Hay cubes vs. pellets

[Chaco L <ChacoL@aol.com>]

Years ago I used to buy alfalfa cubes by the ton directly from the grower in
Woodland, Calif.  These were about 2 inches square and 3, 4, o 5 inches long,
depending on how they came out of the cuber.

Our horses (and even a couple of Shetland ponies at the time), had no trouble
eating these safely.  They were on full turnout with several acres of pretty
good pasture in the rainy season.

However, when I tired of shoveling several tons of these cubes into the barn,
I switched to a large alfalfa pellet, about an inch in diameter and maybe 2
inches long.  These were a disaster.  The Shetland got one lodged in her
throat almost immediately and nearly choked to death.  The Morgan yearling got
them stuck regularly but managed to cough them out.  The mature horses rarely
had a problem,  but I would never use or recommend these for horses.  Perhaps
the smaller pellets would be better?

Linda
San Francisco