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Thread: My Rotten Horse

  1. #1
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default My Rotten Horse

    A little background first. My horse was in her mid 20's when I adopted her 10 years ago. I have her papers somewhere but I'm pretty sure that she's over 30 years old. She's a failed race horse. Her teeth got so bad that she could no longer eat grass. She picks it up with her front teeth but can't chew it up well enough to swallow it so she spits it out. I have wads of spit out grass all over. I don't keep her fenced except during hunting season when she tries to eat the corn my neighbor puts out to attract deer.

    Now for the rotten part...She started ignoring her feed. At the same time I was impressed that the chickens that are also free range were eating so much of their chick starter. Twice I saw their feeder knocked over and almost empty.

    The horse was past due for worming so I shoved a tube of wormer in her, but it wasn't until yesterday that I put two and two together. I was sitting outside watching the chickens eat the treat of scratch and meal worms when Miss Horse stuck her head in the chicken house and stretched out her neck as far as she could and knocked over the feeder. Ha! I found her out.

    It gets worse...I moved the feeder farther back in the chicken house. This morning when I checked for eggs I saw the feeder knocked over again and hoof prints in the saw dust of the chicken house. The dang horse tried to walk in so that she could steal the good high protein stuff! I moved it to the far back where she absolutely not get to it.

    Then it got even worser (I know that's not a word). I keep most of my feed in the house. That ***** actually walked in the front door and went searching for chick starter. I keep the chicken food in 10 gallon garbage cans in the chicken house so she was out of luck. I think that she has finally come to understand that the feed I give her is all she's going to get.
    Mama Bear

  2. #2
    Homesteader RogueDiscus's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Wow! Now that's determination. Just wondering, is it legal to put out corn for the deer? That kind of chumming is not allowed here, although some folks feed the urban deer.

  3. #3
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    I don't know. All I know is that he's allowed to hunt there. As long as he doesn't shoot a dear on my land what he does is none of my business. He's a good neighbor. He bush-hogs my pastures for me. I'm not about to turn him in to the law.
    Mama Bear

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    Homesteader RogueDiscus's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    I wasn't suggesting that, just wondered. Laws are different around the country.

  5. #5
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    I know that it illegal to bait doves. Don't know about dear.
    Mama Bear

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    Administrator brewmaster15's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    I wonder if your old horse is just trying to compensate for her bad teeth Liz.

    I dont know anything about horses dietary needs but that kind of determination could mean..." Hey Human person.. I can't eat like I used too.. I need something I dont need to chew!"
    al
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  7. #7
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Al, I feed her a feed that is made for old horses who can't eat. You can even add water to it to make the feed into a mash so the horse can slurp it up. She isn't at that point yet. She was fine with her feed until she raided the chicken house with it's high protein feed. She doesn't need more protein than this feed provides. If I fed her a high protein diet she would founder. Ask Pat. She knows horses. If this old horse were to eat feed made for growing chicks as part of her regular diet it would do her more harm than good.
    Mama Bear
    Mama Bear

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    MVP Oct.2015 discuspaul's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Liz, I felt sorry for your horse since it can't chew, and it was smart for it to find other means to get the food/nutrition it needs.
    It'd be the same for any animal, or a human for that matter.

    But your story was a hoot - I couldn't help but smile a few times over the antics it went through to get some feed - sounds like a fairly sharp horse.

  9. #9
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Thanks Paul. I try to be entertaining. The story could do with a rewrite to shorten it but will do as is.

    Please don't feel sorry for the horse. I cater to her every need. She's not livestock. She's a dang pet, same as all my critters whether they have 2 legs or 4 legs or swim.
    Last edited by LizStreithorst; 07-08-2018 at 10:21 PM. Reason: typo
    Mama Bear

  10. #10
    SimplyDiscus Sponsor and MVP Nov.2015 Disgirl's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Interesting story Liz. I know your pets are everything to you. But since she loves that chicken stuff so much, how about a little handful once a day for her? Would that hurt her?
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    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Liz, I have an old horse too. Jake was 32 this year. He can still chew but his teeth are not growing any longer. The hardest part with maintaining old horses is keeping good weight on them plus they tend to become sway backed and lose their topline. Jake gets a senior horse food which is high in fat. At this age fat is more important then protein.

    You could try alfalfa pellets soaked in water. That would give your old girl some roughage.
    Pat
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  12. #12
    Administrator brewmaster15's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    I wonder what it is about the chick feed the horse likes so much. . Maybe its the salt? theres not much there but who knows. I have always used chick starter myself but heres an interesting take on it...

    http://afarmishkindoflife.com/dont-use-chick-starter/

    al
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  13. #13
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    I actually think that it's the high protein content and the flavor of corn. Like Pat's horse, mine gets a feed designed for old horses who eat hay or grass. It is very high in fiber. She liked it just fine until she found out that she could treat herself to something more tasty. Pat's idea of soaked alfalfa pellets is a good idea. The pellets aren't made from the highest quality Alfalfa. They are made from ground up leaves plus ground stems that be ignored in alfalfa hay. I doubt that my small town feed store carries it, but I'll ask.

    That was an interesting read. I my chick starter is 2% higher in protein than my layer feed. I think that the extra protein is necessary for growing chicks. She makes a good point about the calcium. I had to buy another sack of chick starter because I thought that my free range chicks were pigging out on it when it turned out to be the horse. When what I have runs out I'll switch all the chickens to laying pellets.
    Mama Bear

  14. #14
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    Liz, does your mare have free choice salt? I have to remember to keep checking especially this time of year.
    Pat
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  15. #15
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: My Rotten Horse

    No! I forgot about salt. I fed it to my goats free choice but they pretty much ignored it. Is a salt lick good enough or should I put out loose salt. Is salt alone good enough of should I my a mineral block or a mineral lick?
    Mama Bear

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