Not to be confused with "escape goat" which, knock on wood, has not been a required topic to date.
Hay consumption was back to normal as of yesterday, but water consumption remained abnormally low until today. I assume that the horses (in their typical horsey way) blame the water source and/or that particular region of the paddock for Saturday's incident. Tonka approaches the water with uncharacteristic wariness, and Raven takes a couple of wide passes before mustering enough confidence to drink. Moving the supply isn't feasible, but I have been adding salt to their feed and waiting patiently for them to come to their senses (how long do horses live again?).
Although the garbage can has been a good stop-gap measure, it is difficult for the goats (albeit entertaining for the humans) to drink from when they are turned in with the horses. Today I bought a Tuff Stuff oval tub that is (1) shorter than the bathtub and (2) more flexible. I feel confident that Raven will have a much harder time falling into it. While a heated automatic waterer remains my goal, fiscal prudence will prevail through these...er...interesting times.
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4 comments:
Glad to hear that things are almost back to normal--or as normal as horse (and goat and dog) ownership can ever be! Any lingering soreness for Raven? Sympathy pains for Tonka?
You and I seem to be living parallel lives, in the consumer sense (first Muck Boots, now Tuff Stuff)--or we both just have very good taste: I discovered the Tuff Stuff products a few years ago, and tho they're the same homely black as the old Fortiflex buckets were, they don't "shed" after a while like Fortiflex ones. And I can give you this endorsement for the Tuff Stuff: a couple of years ago, when we added on to the barn, stupid contractor DROVE OVER one of my TS muck buckets with his BACKHOE and smashed it flat! I gave him heck, and he bought me a replacement. Before I threw it away (I hate to through anything away) I pushed, and I pulled, and I sat on it, and I stood on the inside rim and pryed up on the opposite side, and by golly, I got it to return to some semblence of muck bucket shape. Still had an obvious "crease" but was once again functional. Since then, steady use and temperature changes through the year have pretty much eliminated any difference between it and my other bucket. (You have to know which one has the replacement braided blue baling twine handles to tell them apart now.) Now THAT's Tuff Stuff!
HA ha..ah, the bucket!
So glad that they are drinkin' again! I know, it is scarey when they boycott!Thatis when I pull out the Very wet, to over the top w/water Soaked Beet Pulp. Works every time!Anfd it was vet recommended too!
Oooh, I've seen those TS things, they are NICE! Good choice for now! Hmm, I think Countryside Magazine had a way to build your own heated water trough... Have to look. They always have great articles on caring for smaller stock, such a neat magazine!
I'm glad everyone is doing better, it sucks when things get all cockamamie for a week or so!
Love my Tuff Stuff tub so far! Super easy to scrub (no ridges like the Rubbermaids) and the horses are not at all suspicious of it.
Raven's leg his still healing, but the hard cold swelling is gone now. She took herself for a long gallop today, so I think she's back to square one in terms of pain.
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