Herd Update

We had a quiet night last night to do chores. The days are getting longer which is a blessing when the temperatures are in the single digits. I was able to get out to do chores and get back in before the skies went dark (not before the sun set but at least before the skies turned pitch black). It was rather refreshing to see the herd in the daylight. Life has been so chaotic as of late that I don't get to see them until well after the sun sets, which makes it difficult to do a thorough check on everyone each evening.

It does look like Bo and Junior are losing weight so I'm upping their grain intake. I know some might not agree with that type of method but it's what has worked in the past. Now that we are entering the second half of winter, I need to keep a closer eye on the herds. March is when the weight loss begins on Brego and Jim. I want to head that off now. I can grain and hay those boys the same all winter but it doesn't matter when March rolls around. I'm wondering with a grain supplement if that will help with their weight loss.

Zeke looks fantastic and so does Rabbit. Rain may be losing a little bit of weight but it's hard to tell. Age is starting to show on him, although he's only 17. Mayhem is going through a growth spurt so she's really starting to fill out and look like a well muscled, big boned mare. Ivan looks like he's pregnant. And no it's not a wormy belly. He simply carries his weight in his belly and not on his topline. King is always fat, as is Maverick and Chaos. I'm keeping a closer eye on Dude to make sure he doesn't lose any weight. Luckily there's no ice in the drylot or I'd be worried about Dude. It's usually about this time of year that his hip flares up and he starts to have problems. But I think that's all due to the melting snow and ice.

Last night watching Tommy and Skippy was the highlight of my day. They would rear and bite at each other. Then Skippy would take off and roar through the pen. When I was getting their water, I watched Skippy body slam into Tommy. Those two really do play rough.

I'm hoping the worst of winter is over but there's still a lot of winter left. I need to get into the barn and figure out how to fix a stall door. Dude had gotten in awhile back and managed to mangle the door so I'm down one stall. So lets hope that there aren't any subzero temperatures or blizzards to deal with any time soon.