- Add molasses to feed only as directed. Most of the horses will
readily eat all their feed and do not need molasses to entice them. Horses with conditions such as EPM, Cushing's
Syndrome, Insulin Resistance, and Glucose Intolerance should never be given molasses.
- Supplements
should already be stocked and ready for the morning feeder, but if one isn't, do not assume that we are out. Check
for the supplement in the feed room or up at the house. Make every effort to get the supplement for that feed.
- Do not leave lids off supplements or feedbins. After a supplement is used, immediately
replace the lid. Do not leave the feedroom unattended with feeds & supplement containers uncovered.
- Each horse should be checked over for any injury or issue. All needed doctoring should be done
before letting the horses out of their stalls.
- Check that all horses
have finished eating before letting them out of the stalls. Slow eaters will not finish eating if their friends
have already left the barn. If a horse doesn't finish a large portion of its feed, listen to the stomach on both
sides for gut sounds. A good stethoscope is kept in the house for checking gut sounds. If the gut sounds
are not normal, you don't hear any or are not sure, contact Joanie or an officer.
- Uneaten
feed should be thrown in the trash. Do not leave it for the horse to finish later or give to other horses. Notate
any significant amount of uneaten feed in your daily report and tell Joanie before you leave.
- Uneaten
soaked alfalfa can be distributed among other horses. Do not leave the alfalfa where other horses can't find
it or it will sit and gather fungus, mold, and bacteria. If you find alfalfa leftover from the evening feed, throw it
in the trash. Wash out the feed bucket, and return the bucket to the stall. Notate if a horse is not eating its
alfalfa in the daily log and tell Joanie.
- In the barn, let older, weaker horses clear the barn before releasing younger, more aggressive horses from their
stalls. Ensure that all the runs are open and that horses can pass freely along the aisles.
PREPARING
SOAKED ALFALFA CUBES Check Whiteboard in feed room to see which horses receive alfalfa with their meal. Measuring alfalfa: 1/4 scoop = cover 1/2 bottom of white bucket 1/2
scoop = cover bottom of white bucket with 1 layer of cubes
Cover alfalfa cubes with hot water until they float
up about 2 1/2 inches. (Or measure a half to two-thirds of small bucket of hot water to cover the cubes.)
Use hot water from the wash bay stall. Allow time (20 to 30 minutes) for the cubes to COMPLETELY fall apart in
water. Check cubes and break up chunks before serving to the horses. You may need to add more water (or drain
off water if soupy). Hard cubes can cause a life-threatening choke!
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| Summer Choking |
DAILY MEDICAL TREATMENT - Read Medical Treatment Log in medical cart in the feed
room.
- Do all meds on the sheets and mark of when completed.
- Check all horses for any additional conditions
that may not be listed on the sheets. If you find a problem not listed please write the problem and treatment on the
Daily Med Sheets. If unsure, see Joanie for the needed treatment.
- Give a list of any supplements, medical supplies,
or feeds that are running low to Joanie before leaving.
WATER
- Clean
water tubs before refilling them. Drain the tubs to remove cloudy, stale water. Skim debris off the
tubs, Scrub with a little bleach if algae is beginning to grow. It is usually better to clean & refill
the tubs after the horses have been released from their stalls and have drunk the water level down. This way,
we are not draining large amounts of water onto the ground and creating mud near the barn entrance. Also, if a tub is
leaky...repair it.
- Never leave water hoses in the water tub after the pump has been turned off. Water can
siphon back into the well and contaminate our water supply.
- Always turn the pumps off after use by gently lowering
the handle to the off position (you may need to adjust the handle until the water stops dripping) then open the nozzle on
the hose to release pressure off the pump.
- Be sure to connect hose firmly to pump. If leaking around the connection,
replace washer in the hose or tap. Prevent water from puddling in front of the barns or in front of the white block
building.
- If temperatures are in the freezing range, disconnect ALL hoses, drain them completely
making sure the nozzles are open.
BUCKETS - Rinse all the buckets used to carry feed in grass by white block building
away from the barn 1. Do not wash them near barn. 1. because the water mixes with the manure on the
ground and increases fly problems in the barn. Please rinse all buckets; do not just wipe them out.
Mold can grow very quickly on grain products even in cold weather and is extremely toxic to horses.
- Do not
stack buckets after they are washed. They need to air out completely. Also be sure that the bottoms of the
buckets are not dirty or muddy.
- Return white buckets for soaked alfalfa to the yellow wagon. Include enough
for the next feed.
- Return feed buckets to wire rack in feed room.
- Clean all utensils with soapy warm water,
rinse well and return to feed room.
CHICKENS - The chickens are fed a feed located in the hay cart building.
Do not toss the chicken feed into the pasture or paddock area where the horses can eat it. Yellow feed bowls are placed
on the ground for their feed. Do not over feed. The corn will lie on the ground and mold.
- Keep
a water bowl of fresh water under the tree in the paddock & behind the water tub in the old barn for the chickens to drink
from. If there are baby chicks around, please fill a low dish or lid for the chicks to drink from.
- If a hen
is sitting on a nest, please let Joanie know where it is.
Chickens (other than setting hens & new born
chicks) are only fed chicken feed during the winter. They are not fed in the spring and summer. In the spring
and summer the chickens roam the property killing insects and vermin such as ticks, maggots, and baby rats.
FEED AND SUPPLEMENTS Notify Joanie when the following feeds get down to these amounts: - Regular
Feed (green nutrition labels)... 7 bags
- Alfalfa Cubes......................3 bags
- Alfalfa Pellets...................3
bags
- Progressive Grass Balancer...1 bag
Check levels of supplements in all containers...refill any that
are low and notify Joanie if any supplements are running low. Check and replace empty vitamins...replacements are kept
in the right cupboard in the feed room. Tell Joanie if any are running low.
BEFORE YOU
LEAVE - For the pm shift, check every horse for any injuries or illness before you leave for the night.
The evening feeder may be the only person to check some horses until the next morning. Regardless of whom may be on
site, it is the feeder's responsibility to check the horses.
- Place dirty towels and rags in the laundry bin.
- Write
a short report in the daily log. Sign your name.
- Make sure feed bins and supplements have been refilled (pm) and that
lids are secure.
- Double check that all horse have been let out of their stalls. The Main feeder is
responsible for checking behind all helpers.
- Check fence and repair any shortages or downed wires.
- Check your
pockets for medications and other ranch items.
- Return aloe vera juice, and MMS to refrigerator.
In winter, they must still be put in the refrigerator to prevent them from freezing.
- Lock feed room and tack
room and return key.
- Turn off all lights and fans before leaving in the pm & turn off all lights in the am as
soon as it is light enough to work without them.
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