We go through about a small bale per day in our small herd of 7. 2 flakes per mini per day and daily turnouts. (They are still able to access grass under the snow.) To tell you about our climate... our nearest city holds the record for snowiest city this year and temps are in the 30s. Coldest recorded here was -0.5 so far this year. I don't notice it being much snowier than normal, though.
How much hay do you feed in the winter
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susanne
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Lisa, I feel so bad that I didn't see this post during our cold snap...I guess I was too busy thawing troughs and checking on everyone...
We feed "virtual" free choice...what experience has told us will keep them busy and warm throughout the cold nights. I give a little less during the day, but when it is really cold I want them to continually have hay in front of them .
In Oregon, I would not do round bales -- they'll mold long before they ever get eaten. Some people keep round bales in their barn and tear off hunks of hay, but I doubt that would work at a boarding stable.
While I normally feed eastern Oregon orchard grass, for warmth I prefer basic local hay for the busy munch factor. I'll feed them their normal amount of the good stuff, but for the overnight, keep 'em warm hay I give the less rich local grass hay.
One concern is whether they are drinking enough to stay properly hydrated, since some horses can be fussy when their water gets cold. With three or four horses drinking from the same trough, it can be hard to tell who is drinking how much, so I like giving wet, soupy beet pulp -- it's a great tasty way to get water in them while I watch to see that they each get their fair share.
I almost never blanket, but when they predicted overnight temps of about 5 degrees, I wrapped them all up. Our horses don't really like blankets, but by the time I had Scarlett snug as a bug in a rug, Mingus and Flash were standing in line for theirs...I had Keith out with me to help, but nobody argued and they each stood perfectly still.
We feed "virtual" free choice...what experience has told us will keep them busy and warm throughout the cold nights. I give a little less during the day, but when it is really cold I want them to continually have hay in front of them .
In Oregon, I would not do round bales -- they'll mold long before they ever get eaten. Some people keep round bales in their barn and tear off hunks of hay, but I doubt that would work at a boarding stable.
While I normally feed eastern Oregon orchard grass, for warmth I prefer basic local hay for the busy munch factor. I'll feed them their normal amount of the good stuff, but for the overnight, keep 'em warm hay I give the less rich local grass hay.
One concern is whether they are drinking enough to stay properly hydrated, since some horses can be fussy when their water gets cold. With three or four horses drinking from the same trough, it can be hard to tell who is drinking how much, so I like giving wet, soupy beet pulp -- it's a great tasty way to get water in them while I watch to see that they each get their fair share.
I almost never blanket, but when they predicted overnight temps of about 5 degrees, I wrapped them all up. Our horses don't really like blankets, but by the time I had Scarlett snug as a bug in a rug, Mingus and Flash were standing in line for theirs...I had Keith out with me to help, but nobody argued and they each stood perfectly still.
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Thank you, Susanne...we worked it out. One day, I couldn't get there to feed her...too much snow on the road, and I just have a little sedan. So had them throw some hay down, and when my husband got home later, he put on chains and went to check on her and get her feed to her. We usually do all the feeding, so have her grain here with us. Found out, that tripling the hay was way too much. We wasted so much, and I felt bad, but doubling it, seems to be just right. She always has a little skiff of it, on the ground, when we go feed now, and we aren't throwing any out. She won't eat old hay...doesn't seem old to us, but if it sat out more than a day, she won't touch it. Picky thing! LOL Good to know about the round bales, but hadn't planned on getting one of those anyway. I would take up too much of her paddock. Anyway, we have worked things out and we watch the temps and adjust when needed. But she is happy and doing well.
Foxhaven
Well-Known Member
We must have really easy keepers. If we fed as much as many of you do, they would swell up like sumo wrestlers! We feed 1/2 flake of orchard grass per mini twice daily (one flake for the donkey 2x daily with a smidgen of Purina just for spice) along with a cup of Purina Miniature Horse and Pony 2x/daily/mini. They've been putting on a bit of weight along with luxurious coats so it is certainly enough. In fact we've been considering dropping just a bit (except when REALLY cold). Blankets are ready when needed.
We affixed a NibbleNet to the side of the tack shed and put a flake in there for morning snacking. Sam the donkey gets most of that but Luke the 2 year old has a strategy to get the dropped hay. No risk of catching a hoof.
No grass in the dry lot (not much in the pastures either...).
We affixed a NibbleNet to the side of the tack shed and put a flake in there for morning snacking. Sam the donkey gets most of that but Luke the 2 year old has a strategy to get the dropped hay. No risk of catching a hoof.
No grass in the dry lot (not much in the pastures either...).
We free choice to a degree with our minis. My stallion Dillion gets a 1/2 pad of alfalfa in the am and pm. The rest get the same with the exception that they also have Bermuda in the hay rack 24/7. They do eat a little more hay in the winter, as we have hard winters here, no grass to graze. It does surprise me that they dont eat more hay though. Its there if they want it.....
