Is Lucerne a bad feed?

Some say Lucerne hay or chaff should never be fed as the protein is too high.

This is an example of looking at a feed ingredient or nutrient in isolation to the rest of the diet.  Most people do this.

I guess what they are saying is that Lucerne is a 'bad' feed and shouldn't be fed.  Wrong, no feed ingredient or nutrient is bad per se, it depends on the situation.  The whole diet needs to be looked at and keep it all in perspective.

It would be bad to only feed Lucerne (also known as Alfalfa) as the forage not just because protein would far exceed needs but the main issue is the calcium to phosphorus ratio and the calcium to magnesium ratio.  There is so much calcium in the diet, it makes it impossible to add enough phosphorus and magnesium to correct the ratios, especially the phosphorus as it is particularly unpalatable.  What's worse is that too much calcium inhibits the uptake of phosphorus, making the situation worse.

However, if the diet was poor in protein and calcium - and a horse only on Oaten hay or chaff would most likely be deficient in protein and calcium, then a small quantity of lucerne is brilliant.  Protein is the most expensive nutrient to supplement, I'd much rather solve a protein need with some lucerne than the alternative of whey powder isolate, soy bean meal or some other expensive protein additive. That's if the horse can tolerate Lucerne, in some cases horses are intolerant to Lucerne.

The better approach is to think about how much protein is needed by the horse and is it being met.  For example, a 450 kg mature horse in work needs about 900 grams of protein per day including roughly 39 g lysine, the essential amino acid that has to come from the diet (data from 2007 Nutrient Requirements of Horses).  The actual amount provided should exceed these amounts by a generous buffer but certainly not be less.

Out of nearly 7000 samples (Dairy One lab) the average crude protein level of Oaten hay is 87.4 grams/kg.  How much protein the horse is getting from the Oaten hay depends entirely on how much is eaten.  If the horse was to eat 11 kg of hay (and the actual amount is anything like the average) then he or she would be getting her protein needs satisfied but not by much (961 grams).  If the intake was a smaller amount, say 8 kg then definitely a protein deficiency.

A horse in work would most likely be receiving other feeds, if yes then the protein intake can be calculated by adding them all up.  Hopefully this helps explain why focusing on one feed ingredient in isolation to the rest of the diet is rather unhelpful.  And it matters with how much is actually fed - why % protein is silly too, something the feed manufacturers like to use for protein content. For example, 12% protein means 120 grams per kg fed. Actual protein intake depends entirely on how much is fed.

Contact details:

Carol Layton B.Sc, M.Ed
Balanced Equine Nutrition

Phone: 02 4953 2580
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