WINTER FEEDING SHCEDULE #2

This is my daily Feeding Schedule at the ranch this winter:

- Get a milk jug full of water in the house and take it to the goat pasture. Pour half of it in a bucket for them (any more will just freeze) and give them a small scoop each of sweet mix for a treat. Put about 6lb. of hay in their feeder and, if I have any, put in some fresh pine branches and take out the old stripped branches they have eaten already.

- Take rest of the water jug with to big barn. Divide 2 bales into 6 stalls and 3 outside tire feeders. Check that all horses are there: 9 in all in this pasture.

- On cold days, take an ax and break open creek to be sure horses have access to water.

- Take jug of water to big greenhouse. Give rest of water to rabbits. Feed all rabbits. Fill bird feed pans.

- Go to little greenhouse and put food and water out for peacocks.

- Get in truck and drive to back 20 pasture.

- Drag 2 bales along fence in back 20 pasture and feed those, plus half a bale by the gate. Then take 1 bale across the road to the middle 20 pasture.

- On cold days, take an ax out into the back 20 and middle 20 pastures and break the creak open to be sure horses have access to water. That's it - go home.

This is a once-per-day feeding schedule. The animals would do better to have a twice per day schedule but I am not able to do this consistently, so we are making do with this. The rabbits have trouble with only one watering per day (on bellow freezing days) and we can't keep that up (we have begun moving them into the house). The horses do fine, but get into more trouble when fed this way - they get board between feedings more easily and start testing fences and finding entertainment that way. It does help to make the feeding time regular. I try to feed around 1pm every day. When I do that the horses don't get into much trouble, but if I am late they often do.

On days that I don't write much, I do this feeding and then, if I am not feeling well, I rest. If I am feeling better, I work in my office, updating my website, planning the business, and corresponding with clients.