Wood pellets and other mini questions

[Ferrah]

I am bringing my two Miniature horses home on Sunday and I will be busy all day tomorrow getting ready for them to come. We have wood pellets for our pellet stove, it is a natural product and it doesn't use chemicals to hold the wood together, it is just like the pelleted bedding I see at the feed store and if puffs the same way. I am worried that if I use it for bedding the horses will try to eat it. After they taste what it is will they stop eating it? Can it hurt them if they do eat it?

One of my Minis Spider is a year and a half old and his little brother Cinnabar is 5 months old. His owner is able to separate them for mealtimes but I am not able to do this. The lady I bought them from says Spider is quite the porker and will probably steal from his little brother. Is there any way I can keep Spider from stealing Cinnabar's food? I don't have a stall to lock him in. Is tieing him to eat ok, or is this too dangerous? I have never encountered this problem before as my riding horse is always kept by herself because she it quite the old bag to other horses.

My two minis were kept on a very large hobby farm with over 150 very well cared for animals (most of them are chickens, llamas, cows and sheep, with six horses eight dogs and a collection of parrots). The minis live in a pasture with the llamas, sheep and goats and a very ancient 40 year old Thoroughbred horse. They are very used to milling about an socializing all day, the llamas play with the horses and the horses and sheep play together a lot. Now that my minis will be the only two at our house will they be lonely and miss their friends? Will they notice the change and be sad about loosing their pet llamas and sheep? What can I do to make them feel better?

These may seem like really silly questions to ask...but its driving me crazy.

 

[USMCshamusmom]

after they taste them they probably won't try again on the wood pellets. Even if they eat a couple it will probably just pass through, wood is cellulose, same as hay... just coarser form. I wouldn't worry too much on that one...

If you are talking about feeding grain, yes, just tie the pushy colt so the little one can eat first, then turn him loose... maybe 10 minutes should do it for most critters. just don't forget to untie him! it wouldn't be wise or kind to leave a colt tied all day to restrict his grazing or hay eating. he could be molested by dogs, bothered by kids, and he could not move around naturally, etc etc... guess it all depends on how and where you want to tie him for how long. your post was not clear on this point.

they won't be lonely for their friends if they have each other for companionship...

there is no such thing as silly or dumb questions. How will you find out if you don't ask? enjoy your new boys!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

It would be a HUGE help if you could post a picture of their living set up, it is hard to visualise- I am assuming they have a run in shelter?? Or are they stalled together?? For instance, were the shelter to be big enough, you could use a couple of sheep panels to just keep them separate for feeding. Not knowing if your place is big enough for this, I do not know if it would work!!

Either way you are going to have LOTS of fun!!

 

[Dona]

I know you said there were no chemicals added to hold the pellets together, but, if these wood pellets are made specifically for burning in wood stoves......be absolutely SURE there are no "accellerants" (to help them burn better) added before using them as bedding.

I would definitely separate them for feeding, and they shouldn't get lonely as long as they have each other.

As far as eating the bedding....it depends on the horse. Some people have to muzzel their horses at shows to stop them from eating shavings....so, some horses may try to eat the pellets too? I've never had a problem with any of mine eating them tho. They may pick at them for a while...to try them out. But have never continued to eat them.

 

[Fred]

Make sure the wood pellets have only soft woods in them. Some of the hard

woods like black walnut are not good for horses. Linda B