Feeding alfalfa

["Susan B. Felker" <felker@swva.net>]

Feeding alfalfa? We got the same response from our hay supplier here in
Virginia on top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He grows fields with
timothy and alfalfa. He usually bales ine first cutting, with more
timothy, as round bales, and then the second and third cuttings as
square bales, or does chop for his dairy cows (he believes what comes
out the udder is only as good as what goes in the mouth). Once he baled
some square bales from the first cutting and mentioned it to me as hay
he didn't think I would want! I grabbed every bale he had.

Timothy with alfalfa--our horses love it! He also keeps his round bales
under shelter and we buy two round bales per week all winter long for
ten horses.

Once it gets warm, we stop the round bales because they do tend to mold
if rained on.

And I do find the horses are hotter if they are getting the high
percentage alfalfa square bales.

Susan Felker


"As far as grass hay goes, they grow
just a few fields with a mixed alfalfa/
bermuda grass hay and I have to argue
with the guy that picks it up for me
to get me the grass hay and not the
alfalfa.  Some of it is almost all grass
hay and he says I wouldn't want that,
it's no good!  I told him that if he
asked every arab owner he would get the
same answer.  Yes, we do want it!"