Alfalfa cubes

[oldhenlikesdogs]

For me part of the benifit of alfalfa hay is the time it takes the flock to scratch a flake apart and pick up all the leaves. This takes time. In the winter when they can not get out, this gives them something to do besides picking on each other. Im not sure a water soaked cube will have the same effect. Maybe if i only had 3 or 4 birds it would work.

Some people have no easy access to bales so cubes is an option when you have no other options.

 

[aart]

I guess I thought it was too hard for them to pick apart and/or that they might get a bigger dry chunk and it could choke them or swell hugely in crop.
I usually soak 4-5 of them for about 15 birds.

ETA: the rabbit cubes I have are only about 1 x 1 x 1/2".

 

[adstowe]

My TSC has compressed bails of alfalfa where the bags of grain and stuff are. It works great. They are basically regular bails once you cut the straps. The flakes are a bit more compressed, but not so much that I can't spread them out in the run.

 

[Trux]

TSC has cubes for horses and rabbits, also hay straw chopped straw, pretty much anything you would need on the farm.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I usually soak 4-5 of them for about 15 birds.

How often do you give those 4-5 cubes to them and do you only do it in winter?

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

My TSC has compressed bails of alfalfa where the bags of grain and stuff are. It works great. They are basically regular bails once you cut the straps. The flakes are a bit more compressed, but not so much that I can't spread them out in the run.

City girl here, well suburbanite! This is all new to me. What is a flake? If I find this alfalfa stuff, how do you feed a flake or a bale of it?

 

[aart]

How often do you give those 4-5 cubes to them and do you only do it in winter?

Only in winter, maybe once every couple weeks as a snow bound boredom busting treat.

City girl here, well suburbanite! This is all new to me. What is a flake? If I find this alfalfa stuff, how do you feed a flake or a bale of it?

A flake is part of a bale of hay or straw...depending on how the bale was formed they can come apart in nice even 'flakes' about 2-3-4" thick.
I use flakes of straw for my nests, fit nice and tight in my 14x14" nests. Not all bales flake nicely tho.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I feed some of the cubes in winter I have a big round dish feeder dump some cubes in it add water so it’s full let soak ends up like a green mash they like it

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Only in winter, maybe once every couple weeks as a snow bound boredom busting treat.

A flake is part of a bale of hay or straw...depending on how the bale was formed they can come apart in nice even 'flakes' about 2-3-4" thick.
I use flakes of straw for my nests, fit nice and tight in my 14x14" nests. Not all bales flake nicely tho.

Thank you. Now I can start making my list to get ready for my first winter with chickens. I have been using straw bales and noticed that they have "layers" that I can take apart. I guess those are the flakes!

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I feed some of the cubes in winter I have a big round dish feeder dump some cubes in it add water so it’s full let soak ends up like a green mash they like it

Thanks. I will have to look for something like that.