Feeding alternative diet to Pellets?

[Cindy in SD]

I wasn't aware of this! Fresh alfalfa I assume? As in the sprouts rather than the hay?

Alfalfa, being a legume, is kind of like beans. A small/moderate amount is great, but too much can cause distress. I suspect (but do not know) that the sprouts are fine, though they'd be a bit of a pain to produce. By "fresh", I think green, freshly cut & not dried is likely meant. If an animal, even a ruminant, eats too much fresh alfalfa (as in freshly cut), it could give them a tummy ache and runny poo.

Rabbits (along with horses) are hind-gut animals. I can't remember all that I read, but you should do a bit of a search. It was interesting and helpful, I thought.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

Alfalfa, being a legume, is kind of like beans. A small/moderate amount is great, but too much can cause distress. I suspect (but do not know) that the sprouts are fine, though they'd be a bit of a pain to produce. By "fresh", I think green, freshly cut & not dried is likely meant. If an animal, even a ruminant, eats too much fresh alfalfa (as in freshly cut), it could give them a tummy ache and runny poo.

Rabbits (along with horses) are hind-gut animals. I can't remember all that I read, but you should do a bit of a search. It was interesting and helpful, I thought.

Horse hay Timothy 80% Alfalfa 20% is perfect or orchard grass.

 

[eco2pia]

Alfalfa, being a legume, is kind of like beans. A small/moderate amount is great, but too much can cause distress. I suspect (but do not know) that the sprouts are fine, though they'd be a bit of a pain to produce. By "fresh", I think green, freshly cut & not dried is likely meant. If an animal, even a ruminant, eats too much fresh alfalfa (as in freshly cut), it could give them a tummy ache and runny poo.

Rabbits (along with horses) are hind-gut animals. I can't remember all that I read, but you should do a bit of a search. It was interesting and helpful, I thought.

I think you have the right answer but maybe for the wrong reason?

I recall (vaguely from an animal nutrition class I took decades ago) that alfalfa is "rich" for animals because of its high protein and calorie content?

Unlike humans, who can have issues with beans due to fiber content, ruminants especially are built to eat fiber. Again, unlike humans, ruminants are not built to handle excess protein or sugar, and the amount of protein/sugar in alfalfa (especially fresh, as in dairy silage) can cause bloat in ruminants as a result, and typically diarrhea and kidney stress in horses (who are more like rabbits, digestive tract wise).
So yes, it is better in moderation, but not because it is a legume--because it is super "hot" feed, with lots of protein and energy.

In fact, I am now remembering the whole point of making silage is to convert sugars in the fresh plants to acids which ruminants handle better....whew, there was a tiny piece of useless info I did not even remember was up there!

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I think you have the right answer but maybe for the wrong reason?

I recall (vaguely from an animal nutrition class I took decades ago) that alfalfa is "rich" for animals because of its high protein and calorie content?

Unlike humans, who can have issues with beans due to fiber content, ruminants especially are built to eat fiber. Again, unlike humans, ruminants are not built to handle excess protein or sugar, and the amount of protein/sugar in alfalfa (especially fresh, as in dairy silage) can cause bloat in ruminants as a result, and typically diarrhea and kidney stress in horses (who are more like rabbits, digestive tract wise).
So yes, it is better in moderation, but not because it is a legume--because it is super "hot" feed, with lots of protein and energy.

In fact, I am now remembering the whole point of making silage is to convert sugars in the fresh plants to acids which ruminants handle better....whew, there was a tiny piece of useless info I did not even remember was up there!

I think the point of saying it was a legume was to indicate it’s not grass hay which is safe. The best feed for rabbits is horse hay that can haze from zero to 20% Alfalfa (Legume).
But great explanation.