Alfalfa

Question: Other than Alfalfa what would be good ruffage for a show horse? I have been feeding my stud complete pellets that are 45% alfalfa ever since he was weaned. About a month ago I took him off grass hay and started giving him a small amount of alfalfa instead because the valley grass hay gives him a hay belly. Lately he has been a real ass and I have an idea that the alfalfa hay might be making him hot. What is a great alternative to alfalfa that wont produce a hay belly? He gets half a flake twice a day.

Answer: Maybe you should try clover hay or grass

Question: For iguanas what is a good alfalfa pellet to use? Just any alfalfa pellet like at walmart or something? Does it have to be directly for iguanas? Oh and what is a good basking light to use? The store gave me a blacklight. Is that really what i should be usin?

Answer: I would buy real alfalfa rather than a pellet. If you can find fresh stuff, you can go to the "small pet" area of a pet store (like where the hamster stuff is) and get some dried alfalfa hay. Soaking it before feeding will help it become softer and more palatable for the iguana. The fresher you can find something, the more nutrition it will have. If you want to feed "pellets" I would get some iguana pellets from the reptile section of a pet store, just to help fill in the edges of the diet. You can soak the pellets, again, to make them softer and more palatable for the iguana. If the iguana doesn't like them soaked just in plain water, you can try some no sugar added children's juices. Variety in key in any living things diet for maximum nutrition. Here's a great web site with an awesome veggie chart: http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm Iguana's (I'm assuming you mean the Green Iguana) should have a basking temperature of 85 - 90 F. It depends on haw big the enclosure is as to how big (how many watts) the bulb should be. Get a thermometer and try different wattages until you get it right. You should have gages in the enclosure anyway so you can keep track of humidity and temperature levels. Humidity should be at least 60%; iguana's are tropical creatures and need high humidity to shed properly and maintain hydration.You should not be guessing. You also need UVB light in the iguana's enclosure. Without proper heat and UVB light diurnal (active during the day) reptiles can't work their metabolisms or digest their food properly. Without proper lighting and heat the iguana will slowly die. You need a 5.0 strength UVB bulb and the iguana needs to be able to get within 12 inches of the bulb. The UVB bulb needs to be changed ever 6 - 12 months (the life of the bulb can vary.) Even if the bulb is still emitting visible light, it is no longer emitting UVB after that time. A "black light" is not a UVB bulb. Zoo Med makes the best long tube fluorescent UVB bulbs and you can find them cheaper online than at an actual store.

Question: What is it with some people and their obsessive over alfalfa? Why are some people so obsessive with alfalfa? My landlord always have at least dozen of boxes that aflalfa grow in. She rarely make any meals that doesn't have alfalfa. She and few of her friends have a get together where they share various alfalfa recipes. She even have a bottle that have a pills made out of alfalfa (I didn't read the whole thing). I use to know few other people who were similar way. I don't understand what is it with alfalfa? What's so special about them?

Answer: Is your landlord or these people who you know obessed with eating healthy? I personally dont know anyone who has get togethers about alfalfa plants but they are not commonly grown in my area. I did find this: Alfalfa's primary use is for dairy production, followed by beef, sheep, horses and goats, but it is sometimes used for human consumption. Alfalfa sprouts are used as a salad ingredient in the United States and Australia. Tender shoots are eaten in some places as a leaf vegetable. Human consumption of older plant parts is limited primarily by very high fiber content. Dehydrated alfalfa leaf is commercially available as a dietary supplement in several forms, such as tablets, powders and tea. Alfalfa is believed to be a galactagogue. In my opinion, it seems like the plant is very common in your neighborhood and someone has started a big trend with it. Not only is cheap, easy to grow, but it is healthy and can be used for many things. Hope I helped!

Question: How much does a square bale of alfalfa weigh? I am curious how much a normal sized square bale of alfalfa weighs. I know there is a range in size, but I am looking for an average. I found an ad for 90lb bales. Is this a bale that is about 3 foot long?? The 3 foot was a guestimate. Right now I have square bales of coastal, can't find any alfalfa in my area that is less than $15 a bale...and most want you to buy a minimum of 15 bales!

Answer: You know that we cut Alfalfa green and it has to lay out until it is dry, I can also almost double the weight of a bale with the turn of a screw on the bailer. For these reason there can be a large variation in weight. There is also a natural difference between the first cutting and the last cutting of the year. We also do everything by machine anymore so it has been quite a few years since I actually had to buck a bale of hay ;) I would say that the average 3' bale only weighs 60# tho'.

Question: Are alfalfa cubes okay to feed to horses? I'm not planning on switching over Tango's food or anything, but my friend told me if you give a horse alfalfa cubes they will choke to death and die. Is that a load of Bologna or is it bad to feed them alfalfa cubes?

Answer: Alfalfa cubes are perfectly fine to feed, provided the horse does best with alfalfa in its diet. To prevent choke or dehydration from feeding them (if they are fed in large amounts) soak them in water first. If they are just getting a very small amount they really don't have to be soaked (provided the horse is healthy, has good teeth and no history of choke) but you can do it anyway just to be on the safe side. But alfalfa cubes can be a great alternative to hay when it is difficult to get ahold of quality alfalfa or the horse needs a little extra help in its diet that can be remedied by feeding them. They won't choke to death and die unless there are underlying causes that make the horse more prone to choke and are fed responsibly. I use them all the time. Your friend is wrong.

Question: How might ag policy impact production of alfalfa crops being grown? As far as I know - there are no direct regulations associated with alfalfa hay or baling. So, how might ag policy impact the production of alfalfa? Specific policies?

Answer: What, MONSANTO has not yet "patented" alfalfa seed yet? http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food its just a matter of time.

Question: How long does it take for Alfalfa to grow full grown.? I wonder how long does it take in order to harvest Alfalfa if it's the first harvest. I'm not talking about the second or third cut. I wonder from the time I plant the seed to the harvesting where I can cut it, how long should it take? Please answer, 10 points for most accurate answer.

Answer: an extension agent says there is no easy answer, depends on weather, rate of growth , etc but 28-34 days is an average I hope you are not running your farm from yahoo answers

Question: Is alfalfa too rich in protein for cows? I once heard that alfalfa will kill a cow because its too rich, and was wondering if there was any truth to that claim.

Answer: Don't know where you heard that but you can feed alfalfa to cattle. Farmers feed dried alfalfa to cattle all the time and there is no harm. But if you let cattle graze fresh alfalfa (still growing in the field) they may bloat and that could kill a cow.

Question: What age is right to switch from alfalfa to timothy? For guinea pigs. I've heard one year, but that seems a little too late to me. What age did you cross over and which age is safest? also, mazuri is alfalfa based. Is it ok for them to eat mazuri all their life, or should i switch to oxbow when there older?

Answer: I just use timothy, and occasionally I give them alfalfa as a treat. Usually only baby piggies get alfalfa, so I would switch to timothy after 5 months or so.

Question: How much alfalfa can I feed my guinea pig? I give him his normal hay every single day, and i thought it would be good to put in shredded alfalfa bale every other day. Is this ok? Or is this too much?

Answer: Your guinea pig will be fine with just his normal hay, you don't need to use your money on something your guinea pig doesn't need.

Question: What does alfalfa plant do for the body? I was reading that lots of farmers feed their cattle alfalfa plants and I began to wonder if such a plant would help me to gain anything during weight training.

Answer: Alfalfa is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, as well as chlorophyll. Alfalfa is rich in saponins, numerous vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K, niacin, biotin, folic acid, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. Alfalfa contains dozens of amino acids. Alfalfa is also higher in protein than many other plant foods, yielding 15 to 25 percent protein in dried alfalfa meal. Alfalfa leaves also contain flavones, isoflavones, sterols, and coumarin derivatives. Read more here http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/herbal-supplements/alfalfa.php

Question: How can I encourage my horse to eat alfalfa cubes? I am moving my horse from a pasture in Texas to an equestrian center in California in May. The facility only feeds alfalfa cubes. I bought a bag and have attempted to encourage my horse to eat them as snacks, but he refuses. I have tried breaking them into flakes, and mixing it with his grain- neither worked. Any suggestions? He is on pasture so I cannot deprive him of flakes of hay unfortunately and he definitely isn't buying the cube as a treat idea.

Answer: You may want to try soaking them before feeding or pouring oil on them to make them seem more tasty. However, your horse may not take to them at all and you may be better off either weaning him off alfalfa all together or seeing if the stable in California would allow you to ship in Alfalfa bales. It must be the exact opposite here in Texas as in California. I had a horse from Cali. board at my stable and the owner wanted cubes too, around my town and surrounding city's they don't sell alfalfa cubes. They too had to bring cubes with them.

Question: Does alfalfa do for Bunnies what catnip does for cats? I gave my bunny an alfalfa cube and he was racing around. He also was very feisty. I wondered if it was a feel good food for my bunny. He was so playful after the alfalfa. He has timothy hay every day.

Answer: Giving alfafa to a bunny is good.I also give my bunnies alfafa to make it healthier.

Question: Is it ok to feed an alfalfa based pellet to my rabbit? The pet store doesnt have timothy based pellets, only alfalfa. He is a flemish giant and he only gets about 1/2 - 1 cup of pellets per day because they dont need them all the time. He has fresh timothy hay available 24/7 and he gets a few veggies every now and then. So is an alfalfa based pellet ok for him?

Answer: The nucleus of any good adult rabbit diet consists of quality pellets, fresh hay, water, and fresh vegetables. Anything other than these basics should be considered a "treat" and be given in limited quantities. The amounts of these diet essentials varies with the age of the rabbit.

Question: Need professional advice, can i feed alfalfa to my hamsters without hurting them? can i feed my hamsters fresh alfalfa? will it hurt them? will it make them sick if i give them extra so they can use it as a nest?

Answer: YES!! That would be really good for your hammies!! And a little extra wouldn't hurt either. Just make sure you freeze the alfalfa so there are no parasites, or bacteria to harm the hamster.

Question: Is it ok to feed a 3 month old guinea pig tymothy based pellets insted of alfalfa? im getting a guinea pig this weekend from the shelter and when i go i was planning to buy the food and hay there insted of at the petstore (the shelter sells oxbow). i saw that they sell cavy cuisine (tymothy based) and not cavy preformance (alfalfa based). also they sell orchard grass and tymothy hay but i didnt see any alfalfa hay. would it be ok to give a three month old tymothy hay or is it really bad for them.

Answer: alfalfa, or maybe mix the two, 3 parts alfalfa 1 part tymothy.