# Horse Cubes for Goats?



## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Earlier this month my feed store man gave me two bags of horse cubes. For those who don't know, horse cubes are dried alfalfa compressed into little blocks about three inches long and maybe an inch or so thick. So I put some out for the goats. It didn't take long to see that the goats could not bite the full sized cubes and I feared they would choke on them. So I started putting several pounds of whole cubes into a feed bucket, top dressing them with loose minerals, and dropping a sledge hammer into the bucket and adding their feed ration and more loose minerals on top, and them putting the whole mix into the goats' feeders. I do this twice a day.

What I've noticed is that their is a lot less waste of alfalfa when feeding this way. The only other way to create less waste is to feed pellets. What I'm wondering is if any one has fed this way and what were your results. I'm wondering if six pounds of alfalfa cubes smashed up is enough to five bred does and a junior buck? 

Since I know you're going to ask, the goats have free choice access to a round bale of grass hay. They get a dairy goat pellet that is mixed with alfalfa pellets and sweet feed, at a ratio of 150 pounds pellets, 50 pounds of alfalfa pellets, 50 pounds of sweet feed.

I know I have problems with selenium deficiency in my area as well as copper deficiency. So I buy a loose mineral mix with the highest selenium and copper I can get. In addition I give regular injections of Bo-Se and copper bolus every two months.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

I forgot to add the goats also have all the winter browse they care for and I feed a square bale of lespadeza every other week.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Yes Nicole I found that the goats don't eat those cubes and I just got tired of crushing the darn things, so went to alfalfa pellets but not in their feed. I commend you for all the crushing HA!


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Here, the cubes cost as much as the pellets. It's just too much work to crush the cubes so I feed pellets. I, too mix my alfalfa pellets with my grain. If that were my sole source of alfalfa, I'd be feeding them seperately to insure they are getting enough alfalfa. My goats are also fed alfalfa hay.


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## tendermeadowsnigerians (Sep 8, 2010)

I feed both pellets & cubes. I soak the cubes in water overnight they fall apart I just spread them out and they dry quickly. It is cheaper for me to get the cubes then the pellets around here plus my little paint colt (lives w/ my bucks) believes alfalfa pellets are his grain and no one should eat them, the cubes must be less appealing to him because he doent gobble them up, he shares with my bucks which are his pasture mates


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

What is the difference in cost between cubes and pellets by you. Is it substantial enough to make the effort of breaking up or soaking those little cubes worthwhile. I am very happy with pellets for my goats. The only use I have for cubes is treats for the cows.


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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

We are feeding Alfalfa Horse Cubes, I too read you had to break them up or goats would choke on them, well for the pass yr and half we've fed them whole, free choice 24/7 to La Mancha's, Mini's and now Nigerians. They have learned how to break them up ( this saves time and gives them somethin to do), our goats do not have any problem what so ever eating them. Standlee Cube's are $11 while pellets are $13 here Ive tried bales of alfalfa but they wasted as much as they eat.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Since I started this thread, I'll speak to the costs. My feed man gave me these first two bags so there was no purchase cost involved. If I decide to continue buying them they will cost as much as alfalfa pellets.


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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

How about protien% how do they compare? If they are the same consider this, pellets are like feeding compressed saw dust while cube's are more fiberous.


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

Nicole, I tried to feed mine cube's during an emergency pellet and hay shortage a few years ago, and they would NOT eat them for me. I tried to break them, I tried to soak them. I would not buy them again. But I have the hay situation under control, at least until the next bad drought here.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

Interesting topic- I may have to check prices and compare. I've fed my gelding soaked cube's when I couldn't get good alfalfa.


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

I am surprised you can soak them and the goats still eat them. If our pellets get slightly damp....the goats won't touch them. I have to be careful not to put our more pellets than they will eat pretty quickly, especially if it's not a totally dry day. Otherwise, they have to be dumped out before I put in new pellets.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Dave,

That's a good point about pellets being ground whereas the cubes offer more fiber. If I decide to continue feeding cubes it might be worth the effort for the fiber, especially when trying to "keep em warm" by filling the rumen.


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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

Soaking Alafala Cubes or are you thinking of Beet Pulb the cubes break down too fast in water out goats wont touch them even if they get a little damp


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## MysticHollowGoats (Nov 5, 2007)

My goats also will not eat pellets or hay that is damp. If you have to crush them then I imagine you are making them more like a pellet?


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Well guess I had picky goats as they wouldn't eat wet/soaked beet pulp or cubes and wouldn't eat the cubes at all.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

If I put cubes out they do not get eaten, but the goats will pick a whole cube up and throw it on the ground. 95 percent is wasted. No one mentioned this, but if you have a choice, you should switch out your sweet feed for something else. Not a good choice for goats due to it's high molasses content and very low quality. Your dairy ration should be the best quality you can get, fed when milking, and then put out your alfalfa pellets separately.


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## tendermeadowsnigerians (Sep 8, 2010)

A 50# bag of cubes is $8-10 depending on what feed store I go to. 1 bag of cubes lasts about a week around here. A 40# bag of pellets is $12-15 depending on the store, they last a couple days because the paint colt I have gobbles them up as fast as he can but the cubes he pick at. I only offer cubes or sometimes pellets so that theres always something in the feeders. I also feed alfalfa hay, its awesome hay. I go to the hay auction and can get alfalfa hay for $2-2.50 a bale, so I fill the barn with it and my goats get one hay feeder w/ alfalfa hay & one hay feeder w/ 2nd cutting grass hay which I pay $1-2 a bale.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I would SO love to get hay at that price! Square bales around here are 4.00+ for 35 pounds of mixed grass field hay. I buy alfalfa pellets at TSC, the Standlee ones. Those are the only ones I can get that do not have a ton of duct at the bottom of the bag. I have severe asthma and every time I open the bin lid, a cloud of green dust billows out and I can't breath. The Standlee ones are nice, no dust at all.

The last 2 times I went to TSC to get them, they were out. I had to get a mixed alfalfa/grass pellet that that was about 4 times the size of the alfalfa pellets. The goats ate them, but they don't like the size. They take a while to chew them up, which is ok since it gives them something to do, but I know mine wouldn't touch the cubes.

My goats will eat damp hay because if they don't they go without. I have 2 big round bales delivered and they stay outside under a tarp and I unroll and feed out the loose stuff each feeding. When it rains or snows and then melts, the outside layer or 2 get damp.

My goats will eat soaked beet pulp also as long as it's not soupy.


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