Feeding Frenzy

Feeding the animals here on the Painted Creek, is an adventure in itself! If only I could video tape every feeding, I am sure I could start another blog, just on the adventures of feeding!

We have a routine, as I am sure everyone does. First the Aussie's must go with us. They live for this moment. A couple times they weren't included in the feeding and boy, were they ever upset!

We load up hay for all 3 horses, 4 goats and 3 grain buckets, all into one wheelbarrow. This is when I wish my quad was running, so I could hook my cart to the back, load up the feed and drive right on out to the pastures. Unfortunately, my hay storage is not near the horse pastures. So we get to haul hay the hard way, pushing a wheelbarrow.

Of course, everyone is waiting patiently, well, not Fritzy. She usually paws, picks up her grain bucket and throws it off the fence. My sis's boy gets his grain first. Than we push the wheelbarrow way out to the high side of the pastures, less mud during rainy season. The boy gets his hay. My girls still wait.

Brandy gives the dogs the "I am so disgusted with you" and the "leave me alone" look.

Next, I toss out the hay. There is usually bucking, running, kicking to see who gets the best pile. I make as many piles as I can, so they can eat alone if they'd like or eat in a group, plus I like them to think they are grazing! Rowdy, Edgar and Walter always start eating together.

Ralph prefers to eat alone. He is funny this way. No matter what, Ralph eats alone.

While the goats pick their preferred eating spots, my horses are on their way to check to see if the grain magically appeared in their buckets. Hold on girls! I am coming! I push the wheelbarrow back down the pasture, to the girls waiting below. I have to feed Fritzy her grain first and she always eats out of the same bucket. No matter where I move the buckets too, Fritzy has to eat on the left side of Brandy. Routine, I guess! The Aussie's usually hang out during grain eating, whatever gets dropped, they pick up. No waste around here.

I have to stand by the horses as they eat their grain, rain or shine. The reason for this is because we have 2 very naughty goats. If I walked away, they would come down to the horses and get into the grain buckets. The horses will not chase them away, they actually would just walk away and let the goats eat their grain. But I can't have the goats eating their grain, first, it's not grain, I just call it that. It is a vitamin/mineral supplement. I feed LMF Super Supplement for horses that are on grass hay. So whatever may be lacking in the grass hay, they get in the supplement. Fritzy gets a hoof supplement also, which is called Nu Foot. Last year, Fritzy had a hoof abcess. As my vet was checking it out, and it exploded in her face, YUCK, she told me that Fritzy has very thin, weak soles. She also has flat feet, which I did know about, I just didn't know she had thin soles. So my vet wanted me to give Fritzy a hoof supplement. Anyways, this is why we wait for the horses to finish their grain, we feed the goats "goat grain", but not everyday. So usually if I am standing by the horses, the goats leave the horses alone. But if the goats happen to come over to the grain buckets, than that means it's goat wrestling time! You know how hard it is to wrestle a goat? My goats are not small, they probably outweigh me! And they are very strong!

As I am waiting for the girls to finish their grain, Sadie decides to roll in the grass, which probably has dried poo mixed in. So much for her bath last week! Sadie, with her insecurities and socially anxious issues, doesn't usually leave my side, for very long anyways.

Bailey stands guard. He usually runs off to investigate, but today he stuck around. It was getting really windy.

Here we go! The horses are finished with their grain and they are off! They run and buck all the way up the pasture to the hay piles, which sets the goats off into a frenzy. I am surprised there aren't more collisions out there!

As the goats scatter, the horses find the pile they want. This is when the goats slowly move back in.

Fritzy and Brandy start out eating alone.

Enjoy eating alone, while you can Fritzy!

Before you know it, Edgar and Walter enter the picture. They think Fritzy's hay pile is better than the one they were at.

Hey Brandy, the hay is better over here!

Fritzy starts to disappear right before my eyes!

Hey, Fritzy, are you still in there?

Brandy, still eating alone. She obviously thought her hay pile was better than Fritzy's and the goats.

Now, this is one happy, eating family!

Now, I get to go push the empty wheelbarrow back to the house. OH? Can you get my quad running please?

Another feeding is done, until tomorrow!