- 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.
- 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.
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 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 (30-45 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!
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| Summer Choking |
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| 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.
If you find a problem not listed please write the problem and treatment on the Daily Med Sheets. If unsure, see Joanie
or an officer. Treat the condition.
- 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 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 supplements are running low. Check
and replace empty vitamins...replacements are kept in the cupboard in the new 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. 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. Give Joanie
a list of any feeds or supplements that we are low on.
- 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 oil, aloe vera juice,
and Evitex & 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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