Feeding alfalfa when it is cold

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From: Janet Baca 
Email: horsetrl@ctaz.com

The AZ people along with the CA people 
the growers ship to are the ones that 
are getting the green rabbit food 
alfalfa.

I neglected to mention that the price
of this alfalfa in the summer is about
$4.50 to 5.00 a bale and in the winter
is anywhere from $7.00 to $12.00 a bale
(from the grower)depending on whether there are any natural disasters in 
the surrounding states such as the 
floods in CA last year our prices went 
up sky high because they were 
shipping to all the markets in CA.
Supply and demand.  

As far as grass hay goes, they grow
just a few fields with a mixed alfalfa/
bermuda grass hay and I have to argue
with the guy that picks it up for me
to get me the grass hay and not the
alfalfa.  Some of it is almost all grass
hay and he says I wouldn't want that,
it's no good!  I told him that if he
asked every arab owner he would get the
same answer.  Yes, we do want it!

CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 1/5/99 5:44:10 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> suendavid@worldnet.att.net writes:
> 
> << Unfortunately, California is also #1 in incidence of enteroliths, and
>  the histories almost exclusively show the horses are fed high alfalfa
>  diets.  It's much more rare to see enteroliths in a horse fed grass hay. >>
> 
> We feed a lot of alfalfa here, and enteroliths are virtually unheard
> of--again, there is a lot of difference in alfalfa, and most of the hay
> growers here know enough to try to market the "right" hay to the horse people,
> and send that bright green rabbit food out to the dairies....  Have seen some
> of that California stuff--eeuuuuwwwww, about like me living on triple
> chocolate sundaes!  I'd sure die happy...
> 
> Heidi


Yes, California/Southwest-grown alfalfa is definitely a different animal
as far as the enterolith issue is concerned---way high in magnesium
because of the soil around here.  

Susan G