A Donkey Diary: Hay

Showing posts with label Hay. Show all posts

Monday, December 2, 2013

Brrrrr .....!

Getting colder and overnight lows are expected to dip to -7C (or 19F) Now that's cold for this part of the world and I've added a down vest under my coat!

Wind, rain and/ or snow make it feel even colder and it's advisable to provide extra fiber in the form of low sugar hay or straw as equine stay warmer by digesting feed in their hind guts. During the days, I am currently just feeding the regular amounts but it's overnight that I think I need to offer something extra.

So I just started filling four extra hay bags each with 0.5 - 1 lbs. hay. Now, at about 9-9:30 PM, I'm putting out eight hay bags in different locations in the barn and breezeway (for a total of 1.5 - 2 lbs of hay each) and also leaving 1 flake of barley straw divided in the feed troughs. Hopefully this will last a wee bit longer!

They are also getting generous portions of soaked FiberMax pellets - 40% beet pulp + 60% soy bean hulls. To this I add 1 - 2 teaspoons of plain white salt.

Oh and numerous buckets of warmish water!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Hay test results

Here are the laboratory test results for the hay I bought this year. Complicated stuff to interpret! I've edited out the test results for "Dry" - what you're seeing here are the results for "As Fed." I didn't test for selenium as there's probably none (this area is very deficient) but the donkeys have a mineral block with selenium added and also get a pelleted mineral/ vitamin now and then.

I have to say I am disappointed in the level of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) which should be 10% or less for donkeys, and I think the Total Digestible Energy should be a lot lower too. It's pretty high fiber too but all of my donkeys should be able to handle that, given their ages and good teeth. The low protein level is good though, I think!

With our cool, wet Spring, I was hoping the sugar levels would be lower, since the grass was not stressed, but there are SO many factors and most hay growers around here just cut what grows rather than trying to manage pasture.

This will have to be mixed with barley straw in order to provide enough low energy fiber.

Dr. Burden from the UK Donkey Sanctuary has very kindly looked at these results too and given me her educated view on mineral levels and their ratios as well as the other test results - I am hugely appreciative as there's only so much I am able to glean by looking at the numbers!

MIXED GRASS HAY 15 BALES SAMPLED, DATE SAMPLED: 2013-07-30

PARAMETER: AS FED

DRY MATTER
Moisture 8.66
Dry Matter 91.34

PROTEIN
Crude Protein 5.10
Soluble Crude Protein 41.04
ADF-CP 0.15
UIP ( Bypass Protein) 29.48

FIBRES36.99 % Wet Chemistry
Neutral Detergent Fibre 55.01
Total Digestible Nutrients 54.88

MINERALS
Calcium 0.36
Copper 5.61
Phosphorus 0.16
Potassium 0.83
Sulphur 0.13
Magnesium 0.18
Zinc 18.72
Iron 460.34
Manganese 170.90
Sodium 0.21

CALCULATION
NSC 13.24
NFC 20.73
Relative Feed Value 92.79

OTHER
Starch 2.02
Equine Digestible Energy 2 MCal/Kg
Total Sugar 11.2
ESC = 9.10%

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Hay Today!

This year, I decided to get hay from the "big" island - that is Vancouver Island. I really liked the hay I bought there two years ago - it's coarser that I can find here, less seed heads too. So, up at 5 AM to catch the first ferry off, 40 minute drive, loaded 102 bales and back we came!

I will borrow the core bale sampler from the Ministry of Agriculture and test about 15 bales. The hay samples go off to a lab in Ontario and the test results will tell me exactly what's in the hay - protein count, starch and sugar levels and ratio of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper etc.

With these results, I'll know what I'm feeding and whether or not I need to add minerals or balance the diet in any way. Fingers crossed I've got the right stuff!

The people who grow this hay have a diabetic horse. Theoretically, any feed that is safe for horses with insulin resistance, diabetes or laminitis should be okay for donkeys!

What I really like about this hay is that there is very little chaff, which can cause impaction. I think this is partly what happened to Dorica last winter - she gobbled a LOT of barley straw (full of chaff) without drinking enough water - bad combo.

Since then, I have been aware of how much chaff is in many types of grass hay and straw bales. This hay is long, coarse and from appearances at least, looks pretty good. There is a fair bit of Canary reed grass in it, but hopefully that's okay. A mule breeder I met last Fall said to me "best thing to feed mules is slough grass!" By that, I think he means Canary reed grass! We shall see ...

Barley straw should be baled in another month or so and I'll have to get that from "the big island" also.
The hay loft is pretty stuffed at the moment though as I still had about 40 bales of hay plus 8 bales of straw up there before this new load arrived.

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A Few Great recipes: salves & soaks for hooves and sores, etc.

Homemade Bug Spray:
In a large bowl, mix 1 Cup water, 1 Cup white or apple cider vinegar, 1 Cup Avon Skin So Soft. Add a few drops each Citronella Oil and Eucaplyptus Oil. Mix and pour into a spray bottle. Spray your donkey's coat making sure NOT to get it near their eyes and avoid putting it on any sores as the vinegar makes it sting a bit. This can also be put on a cloth and wiped over the donkey if she hates the spray bottle but I have found that clicker training works well to encourage them to stand still!

Healing Salve:
Steep 1/4 tsp. of golden seal powder + 1 tsp. of calendula (any part) in 1 cup of hot water for 1 hour. Strain and mix the "tea" with 1/8 Cup of aloe vera. Use as a healing salve on scrapes or sores.

Healing Wash:
Steep 1 tsp. calendula (any part) + 1/4 tsp. golden seal + 1 tsp comfrey (any part) in 1 cup of very hot water. Strain "tea" and cool. Pour into glass container and keep in the fridge. Use on a compress or soak for any type of sore or abscess or flush gums with the cooled tea in a syringe. I warm the liquid before using.

Hoof Disinfectant:
Mix together in a large bottle: 1 litre Listerine Mouth Wash (the "original" one) + 10 ml Betadine (tamed iodine)+ 1 Tbs. golden seal powder + 1 Tbs. Gentain powder or root. Fill a squeeze bottle with some and apply to hooves after cleaning them first - white line area and frogs. You can use a toothbrush to work it in. Will cleanse, disinfect and encourage new tissue growth.

Rose

I fell in love with Rose in 2011 when I saw her photo on Asspen Grove Miniature Donkeys' web site. Some times it's just that simple ... smitten and who knows why? Rose's full name is White Star Red Roses.
She is a "big" mini, standing just under the regulation size at 35.25 inches at the withers. Her build is stocky and she has a lovely white blaze on her face! Sadly her tail was bitten during a fight with a horse when she was much younger and never grew back - I may have to get her a tail extension!

Rose was born in Alberta in 1997 and has been trained in halter class and driving. This donkey is without a doubt the kindest animal I have ever met ... not a pushy bone in her, just sweetness.
I feel very lucky to have her join our family!

Heather

Heather is a character! At nine years old, she has had two foals and is a sturdy donkey full of pep. She and Rose have known each other for eight years and traveled here together. They are good buddies. Heather is very sweet but can hold her own too, she is strong and has lovely conformation. She has a lovely broad head, like a sheep!

She is really fun to be with, keen and smart. She loves clicker training and always asks for more. At clinics she is everyone's favourite donkey. Heather and Siog have become buddies as they are just a year apart in age.

Siog

Siog arrived on Friday, November 5, 2010. Her Gaelic name means "young Fairy" and is pronounced "She-OH-g." She came from Pender Island and has the same father as Dorica. Ebony is just as his name suggests, jet black and Siog takes after him. Mom, Sidhe, is a sturdy pure white donkey and Siog's only genetic inheritance from her mom is a splash of white hair, like the milky way, on her forehead.

Siog has been here for two years now and a genuine character! She is very clicker savvy and VERY smart! She can be a bit of a prima dona, thinking the world turns just for her but with clicker training, I can usually change her mood. She LOVES clicker training!

Dorrie

Inis Eile Dorcha (we call her Dorica) was born on Pender Island on the summer solstice,1998. Her Gaelic name means "dark one." She's a Mediterranean miniature donkey, sometimes referred to as a "Sicilian" donkey. We bought her when she was 6 years old and so she has been here the longest and has known Annie, Ringo and Deenah ... a lot of comings and goings!

This little donkey has the sweetest disposition imaginable! She is curious and so willing. She is the donkey of my heart, although I adore all of the others, there's something magical about Dorrie!

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