Alfalfa cubes

[captpackrat]

I know there's at least a couple people on my friends list who have large animals, so this question is for them.

Our sheep don't seem to like eating compressed, cubed alfalfa.  I'm guessing the cubes are too big or hard for them to eat comfortably.  I've tried breaking them up by hand, but this is really time consuming (not to mention murder on my hands), and I've tried using a hammer, which makes a terrible mess.

How are you supposed to feed this stuff?  Are they just supposed to gnaw on the cubes?  The bag mentions something about soaking them in water, but will the sheep eat wet alfalfa?  Does it make the cubes softer or cause them to fall apart easier?

Comments

[tiggerfox.livejournal.com]

Couldn't hurt to try, the Internets seem to recommend a 1:4 ratio of hot water, this was for horses tho, they didn't seem to mind. Someone was mentioning that it was an easy way for him to get his old horse to get more water as well.

"If you soak in hot water, 1/2 hour works. I use Timothy/Alfalfa cubes from Triple Crown - I soak 1.5 pounds of dry cubes (I weigh them dry first) - I soak them in a 6 quart Tupperware container and I fill the container 1/2 to 3/4 with water (after cubes are in). They fluff up nicely and fast. I sometimes add hot water and drive to my barn - 20-30 minutes away, and feed right away, they are just fine."