Dear Dr Getty,
Thank you for the advice on the wood chewing, etc.
I'll keep you posted.

Now I have a quick question on about alfalfa pellets.

You mentioned to me before, that if I feed my yearlings (who will be 2 in April) grass hay with no alfalfa in it that I should add alfalfa pellets(or the like) to their diet because they need the extra calcium and lysine that it provides cuz they are growing.

Ok ..so NOW they have GRASS hay and I bought alfalfa pellets. I read that 1/2 lb of alfalfa pellets equals
1 lb of hay. You also said never give more than 3 lbs in a feeding.

My question is:
How much alfalfa pellets should I give them DAILY?
One filly weighs almost 1000 lbs and she gets 1 lb ( 3 cups)of Blue Seal Trotter twice a day.
The other filly weighs about 900 lbs and she gets 1 1/2 lbs (5 cups) twice a day.

They both also get Accel, Nutraflax, free choice hay, salt block and fresh water.

I gave them each 1 lb of pellets (1 cup)with their Trotter today but I'm not sure that is enough. I also soaked the pellets.

Thanks so much ...you are invaluable!

Where are you from? MA

How did you locate this forum? horse list

sorry...I mean I gave them 1/2 lb ( approx 1 cup) of alfalfa pellets today.

Where are you from? MA

How did you locate this forum? horse list

Hi MJ,

The 3 to 4 lb limit basically applies to concentrates and not as much to forages. However, it is still a good idea to not overfeed.

I would suggest giving each of them 1 1/2 lbs of alfalfa pellets per meal. That would provide them with the equivalent of 6 lbs of alfalfa hay per day.

This is an estimate, but you can certainly go with it. To truly know the exact amount of calcium, phosphorus, protein, etc., that you're feeding, I would need to do an analysis. But, based on what you're feeding, this amount of pellets is appropriate.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO