pyrgirl
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Picky eatersMy horses hate their new hay!!
And it's nice good stuff - grass with some timothy in it.
Smells good, looks good.
They won't eat it.
Losing weight (and that's not a bad thing for any or them . . .)
But started eating bark off of my trees instead!!!!!!!!
So yesterday and today I'm out there putting more chicken wire around every tree there is. Before they stayed away from the dogwoods and redbuds but now it's free season on any tree. And they can strip a tree in no time flat. I was soo mad!
After spending hours and hours on the chicken wire I took a saw and cut down one of the trees they'd stripped. I figured since they'd already killed it they could eat the rest of the leaves and branches which they did overnight. I'll give them the rest of them one by one.
Hope they figure out that they have to eat this hay - it's what's for dinner for the next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
Not feeling very friendly toward my horses right now!
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Betty B
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Oh no. Bad horses. It could be a long winter.
Try tricking them by wetting the hay down once and see if that works. A little trick that works on my 1 horse that hates timothy hay. Have no clue why it works, maybe makes it smell different?
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IZZY
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I was just wondering if they do that too like goats.
I'm building a new pasture in the spring, I guess that's one thing I will have to think about. I thought it would be nice for them to have trees for shade.
I haven't herd of wetting the hay, that's interesting 
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Betty B
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I think most people wet the hay if the horses cough or are heavey to settle any dust that is on it. But it must make it smell different too or else my mare just likes to see me go through the motion and work more LOL
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IZZY
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Is timothy not as tasty as some other grasses or something?
The horses like the new stuff I brought home, it's the stuff they
call "calf hay" it's fine stuff with no alfalfa. I wonder if there's timothy in it?
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littlestep
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Patty..what cutting is it?? Mine all hate first cutting..maybe mix it?? 
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pyrgirl
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Well, hunger is winning out. They are beginning to eat the hay.
First they pulled alot out and dropped it on the ground, but now they seem to be actually eating it. Picky buggers! 
They still get to graze green grass for two hours every morning, so don't feel too sorry for them!
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