Hay, but not enough

[altivo]

Turns out we got all the hay our regular supplier had left. Unfortunately, 140 additional bales is not enough for us to feel secure. It should last until at least some time in May, but we know from experience that it is very hard to locate any good hay that early in the spring, so we are probably going to have to go hunting for another hundred bales now from some other supplier.

Anyway, it's all stacked and the hay wagon is pushed out of the barn and placed where Jeff can pick it up as soon as he's ready for it. We're both tired and have sore hands, as usual. Tess got to go play in the pasture for a couple of hours while we worked, since her usual pen has to be dismantled to make room for the hay wagons to pass in and out of the arena. She was happy about that. Hopefully she didn't pig out too much. The grass is still green, but at least we haven't had any heavy rain for a week or so and it's starting to turn brown from the cold nights.

It was a pleasant day, at least. Blue skies, temperature in the 50s, altogether nice.

NaNoWriMo progress report for those interested: Now at 8390 words, progressing on schedule. Latest installment available here.

Comments

[linnaeus.livejournal.com]

There's something intriguing about being able to just buy bales of food that would sustain a large animal for several months, though I can't say I'd be eager to give up a varied diet. So is hay enough, or do horses need any kind of supplement for a full diet?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hay is amazing stuff all right. The largest land animal, an elephant, can subsist entirely on hay and water, for instance. Most any animal that eats a diet of grass can do that. Ruminants, equines, lagomorphs...

Not all hay is adequate for a total diet for all species, no. Horses, for instance, need certain trace elements, notably selenium, that are not always present. We supplement our horses with a mineral mixture (they only need a spoonful a day of it) and a salt block to lick. The salt isn't always essential, as there can be enough sodium in the hay itself, but they like the salt lick and supposedly won't overdose on it, so we provide it. They don't seem to crave a lot of variety, though we do offer carrots and apples and other treats regularly. Horses are designed to live off grass, and they crave the constant chewing activity more than they crave a varied diet the way, say, a raccoon might. ;)

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

I just got in from baling 200+ bales with Farmer Bob. Too bad you are so far away from Manhattan. We usually just pull a hay wagon over to a horse farm down the road, and pick the empty up later. A post on the adventure tomorrow.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I need to look at a map to even figure out where Manhattan is, so it must be far away all right.

That's the way we get our hay too. Jeff brings us a wagon load, usually 120 to 150 bales, we unload it and push the empty wagon out and park it alongside the arena and he picks it up whenever he's ready to use it again.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Dear Rider,

I am constantly amazed they can just eat grass and turn into the big, powerful, fast and magnificent creatures they are. I wonder just how many mouth chewing jaw moving motions it takes to be a mature horse. Trillions or more.

Imp who prefers 'people food' over hay any day

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If I have to eat hay to be a horse I'll do it. :)

You reminded me of the scene in The Emperor's New Groove where the emperor, transformed into a llama, tries to resign himself to his fate and bites up a mouthful of grass...

Of course, the secret of making a big powerful and graceful animal out of just grass is that magical digestive apparatus. Our wimpy little appendix just isn't up to the task, but the horse and the rabbit both have a blind gut that takes up more space than their actual stomach.

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

wow that is a lot of hay, well at least to me. shame it isnt enough though. i remember before i got hurt years ago helping a friend move hay, that was quite a work out :)

you are having such nice weather down there.

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

that didnt sound right, i used to help a friend with his hay before i got hurt at work :P

i wish we could edit or comments :(

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, I don't know why LJ doesn't implement a comment editing routine.

We like to have 450 bales or more piled up by October usually. That lasts us until July, which is when the hay starts coming in fresh around here. I think this time we only have about 320.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

I had no idea how much of the stuff's required to last out a winter, so that's fascinating.

And I'm enjoying the novel!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, remember that amount is feeding seven sheep and three horses.

A typical bale weighs about 50 pounds. One of my horses will eat about 12-13 pounds a day. (They'd eat more if I gave it to them, but weight control is an issue for horses just as it is for people.) Each sheep eats about four pounds a day. So we use about 1.5 bales per day...

Glad to hear someone is still following Jake and his friends. :)

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*romps in the hay chasing field mice out of it*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Watch out for Rikki, our regular barn cat. He won't pick a fight with you, but he'll sneak up on you and play pounce. He's pretty hefty, too.