Readigrass/Just Grass vs Alfalfa?

Firewell

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2008
Messages
7,817
Visit site
Just a bored musing really..

I feed my TB Alfa A oil, veg oil and balancer and he does fine on this. He's no show cob but he is calm and looks well for his type.
Looking up these grass products they are just as high in calories and protein as the Alfa Oil so why do more people not use these as the bulk part of a conditioning diet and use Alfa? Grass seems more natural to our UK horses. I know how well spring grass can make my horse look and feel!

Thoughts? Just wondering if these grass products would be better then the Alfa A oil...
 
I love redigrass :)

I think firstly they seem less available, I never really see redigrass in small feed stores anyway and think they can normally bolt redigrass down quite quickly too whereas chaff slows them up a bit.

I love the smell of redigrass though :) yummmm!
 
My mare come to me underweight, and in poor condition, i tried her on conditioning mixes etc, didnt makea huge difference, vet said to switch her to grass nuts (my local store does northern crop brand) at 7.20 for a HUGE bag and alfa a chaff, as both are so high in fibre and protein.

Within weeks she looked a MILLION times healthier, had more sensible energy, is willing and her looks have changed as much as her attitude, she is not fizzy or exciteable and highly strung, she is however energetic and will do everything asked of her, without lacking.
 
my TB is on readigrass and i really rate it, and he seems to love it. He has slow release cubes too and some speedibeet and soya oil. Seems to do well on it. One of the girls on my yard gives her poor doer a scope to eat over night after her tea. Its not a greedy horse and sometimes has a drop left in the morning, but at least it eats it!
 
I feed straights, sugarbeet, home boiled linseed with Top Spec balancer and use Readigrass as a chop. It's not molassed and I find it works out cheaper because for some reason you don't need to feed as much. And yes mixed with warm boiled barley and linseed it smells fab.
So retro.
 
i feed Readigrass or Graze On as my base chaff, soaked in water first. i prefer to feed it than Alfa A, i think it has lower protein levels doesn't it? eek, better check...
it doesn't make them buzzy either, and i think Alfa can with some horses.
 
We feed grassnuts and Graze-on to our good-doers and our 'hard to keep weight on and fussy eater' retired cob in different proportions. They all do well on this. I prefer Graze-on to Readi-grass, as Rg is dried ryegrass, which is not good for laminitics (not that we have any but best to be on the safe side). Graze-on is a dried mixture of grasses. We don't use alfalfa as one of our mares cannot cope with it. It contains phyto-oestrogens and she is mareish enough anyway.
 
Mine got itchy on Alfa so she gets Just Grass or Graze On as a chaff. I'm not keen on Readigrass as it is quite spiky like pine needles.
 
Top