins and calcium. The cubes can be custom made if you prefer. You can also feed your pigs or guinea pigs the alfalfa cubes too as an alternative to their daily intake.

One of the merits of alfalfa cubes has to be the reduction of horse feed that goes to wastage. When you feed your horse the alfalfa cube, you are assured that the horse will eat everything you have given it. This is very hard when it comes to feeding it long stem hay as the horse will simply decide on eating the leaves or stem then the rest ends up being a waste.

Another benefit to be considered in choosing to feed alfalfa cubes to your horse is that you will be able to censor the quantity that the horse consumes over a period of time. The horse will eat all the feed you give it unlike in long stem hay where a certain portion will be wasted.

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.

However, there are disadvantages that have to be noted. Forage cubes cost a lot in relation to long-stem hay. This is because they are usually processed first to specifications of a horse and then shipped to where the horse is. These costs make use of the forage very costly.

Another demerit is the fact that you can not store this cubes anyhow. Careful consideration has to be taken into account because as soon they come into contact with water, the cubes become spoilt and you have to throw them away. A special dry storage are therefore has to be constructed.

Feeding alfalfa cube to your horse can lead to grave overconsumption issues. You have to carefully censor the amount you give to your horse as the horse will eat everything otherwise leading to it suffering from digestive and overweight problems.




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