I love my little goaties, even though they pick through their hay and eat the best parts first. Then if they have stepped on the hay, they do not eat the rest, so lots is wasted. There are some sheep in with the goats and they are not quite as fussy, but will pick the best out too. I don't mind feeding the sheep and goats. It involves hauling toboggans of hay unrolled from large round bales at this time. Until the bale forks come for the skid steer (and that is a long story as to why they are not here), this is the method that I must use. There is no way to move those big bales, only to unroll them vertically and haul the hay. The little goaties get a lot of their hay on the other side of the fence along the fence line, because they can stick their heads through the fence and eat the good parts and NOT step on the rest.
The problem is, when I felt sorry for the horses, I let them out, thinking they would run to the bush to eat the good things there, but no! They ran straight over to the llama's side and they now dominate them, not allowing them to eat at all. The llamas are going to starve if I do not get the horses out of there, but I cannot open the gate wide enough. They came on their own by traipsing through the deep snow all around the perimeter of the farm yard, but they won't go back. I want to lock them up again and force them to only eat their own hay. It was not as though they did not have enough, either. Their feeder was always full, but it was more work than eating it off the ground as the llamas do. Piggie horses.
I am waiting for Willa to jump the fence into the goat's side, because the goats are pregnant and they get premium alfalfa hay in this last two months prior to delivery, while the horses get a taste of the good hay and then get standard grass hay. You know the old saying about the grass always being greener...?
So, because there is so much waste feeding this way, I must do it twice a day, or the animals just walk on it, poo on it and waste it. Instead of 4 hours a day, yesterday, in the bitter cold of minus 20 with a windchill factor making it feel like minus 25, and snowing on top of that cold, I spent 6 hours out feeding and watering. I do need to get busy making soap for the farmer's market too. Tuesday is shearing day and the goats and sheep will be moved around. Hopefully some one will be able to open the gate by digging out the frozen snow and ice and the horses can go back home.
The problem is, when I felt sorry for the horses, I let them out, thinking they would run to the bush to eat the good things there, but no! They ran straight over to the llama's side and they now dominate them, not allowing them to eat at all. The llamas are going to starve if I do not get the horses out of there, but I cannot open the gate wide enough. They came on their own by traipsing through the deep snow all around the perimeter of the farm yard, but they won't go back. I want to lock them up again and force them to only eat their own hay. It was not as though they did not have enough, either. Their feeder was always full, but it was more work than eating it off the ground as the llamas do. Piggie horses.
I am waiting for Willa to jump the fence into the goat's side, because the goats are pregnant and they get premium alfalfa hay in this last two months prior to delivery, while the horses get a taste of the good hay and then get standard grass hay. You know the old saying about the grass always being greener...?
So, because there is so much waste feeding this way, I must do it twice a day, or the animals just walk on it, poo on it and waste it. Instead of 4 hours a day, yesterday, in the bitter cold of minus 20 with a windchill factor making it feel like minus 25, and snowing on top of that cold, I spent 6 hours out feeding and watering. I do need to get busy making soap for the farmer's market too. Tuesday is shearing day and the goats and sheep will be moved around. Hopefully some one will be able to open the gate by digging out the frozen snow and ice and the horses can go back home.
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