Last week I blogged that we had most of the hay we need for the winter, and I anticipate getting the last load next week. Well, we had our first freeze of the season (no freeze watch, but hey the National Weather Service forgets about us all the time) and that means it’s time to start offering hay. The horses are out in the pasture, and while they got the round bale yesterday, I saw a bit of nibbling on it, but not the usual long-term feeding we see later in the season.
Other than making sure water troughs are free of ice and filled and continuing the soaked feed which my mare receives twice a day (for additional water consumption) and adding salt to their rations, my winter feeding schedule doesn’t change much. I keep an eye on forage to make sure there’s adequate forage and make small steps to increase their water, but otherwise we’re good.
It’s a cool streak right now and we’re running about 10 degrees below normal. I’m hoping this doesn’t continue into the winter, but I also know no matter what happens, we’ll get through it.
