Curious about cold

Trewsers

Trewsers

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Oct 13, 2004
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Do any of yours alter noticeably in colder temps? As in on the ground - not ridden. Do they move more? Become sharper ? Quieter even? Less inclined to eat their hay? More inclined to "ask" for hard feed (as in whinnying / looking appealing towards feed time)?
Do you notice any effect on them at all?
 
Interesting question Trewsers, yes, Belle is definitely hungrier in cold weather, she's always a greedy madam, but if it's really cold she fusses much more when she knows her dinner is coming.
 
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If I start bringing warm speedibeet Jess gets very fussy and vocal for it, but generally normal about normal feed. They do tend to eat more hay when it's very cold but the minus 4s and 5s of the last few days haven't been enough to warrant it.
 
No change unless it's been a stormy night. She's more tired as she lives out.
No change in regards to her token veg just for the supplement, no hard feed.
Mine is more hungry when in season.
 
No change in mine being out all the time. I just use my discretion. This morning it was really chilly and ground was frozen solid, so they were not going to get much grass. Plus I dont want them eating too much frosty grass so I put more hay out. So they are content.
Interestingly my ewe lambs once weaned in August get fed a token amount of food everyday, so I can check them. The last two years. I've had a couple who just stand and look and dont eat the food. This year they only learn to eat food when it went extremely cold and frosty for days on end. Two last year never ate until the beast snow came and the ground was covered. So cold weather certainly does have an effect.
 
Drink more water and eat more hay, move around less - tend to either stand up at the hay near the gate and shit and pee there, or go down to the very bottom of the field and sleep and shit and pee there.
Other than that, no change. Mine is very good with routine and will be there waiting on me morning and night. I vary my routine by half an hour and they are out of sorts (which I do to keep them on their toes!)
 
This year is so different from last year. Last year the boys were in and both fine. This year albi is not happy in at all very stressy and very keen to be turned out (read that as a nightmare rearing spinning tw(t)

So I made the decision to leave out.

Much better comes in to ride walks back out fine.

So to answer the question yes they eat more hay I make sure they have plenty but getting hard feed in him is hard.

He eats some then leaves it for hay which if on his own is fine but the little shit eats it and she is not allowed alpa a as it makes her itch.

So I have taken to getting him in to ride or groom feed and then turn out works well in the evenings but in the morning unless I supervisor ginger gets bored with hard feed and leaves it then little shit runs in and clears it up.

I don’t have the time to stand there for half and hour to make sure ginger eats his I have dogs to walk and get to work
 
they are drinking more, the two in the field. they usually only get their supplement i.e. 200gm of L Balancer twice a day but have given them a bit of fast fibre. Till now they haven't had any hay as they haven't lost any weight, but this week they have had hay in the morning as everything is frozen, and last night gave them some as well. they don't seem to change in terms of routine, i.e. they potter around the field, they are waiting at the fence for me to come down in the morning for their breakfast and glued to the fence for dinner. the ones who come in are refusing to go out, they just stand on the yard and eat. sometimes filly goes up the field with buddy in the afternoon once it is warmer, Krug donkey goes out and sometimes Tintin but Aimee and Murph refuse point blank unless we have a really nice day.
 
Chloe sleeps more when it's colder. Zi seems to enjoy his pony nuts more, he can't get enough of those and licks his bowl out and then plays with it! Storm is much the same as ever really, always got a good appetite!
 
Both very hungry, and Ziggy given to temper tantrums if he doesn't get his way. 3 tantrums this evening because he was in the wrong part of the field and I wouldn't drop the fence to let him take a short cut!
 
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