Question

I feed a 12% textured feed, grass hay, and pasture to my broodmares and young horses. How much feed depends on the horse. I’d like to add alfalfa (lucerne) pellets to bolster their energy intake, but I don’t know how much to feed. Or should I use beet pulp? Can you help?

Answer

The quantity of pellets fed depends on how much the horses will eat. You could start with adding 1 lb (0.45 kg) per day per horse and see how well they tolerate it. Then you can slowly increase the amount as desired. You should observe a difference in weight with 2 lb (1 kg) of alfalfa pellets a day added to your current feeding program.

Beet pulp and alfalfa pellets are both excellent sources of digestible fiber. Which one you choose is dependent on what fits best into your feeding program. Alfalfa pellets can be fed right out of the bag and be mixed easily into a concentrate feed with little prep time or mess. If needed, they can be softened with water, but that is best done right before serving. Beet pulp requires more work because it should be soaked in advance of serving. It is tastiest when soaked. Beet pulp can be served dry; however, feeding it dry is thought to increase the risk of choke.