Hay Pellets

[Almost Broke]

I am considering using hay pellets for some of our horses as an amendment to their diets. Some of them are ... well, FAT, but horses need to eat for a good digestive system among other things.

I thought hay pellets might be a good option for some that don't get concentrated grain feeds. To this, I would add their vit/min balancer.

Also, an amount of soaked beet pulp.

Questions:

1. My thinking is that a hay pellet that is 50/50 alfalfa timothy (and nothing else) would be a good protein source for these guys who need to make more muscle and help with the fat issue -- is my thinking correct here?

2. Is choke any more of a risk with hay pellets than it is with any other pelleted feed? We soak our beet pulp, but I would like to feed a third small "meal" that would just be hay pellets for something going through the digestive tract and would like it if I did not have to soak every meal.

I should add that they get hay and pasture forage as well. I just wanted to add hay pellets to the mix to give those who get no grain something to eat when the others do, and to possibly add a third feeding in.

Thanks!

[rwfarm]

I soak mine for my older horses. Works very well. 1/2 a bucket dry then fill. This equals about 3-4 flakes of hay.

[JB]

For an overweight horse, you can't feed enough of a hay pellet to provide significant protein to help with muscle issues. You're much better off using straight lysine, or Tri-Amino from Uckele if you want to go that route.

IME, there isn't a bigger risk of choke on hay pellets than other pellets, but there are some folks whose hay pellets are a LOT bigger than regular feed pellets, so that is a factor. Also IME, hay pellets take next to no time to soak to the point they are breaking apart. 5 minutes in the Summer is all it takes for alfalfa pellets to break down, for me and my pellets anyway. Hardly any more time in the Winter.