Alfalfa: cubes and pellets questions

[geoff40]

Where I am at, I don't really have the ability to get hay bales of alfalfa that aren't mixed with grass. If I could I wouldn't be making this thread. I'd like to hear from anyone who has used both the cubes of alfalfa and the pellets. I am considering switching to 1 of these or the winter, never have used them before in the past, and I am wondering how chickens take to dry pellets in general? Will they eat them, did you mix them in to their regular food or give it separate? Or am I better off reconstituting the pellet/cube, and feeding it that way?
Sometimes I wonder why grain manufacturers don't supply their dealers with a few sample packs of their products, or even sell small samples so one could try things out on livestock without having to buy 50# of it....

 

[4Hchickenproject]

I've never tried to feed the hay cubes to my hens, but I used to keep bags for camping with the horses. The cubes are incredibly hard, so I don't know if the hens would be able to bust them...The horses do chomp on them, but I got into the habit of soaking the cubes in water so they would absorb the moisture, and the cubes easily broke apart. Perhaps a horse owner at a local stable would allow you to take one or two cubes to see if the chickens like them?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I use the alfalfa cubes. It took a while for the birds to get used to them but now they eat it pretty quickly. I soak it in a pail of water overnight, be careful you don't add too many cubes in the pail because it expands as it takes in the moisture. Then I stir them around with a screwdriver or something just to break them up a bit more and feed em' to the birds.

 

[NellaBean]

Go to the small animal/rabbit section....there are probably packs of alfalfa cubes over there for sale. But they are expensive.......(not expensive over all, but on a per cube basis vs the big 50lb bags)

How exactly are you feeding them to your chicken? Mine have no interest at all in hay cubes or pellets, dry or soaked......

 

[sheila3935]

Ive never tried the cubes, but mine did not like the pellets. I tried soaked and dry. They wouldnt eat them so I ended up giving them to the squirrels.

 

[geoff40]

I haven't tried them at all yet. Seeing how all of you use/feed them before I try them. I am betting my birds will eat them, because basically they eat pretty much everything. Seems like the cubes, after soaking them, are getting more thumbs up than pellets, basing on the other threads I can find about them.

 

[KellyHM]

I use the pellets for my goats...they love them! I've never tried feeding them to the chickens though.

 

[Cindy in PA]

It takes awhile for them to be really interested, but once they try them you're god to go. I've used pellets & cubes. Soak the cubes and then make sure they are broken up, they won't eat even wet clumps. Soak the pellets and they break up really easily. They are much finer than the cubes, but they scratch through both and eat them up.

 

[Blue Ninja]

I have a heated dog bowl for my chickens water in the winter, and I throw just a handful into the water. It makes a nice alfalfa tea for them to drink, and the next day I dump that and they can eat the soaked alfalfa. I still have dark orange yolks and the eggs taste great!

 

[muckmuck]

I use pellets by soaking but I also have access to cooked rice (both white and brown) and found that if I put some rice in the bucket with the pellets then cover with water and soak over night my chickens go crazy!

Max