18/08/2024
Important to know when feeding Alfafa.
Finer Forage Friday Facts:
Why we don't use Alfalfa at Finer Forage 🤓📖
🌱 Alfalfa is a legume, popularly fed as hay in the US, and as chop or pellets in the UK. It has low sugar and starch and high fibre content, so it looks like a good option on paper, until you dig a little deeper....
🌱 Alfalfa is high in nitrogen, or crude protein (not quality protein) which can be problematic, for the liver especially. Excess nitrogen can also cause issues with calcium and magnesium uptake, disrupt normal endocrine function, and lead to inflammation, particularly visible in the hooves.
🌱 Alfalfa is known to increase acidity in the hindgut, by propionate being the dominant VFA produced upon fermentation of alfala. Often, microbial disturbances might follow, as microbes that can't tolerate excessively acidic environments die off, and a cascade of resulting gastrointestinal disturbance and systemic inflammation ensues.
🌱 Alfalfa is an accumulator plant, in other words, it's one of those plants that uptakes toxins, so it can accumulate heavy metals if they're present in the soil where it is grown.
🌱 Alfalfa has the potential to upregulate the immune response - so it's a definite no-no for horses with sweet itch, allergies, or autoimmune issues.
🌱 Alfalfa has high phytoestrogen content, so it can disrupt normal endocrine function and responses.
🌱 Alfalfa has been shown to increase photosensitivity in humans, so it wouldn't be helpful to any pink noses in the summer!
🌱 Alfalfa has a very imbalanced calcium to phosphorus ratio, so should not be fed to youngsters, as it risks developmental orthopedic disease (incorrect bone formation in youngsters)
That's why we only use grass chop and nuts and never Alfalfa, at Finer Forage 🌱🌿🌻🌿🌷☘️🌼🌹
