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[RC] Hay--How Much to Feed? Feed x Weight, not Volume - Lucy Chaplin TrumbullTina writes:Er... <casual inspection of fingernails>...Consider the weight (in pounds), not number of flakes.... Of course only a certified nut-case would *weigh* individual hay feedings. oops! cat's out of the bag! I have to confess to weighing my hay, otherwise I would have no clue what I'm feeding. Since Mouse is currently confined to stall/pen 24 x 7 and she tends towards, er, rubinesque proportions (the vet said *that* didn't help her ligament problems), she has been on a diet for the last four months. To that end, she receives not more than 7.5 lbs of hay (80% orchard grass + 20% grass/alf) at each feeding (twice a day). This is her "maintenance diet" - up until recently, she was getting not more than 6.5 lbs at each feeding (and still doing very nicely, thank you - the weight didn't exactly fall off). The other two get 10-12 lbs of hay at each feeding (twice a day), which lasts them most of the day and works more or less like free-feeding (Mouse's ration, OTOH, is inhaled in the first 1.5 hours, leaving her to suck on the stall mats for the rest of the day...pitiful to watch. Her stall/ pen is spotless). They all get a BP+goodies snack in the evening - Zini getting a *real* portion, while the other two get a "token effort" (handfuls) to make them feel like they're getting a treat. I've managed to wean myself off weighing the BP. :) Lucy Chaplin Trumbull elsietee AT foothill DOT net Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, California * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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