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Post by angelsdream on Jan 3, 2009 18:52:40 GMT -5
I see this is some horse feed's, what is it? I have seen it a lot in the low starch, low calorie feeds.
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Post by Michelle Clarke on Jan 3, 2009 20:39:11 GMT -5
It is basically ground alfalfa...alot of it is mixed with other hays. If you do a search on it, it is also used for fertilizer and also for reptile beeding. Because of the high level of processing, sub-standard product can be used, like thick stalks or older hay. Some hay growers will even color the hay before they bale it - this can be common with alfalfa, so being green does not neccessarily mean freshness. I would think it is alot easier to color something proccessed.
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Post by angelsdream on Jan 3, 2009 20:49:07 GMT -5
Im not a big fan of alfalfa - i wouldnt think it would be good in horse feed or maybe a low amount wouldn't hurt, maybe that's where the horse feed gets the protein from, although I know a lot of people that feed alfalfa, it's just my own preferance. Too much protein for me.
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Post by Michelle Clarke on Jan 4, 2009 12:49:20 GMT -5
I have seen lots of ills with too much alfalfa for sure. My father in law was big on just alfalfa and oats with his Paso Finos. The ones he imported from Columbia handled it well, but by the third generation, they were foundering by the ages of 6 for the most part.
We use it as part of our balanced diet because it holds alot of other natural vits/min....alfalfa provides beta-carotene and vitamins C, E, and K (and vit A). Alfalfa keeps calcium in the bones and out of the linings of the arteries.
It also stimulates milk production. We feed about 1 lb. per horse per day. The lactating mares get a little more, but it is another example of too much of a good thing. If not balanced with enough phosporous, it can throw off the values like 15:1. Many adult horses can handle this, but young ones cannot. Oats are high in phosphorous.
Too much calcium/silicia will cause calcium deposits...which I have experienced. They form on the splint bones, giving the appearence of a regular splint and then on the ribcage. My father in laws horses never had splints because of the oats balancing - but obviously, that diet was unbalanced in so many other ways.
On the protein side, it just depends on needs. You need protein for muscle development. Young horses and horses at work do need higher protein. I think protein has been given a bad wrap. One way I can tell a young horse has too much protein (like the jr. feeds of purina and other companies) is that they get fluid on the joints..you can especially tell on the knees. Alot of jr. feeds are made to "feed out" weanlings and yearlings for sales - to get them big and bulky.
Protein also give you a nice, rich coat. You'll notice in the Kigers that some duns are very light colored, while others have a deeper color. This could have to do with the amount of protein. We have a Kiger mare that is boarded in the back 60 acres where they are just "rough" - no feed, just balanced forage and other natural herbs/grasses/trees/bark etc. Last year we had lots of rain and we had a good crop of acorns. The mare had a deep, rich coat. This year, no rain, no acorns and her coat is very light and flat - and course.
We have seen this also on alot of other horses that come in for training...
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Post by angelsdream on Jan 4, 2009 14:19:55 GMT -5
Thanks Michelle. So I guess the little bit that's in the feed's wouldnt hurt the horses?
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Post by Michelle Clarke on Jan 4, 2009 15:30:41 GMT -5
I would not think so. The other things to remember is that there is no regulations in livestock feed. The only thing they have to do is what is said to be "guaranteed analysis", but how they get there is up to them. Feed companies also do not have to list ingredients in order of amount or even what is really in it. There is pretty much "pat" items that are said to be in feed. On the other hand, listing "alfalfa" as an ingredient, may also mean it is 90% of what is in it. So, unknowingly, you could be feed 5 lbs. per day.
I have taken over 50% of the horses here off of all proccessed feeds. I am still trying to figure out how to do it in most of the group pastures. I took my dog off of the organic (but proccessed) dog food and he is on all raw, plus I am in the middle of switching our 3 house cats. Again, even on the organic, at least one cat gets sick every time we get a new bag. Our big fatty cat (23lbs at 2 years old), LOVES it, has lost weight, plays all the time, let's us now rub his belly and his potty habits are much better.
It's much cheaper and the are so much healthier.
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