FEED ROOMS AND HOUSEKEEPING

This isn’t the article that I had planned to write this month. I was going to talk about nutrients and why they matter. After writing half a page on water (and not saying all that I wanted to) and another half page about protein (and barely scratching the surface), I realized that I need a better plan and a better framework first. Before we dive into nutrients, we’ll talk about bag tags and how to interpret them…but not this month. Today we’re going to talk about your feed room.

By now, you have probably felt the urge to do some warm weather cleaning in the barn. Did you tackle your feed room? As we head into summer there are several things that you should consider.

First, recycle or throw things away. Stop saving them. I’m talking about old supplements, the feed your horse won’t eat, cracked buckets, and nasty-looking containers. Here is the primary concern with supplements and feed: they have a shelf life. After a certain date, they deteriorate in quality, become rancid or moldy, attract insects, or are no longer effective. Most feeds have a shelf life of three to four months. Some are still considered good at six months, and some of the feeds imported from Europe and Australia claim to have a shelf life of up to a year. Note, however, that this is in ideal storage conditions, which most of us do not have. As the weather becomes warmer and more humid, your feed is affected, and the shelf life shortens. This is why it isn’t a good idea to have more than a few weeks’ supply on hand. You may think you’re saving money by stocking up when there is a sale on feed, or you have coupons about to expire, but you won’t see that savings if you have to throw out the feed.

Feed bags have a date of manufacture. It may be printed on the bag tag, on the white tape, or directly on the bag. Note that it is the date of manufacture, not a “best by” date or an expiration date. It may be in conventional date form or in Julian form (the number of the day in the year.) It can be tricky to decipher, so ask your feed store for help if you aren’t sure. To make things even more complicated, different feed mills use different methods of dating their bags, so the bag of ABC Pony Pellets that is manufactured in the northeast may have a different format than one made out west. We’ll talk more about reading the date on bags in the future. For now, I just want you to be aware that your feed bag has a manufacture date and a shelf life.

Supplements are similar. Not all of them have a date printed on them, but they do have a shelf life. If your supplement is off color, smells funny, no longer scoops like it should, or you can’t remember when you last used it, throw it out. Yes, I know you may have paid a lot of money for it but think of it this way: you already spent that money. If you throw it out, it’s true that you won’t get the value of it. But if you feed it to your horse and he refuses to eat it, then you’ll be throwing out that meal, fretting about his appetite, and tossing the supplement. And if there is mold in the supplement and your horse gets sick, then you may have a vet bill and you’re still going to throw out the supplement. If in doubt, throw it out.

Now is a good time to ask yourself if those supplements are necessary. If you are feeding a quality feed and you are feeding the recommended amount for your horse’s size and activity level, you may not need to supplement. Remember that the ideal diet for a horse is forage based, and we add feed and supplements if the forage can’t meet his nutritional needs. Your horse may need some help to keep his hooves strong and to ease old joints but be very careful that you aren’t over-supplementing with certain minerals. More isn’t better. Of course, if your vet makes a recommendation, you should follow that. We’ll talk more about supplementing in the future.

How can you maximize the value of your feed and supplements? Good storage is key. Your storage should keep the feed as dry and as cool as possible. Moisture and heat encourage the growth of bacteria, bugs, and other nasties, and shorten the shelf life of your feed. I like to use metal trash cans with tight-fitting lids. Old chest-type freezers work well too if you have room for them, and you have the plug for the drain hole. Don’t dump your feed into them though. Instead, place the whole bag inside. There are a couple reasons for this. First, it’s easier to keep the freezer clean. Sticky textured feeds leave a residue that eventually turns cement-like. It’s also easier to scoop out the last few ounces from a bag than it is from the floor of a freezer. And most importantly, if there is something wrong with the feed, you simply pull out the whole bag and return it to the feed store. Remember, the feed store will want the date and mill code on the bag so they can track down problems. I recommend the same practice with metal trash cans- place the whole bag inside the trash can. A large trash can will hold two 50-lb bags (unless one is beet pulp.) I don’t recommend plastic containers, given a choice, because some plastics are not food safe and may impart a smell and taste that your horse doesn’t like. Also, they are not mouse and rat proof. Whatever you choose, make sure that horses can’t get into them. Horses can learn to open freezers and lift lids, so keep them someplace where horses can’t go. My cans are in a locked feed room accessed through a tight corner. Only minis and very determined Morgans could find their way in, but the sliding door stays closed and padlocked.

Let’s digress for a moment and talk about pests. I’m referring to rodents, such as mice and rats. Mice are a given, rats can be too. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you repel them, move them, or kill them outright. We’ve seen a surge in rodent population over the past two years because the food supply for them was abundant. Rodents tend to be low on the food chain and they breed in abundant numbers to keep their population strong because they are eaten by many other animals. Two points to remember about animals that occupy this niche is that they tend to breed young and live a short life. What does this have to do with your barn? It means that there are always going to be more of them. You can move/kill mice all day long and not get rid of them completely. All you are doing is creating an empty – and desirable- apartment for more to move into. The key is to make that apartment less desirable, so they go elsewhere. Clean up spilled food, keep soft goods like towels, fleece, and braiding yarn (yes, braiding yarn- don’t ask) in a container that they can’t get into, and be vigilant. While mice will chew through plastic and wood to get to food, they are less likely to do so for nesting material. Keep your feed room floor swept too. It doesn’t take much to feed a mouse, and if the food is easy to find, his siblings and cousins will show up too. More free food means larger rodents too, some of which may carry pathogens that can infect your horse. If your feed room is a small, enclosed area, scent repellents can be useful. Make sure you replace them frequently. They aren’t the magic solution, but they can be another tool in your toolbox.

Many people with horses also have chickens, and rodents love chicken feed. Don’t leave chicken feed in the feeder overnight, as it becomes an all-you-can-eat buffet for rodents. The chickens won’t need it anyway because they are roosting, so it’s a good idea to empty the feeder at dusk.

If you rely on barn cats for rodent control, feed the cats. Cats will hunt whether you feed them or not, but cats that are fed in the barn tend to hang around the barn more and not do their hunting further afield. (Of course, they are cats, and they will do as they please.)

If you decide to trap or kill mice, here are a few hints. First, mice like to run along walls with their whiskers touching said wall. Place your trap along that runway and you’ll have success. Second, mice, especially male mice, are scent animals and they follow mouse urine trails. Basically, if they are moving, they are dribbling. (Keeping mice urine out of your horse’s feed is another good reason for investing in metal containers.) Interestingly, they aren’t deterred from a trap where another mouse has died. To them, the urine trail says, “other mice went this way, this is where we go” and so they do. Finally, mice can get through impossibly small spaces. If their skull can fit, the rest of them will squish through. Keep that freezer drain hole closed and invest in quarter-inch screen if needed.

Back to cleaning out. While you’re tossing out old supplements, get rid of all those old supplement measuring scoops too. I’m sure you have some- it seems that every supplement now comes with its own measuring scoop. They are not all the same size however: each is specific to its product. The scoop for one dose of “Pony Pacifier” won’t be correct for one dose of “Motion Magic.” Since some products are measured in ounces and some in grams, you want to be sure that you are using the scoop that will measure the right amount. (You read the label and are giving the correct amount to your horse, right?) Here is another way to think about it: if you had those scoops on your kitchen counter and you took one at random to measure out your morning coffee, would it be too strong, too weak, or just right? And what if you used a different size tomorrow? If you can’t bring yourself to throw out those perfectly good little scoops, wash them and rehome them. People who work with kids’ crafts can always seem to find a use for them.

While you’re at it, find a different use for that open feed scoop too. (See the photo.) That is not the best way to measure your horse’s feed. Why? It’s inconsistent. It’s hard to scoop exactly the same weight every time if you don’t have measurements marked on your container or a scale for weighing. Horse feed is meant to be fed by the pound, not by the scoop, can, or handful. Then there is the matter of interpretation. Your idea of a full scoop is likely different than mine, and “rounded over” and “heaping” have different meanings too. As an example, let’s say I asked you to feed my horses and I told you that this one gets a full scoop, this one gets a half scoop, and the big guy gets a heaping scoop. Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if I said “this plastic cup holds one pound of balancer. This horse gets one pound, that horse gets a half-pound, and the big guy gets two pounds.”

Wondering what to use instead? The best option is to go to your feed store and ask if they have a container for measuring your specific feed. Be picky about it- if they offer you a measuring container for ABC’s feed but you use XYZ’s products, they may not measure the same because the density of the feed can differ. It’s the same scenario as the supplement scoops. If they don’t have a container for your specific feed, then bag up a typical meal and take it to your store with your measuring container. Ask the store to weigh it in the bag, then make a corresponding mark on your container. While you’re there, make marks on the container for one pound and one-half pound too, as they are useful indicators. If you use a couple different feeds, mark each accordingly.

Of course, if your container is cracked, broken, or rusty, now is a good time to replace it. It’s not going to get any better, and you don’t want small sharp shards or rust in your horse’s feed. Replace cracked buckets too, as you don’t want a sharp edge to cut or pinch your horse. If he likes to beat up his buckets, invest in a black rubber one. Yes, they don’t look great after a year or so, and they cost a little more, but they are tough! They are also less likely to bruise a horse who likes to bang buckets with his knees.

Buckets should be scrubbed frequently. It’s the best way to keep them from getting stained and smelly. Feed buckets can get especially nasty in the summer. Bacteria loves to breed in left-over feed and warm, humid weather supplies a prime environment. It’s a good idea to make sure that your buckets and corner feeders are removeable, as this makes cleaning easier. It’s hard to do a good job on a feeder that is bolted to the wall. Stock tanks need regular cleaning too. Invest in a good stiff scrub brush with a sturdy handle. If it’s hard to get the slime and stuck-on feed to detach, try some table salt as an abrasive. Rinse well after.

If you are on well water, you may notice after a few years that your water buckets have an odor. If you can smell it, replace them. Your horse, with his extraordinary sense of smell, has been aware of this for some time! In fact, if it seems that your horse is drinking less from that bucket, it’s a good idea to replace it. It can always become a bathing bucket.

Finally, if you take something out of its original container or bag and put it into another container, make sure that you label it! This is for both safety and convenience, so that nothing gets mixed up by mistake.

Take a look around your feed room and ask yourself this question: if the creek flooded and the road washed out and you couldn’t get home from work, would your spouse/neighbor/friend be able to figure out what your horse eats? Even if there is only one horse in your barn, it’s good to have his diet written out and prominently displayed somewhere. While you’re at it, add the name and phone number of your vet, farrier, and equine dentist. Most importantly, write the address and phone number of the barn (if there is a landline) in a prominent place. If someone had to call 911 in an emergency, this info can be a lifesaver. If any kids frequent your barn, show them where to find this info.

If you are now looking around your feed room and thinking about throwing things out, stopping rodents, and posting information, then I’ve done my job! As much as you’d like your barn to be your personal sanctuary, it’s better for your horse if the feed room is clean and well-organized. Next time we’ll return to feed tags and how to decipher them.