|
- 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. Molasses is used very sparingly in order to avoid causing
diabetes. Other horses have conditions such as glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and EPM and molasses can
be dangerous for them to ingest.
- 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. After a supplement is used, immediately replace the lid. We live in a very humid
climate and many of the supplements lose potency easily. Our horses cannot afford not to receive the full benefit of
their vitamins and medications. If lids are left off for a few hours, twice a day, every day for a week, then they have
already begun to deteriorate. We replace lids immediately at home on our own vitamins and should do the same at
the sanctuary.
- 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. If you don't
hear any or are not sure, contact Joanie or an officer.
- Uneaten feed
should be thrown in the trash or on the burn pile. 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 notify Joanie.
- Uneaten
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
or burn pile. 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.
- 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 =c over bottom of white bucket with 1 layer of cubes
Cover alfalfa cubes with water until they float
up about 2 inches. (Or measure a half to two-thirds of small bucket of hot water to cover the cubes.)
Use hot water from the shower stall. Allow time (20-30 minutes) for the cubes to COMPLETELY fall apart in water.
Check cubes 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!
|
| Summer Choking |
|
| Summer receiving treatment from Dr Parker. |
DAILY MEDICAL TREATMENT - Read Medical Treatment Log in med cart in new feed room.
- Do
all meds in book and mark off.
- Check all horses for any additional conditions that may not be listed in the log.
Write the problem and treatment in the book. If unsure, see Joanie or an officer. Treat the condition.
- Notify
Joan Benson or Katie Muir if out of any medical supplies.
WATER
- Refill
water tubs. Strain off any debris. Wipe clean if getting slimy or silty on the bottom, If dirty or
showing signs of green algae, please drain the tub, spray with bleach, rinse well, and refill. Keeping an adequate
water supply to the horses at all times is imperative. Most tubs need to be checked and filled twice daily. If
a tub is leaky...repair it.
- Do not leave water hose in the water tub after the pump has been turned off. Water
can siphon back from the tub into the well and cause contamination.
- Do not leave pump handle up (on position) for
extended periods of time. This allows pressure to build up and wears out the pump. Also after turning off the
pump, open the nozzle on the end of 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 the temperature is below 35 degrees in the day or going to
fall below 35 degrees overnight, disconnect ALL hoses, drain them completely and take off the nozzles.
Place the nozzles in view on the workbench where the next feeder can easily find them.
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 and return to feed room.
CATS & CHICKENS - The cats are each fed 1/2 cup of DRY cat food
twice a day. The cat food is located in a plastic kitty litter container in the feed room. Do not feed canned
cat food, tuna, cat treats, or any unauthorized feed. Our cats are given a quality cat food that suits their nutritional
needs.
- The chickens are fed a feed located in the old tackroom. 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 and the cats 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
- Rice Bran.........................1 bag
- Progressive V&M...............1 bag
Check levels
of supplements in all containers...refill any that are low and notify Joanie if any are out. Check and replace empty
vitamins...replacements are kept in the cupboard in the new feed room. Tell Joanie and Katie Muir if any are out.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - For the pm shift, check every horse for any injuries or illness
before you leave for the night. This includes any horse that was not fed. 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.
- 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 primary 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
flax seed, juice, and Evitex to refrigerator. In winter, they must still be put in the refrigerator to prevent them
from freezing.
- Shut up feed room and lock tack room.
- Turn off all lights and fans except for the center
spotlights in each barn which must be turned on when the pm feeders leave and turned off when the a.m. feeders arrive
|
