Alfalfa Cubes for Chickens? UPDATE

[redhen]

when you guys say cubes..do you mean the ones i find in the pet stores for my bunny? about 2 inches long?..or is there another kind?, thanks, Wendy

 

[BeardedChick]

I feed soaked alfalfa pellets in the mash I make from their scratch feed...

I get the type that doesn't have added salt. The rabbit type of pellets have salt, and I know chickens aren't supposed to have too much sodium in their diet.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
ooh!..youre smart!..good idea!..thanks!

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

These?

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11009437/Bio_Cube_Alfalfa_Cubes.jpg

 

[redhen]

Quote:
where do you get those?..

 

[ml]

Most places that sale horse feed sale cubes. The price varies and you can get it from 12.00 to 18.00 a 50 lb bag of cubes. That being said, my flock will not eat cubes wet or dry. They want the real thing, ie grass or turnip tops.

My horses eat cubes so do buy alot of them and always have them on hand. All the cubes the horses eat are wet and soften so easy to chew.

If you want to feed them alfafa suggest getting the ones for rabbits should be a much smaller size in pellet form. Also you can buy alfafa in a crumble/powder/dust form too at some feed stores.
Second cutting alfafa is great for leaves, those in the bale form, may perk up the interest of any poultry.

ML

 

[redhen]

Quote:
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?

 

[serendipity22]

So I bought a 50 lb bag of Alfalfa Cubes from the feed store for $14. Came home and promptly got them a' soaking. Put some in the chicken coop and...

Nothing... The birds were *way* not interested.

I mixed the alfalfa mush with a little Scratch, hoping to entice the birds to eating their new greens. When I left, they were eating. We'll see if they finish it up.

I also gave a bunch to the Geese.

ON another note, I priced Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and they want $32 for a 50 lb bag!

 

[Chickending]

I use the alfalfa pellets and add water to them. My chickens love them. I just add water so it losens them up a bit and bam they love them. For chickens in Minnesota who don't get as much greens it is a good substitue for green grass they get in summer.

 

[setter4]

I looked at these at TSC too and wondered if the girls would eat them.
I have a local outlet grocery store that almost always has some kind of produce marked way way down or even free, 2 weeks ago I bought 20 bags of spinach for .50 each and the ones I have left are still good. the girls have been getting a bag a day for 10 of them. This week they had the 2 lb.bags of lettuce free with a purchase so i got 2 of those. Sometimes it's broccoli or green beans...whatever... I just pulled the last kale from the garden for them yesterday and I still have a couple of brussel sprout plants left.
I am still getting 8 or 9 eggs a day from 10 seven month old hens with no extra light in their coop.