Has anyone had this happen?

Question

The past two days i have been sick so my friend has been tending to the horses. I have a mare who has been here about one month and she is prego. My friend came in yesterday and asked me if i had feed the horses, i said no why. She said there was hay in the feeders, all of them. I thought thats odd, they are pigs and normally eat everything. I do believe they were on a hunger strike because my friend was feeding them LOL. I went out threw more hay and all started eatting, except this one mare. Ok im thinking there is a serious problem going on. She is staring at me and i thinking maybe she wants pellets, i mix all the extras in with the pellets for the prego mares. Well that darn horse started eatting and she wont touch the hay. I dont understand what could be the problem and why the horses wouldnt eat. It has been hot but they are hosed down or a sprinkler is on during the day, they are staying cooler than i am.

Whats going on here?

Answer 1

the heat often makes horses go off there feed. it is normal for horses not to eat the food that someone else gave them when they are used to one person doing it all the time. I have to mare in foal and they have wired eating habits like if they have chaff they get the runs but they can eat Lucine hay and be fine it's just that each mare handles being in foal differently.

Answer 2

Hello. I have 3 mares in foal that i used to feed hay before getting broodmare pellets, the reason i got pellets is because they wouldn't eat there hay. A guy who has owned/breed horses his whole life came to take a look and said it is not abnormal that they won't eat there hay it may make her feel a little uncomfortable. My other mare with foal at foot started eating her hay a hour after giving birth. I wouldn't be to concerned. =)

Answer 3

it could be ur friends deoderent(i cant spell)

Answer 4

Well kinda... Yesterday I went to feed my new filly that I am keeping at my grandpa's house.... Drive all the way across town (which I do twice a day) walk in her pen and she is eating a flake of hay. My grandpa got inpatient and fed her so I drove all that way for nothing.

Is there anyone else that knew you were sick and might have been trying to help by feeding them for you?

Answer 5

Check the hay in the feeders from the morning feed. If none of them at the morning feeding, then there is something wrong with the hay. Half the bale could have been moldy. Check all your hay!!

Answer 6

LOL thats funny