Alfalfa Cubes for Chickens? UPDATE

[SunAngel]

After seeing this thread I bought a bag of the alfalfa cubes from TSC this weekend. I soaked them about 15-20 mins I guess, in warm water. They weren't sure what to make of it at first, but the standards, bantams, juvies and ducks ate all that I put out for them. These will come in handy during the winter when I can't get to the store for fresh veggies and everything outside is buried in ice and snow!

Thanks for the idea

 

[serendipity22]

All of the Alfalfa Cube particles are gone! The chickens must have decided that they liked them after all.

 

[ml]

Red Hen

"so could i soak my rabbits food and feed it to my chickens?...or even my poy belly pigs pellets..there must be protein in the pig pellets...so would that be better than the rabbit pellets?"



Only if you are feeding the big cubes to your flock. I soak cubes (timothy blanced ones) with warm water for my 34 year old horse. It is his main source of hay in the winter. He is on a low NSC ( carbs and sugar diet).

Under the idea some folks feed rabbit alfafa pellets and or cubes to the flock. Alfafa is a good source of protien. If the pellets are small enought you may not need to soak them depends on the size of the hens. Try a small amount and see if they like them soaked.

My flock turned up beaks at my cubes.

I grow turnip greens and rye grass for mine in the winter. This year plant on starting up more greens for them in the basement and set them out for them. I am a advid about winter sowing my crops so guess need to add more milk jugs for the peeps.

Deer food plot is perfect mix for winter nibbles for your peeps.
"Greens also known as Brassicas are a combination of annual rape, kale and turnip that will provide an abundant mass of green leafy plants that are very attractive to deer in the fall and winter months. Many hunters will add Deer Greens in small quantities (2 lbs. per acre) to a fall mixture of grass and clover to provide a fast growing, attractive component to their mixture. Deer Greens become even more attractive after a frost because the sugar content becomes more concentrated. Deer greens work well by themselves or make a great addition to a mixture. "

My flock wipped out the winter area so need to cage areas for winter grazing for next year. I have one area fenced off from my horse and peeps so can pick greens for them.

ML

 

[Rooster Ray]

I havent tried the cubes yet but accidentally bought a small bag of alfalfa hay and put it in the nest box and the next morning it was all gone they had eaten it so I learned that I needed straw for the nestboxes and not hay. So I buy them a bag of hay every now and then and they love it. You can find it everywhere even at Walmart they sell it in the rabbit section of pet products.

 

[poussin_noir]

After being turned down at every supermarket for their veggie trim ( farmer come s to pick it all up) I'm so glad I found this thread. Went to the feed store yesterday and picked up some alfalfa cubes for my flock. I am so happy to be able to provide them with some greens during the winter.

 

[ams3651]

so what is the difference in feeding the cubes rehydrated and a bale of good quality alfalfa hay?

 

[antlers]

Quote:
About $20 . Seriously, the bale of alfalfa is much cheaper on a per pound basis but not as easy for some to store. Same hay otherwise.

 

[ams3651]

thats my thinking, I can get a bale of hay for about $3.50 or a 50lb bag of these cubes for $13 and I dont need 50lb. THanks for the reply.

 

[erthymom2]

I got a 5 pound bag of aflalfa cubes at the local Blue Seal store today for 1.99 a bag.

Came home and mixed three cubes with dried plain oatmeal, cracked corn and hot water, let it soak, stired it and then served it warm to the gals as a g'night meal - they were in heaven!!

All of them are gonna have a nice warm tummy tonight with the temp. at 12 degrees with windchill.

 

[Portia]

I saw alfalfa cubes in the feed store the other day and was tempted to buy some, but at this point my girls are still eating a lot from our lawn. The perennial grass isn't available, but they love all the other green stuff that's growing there, especially the clover. We don't usually get cold enough to brown out our lawn, but I'll keep the alfalfa cubes in mind as winter progresses. I still have some pumpkins in the basement, I break one open a week and they eat off that; they also get all my veggie scraps...since I'm a veg they get a lot of them, and I supplement them with trims from the local family market. So far they seem content enough.