yes HM, I learn something new most days on here too....even if it is just a different way to do something .
No probs Nicki,
I can only assume that the vet was referring to FRESH cut alfalfa (lucerne) as alfalfa hay/haylage is the main hay/haylage crop used in the USA for horses, cows and sheep !!! I know it can cause bloat in sheep and colic in horses , if they are allowed to graze straight off the field, but cut and fed as hay/haylage , it is just about the best there is . It is high in protein and has a good fibre content , can be cropped from 3-5 times a year, is very good for the land as it is a legume and therefore fixes nitrogen into the soil from the air . Therefore , it will fertilize the soil saving you having to buy nitrogen fert. in . As already stated , it is the main forage crop in the USA so there can't be that much wrong with it ?
It is very deep rooting , so will bring up any deep down locked nutrients from the soil that other plants wouldn't reach. With the added bonus of helping with drainage and soil structure. Apart from feeding fresh , I haven't read or seen any information stating caution or any problems . I will look again , but I have looked into this deeply as I intend to grow this myself on a larger scale than I have already done . Oh and my horses are still alive and well....
Mangels are a different matter really . Being a root crop they are mainly water , so that may be a reason why the vet said to curb the quantity fed .However , mangels were the main feed crop in the UK , for stock until , machinery was invented to cut hay/haylage/silage. UP till then it was grown on a truly huge scale. When the machinery became available to cut grass and grain , it was easier to do this than to dig up a root crop . This was just about the only reason why root crops fell from favour , nothing to do with feed value , just ease of harvesting. If they had invented a machine that made it easier to dig up and sort root crops before hay etc , then we would be using root crops much more nowdays . As long as they (mangels) are fed along with hay/haylage/silage, I can see no reason why they can't provide a very large part of an animals diet. Just think about it .... how many farmers rely on sugar beet shreds/pellets as a large part of their animal feed ? and sugar beet pulp is just the left over mash from the sugar producing industry , and the sugar beet is a very close relative of the mangel , in fact very near to being the same thing, just a slight difference in sugar content mainly. The main thing I would agree with is , that it is best to feed as varied a diet as possible. I am not saying though, that I know more than a vet !!! but many people these days (including vets !!) think that you can only feed animals on bagged food , produced in a factory , with all the basics needed for the animal in question ....well this is where I think they ARE wrong . The animal feed you buy in bags is just made up from straights grown on a farm , milled and mixed to create the bagged food in question !!! It also contains lots of additives and preservatives that I don't want in my animal feed , or my own!!! It all boils down to money again I am afraid . The feed companies want to have a complete hold on animal feed supply , therefore making more money , but people have lost sight of the fact that it has to be grown somewhere in the first place, and if you grew your own feed you can cut food costs down to next to nothing . You would also know that there is no poison in your feed and no GM either. Really it is very much like our food industry, everyday we are told of another food that will kill us or of yet another food that will save our lives !!!! Then next week it all changes round . Once again MONEY being the main player here. This all boils down to the main reason why I want to grow all my own food and all the food I give to my animals . So in my opinion , we can feed as they used to, all we would be doing is cutting out the big companies and middle men .
Sorry for rabbitting on , I could bore for the UK on this subject.
cheers
Russ
