Anyone elses horses stopped eating hay now its snowed?

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suzyqet

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Ok, we got our first real heavy snowfall last night and the ground was completely covered this morning.
When I got to the field this morning, I was expecting to find 6 very hungry horses. (All out 24/7/365). This was NOT the case.
They have been getting hay for quite a while and eating every scrap of it. However, they were moved into the winter field yesterday which has quite a lot of grass in it but like I said, the snow has covered the grass completely.
I gave them all hay as normal but they turned their noses up at it and went off to rummage through the snow and pick at the grass.
Anyway, I filled haynets up for them and put them in the shelter (which they hadnt even been in, typical) and left them with the hay also in the field.
When I got there this evening to feed etc, the hay was hardly touched and they were still rummaging in the field.
Is this normal?
Last year, every bit of hay went whilst there was snow (although there wasnt quite as much grass underneath, I have to admit) and they were always hungry. This year, its as though they dont really want it.
Its the same hay they have been getting. Nothing different.
Has anyone else noticed this?

I would also like to add that I drove past another field this evening and their ponies werent eating the hay either.
Is it different this time or something?

Any views or opinions gladly received.
Thanks in advance.
(oh, and I hope I made sense, lol)
 
Gerry stopped eating hay last weekend when our snow started but I must admit that I assumed it was because we'd bought a manky batch of hay. I've swapped him onto haylage now and he's tucking into that with no objection.
 
Thats so odd you should say that, Ted went off his hay for a couple of days, and I thought it was cause he didnt like it as its this years cut, and he'd been having last years. Today he has gone back to eating it, but bit weird isnt it. I dont even have any grass under the snow so who knows what he has been eating!
 
Yes, Barney is being a total plonker! The paddock is covered with about 10 inches of snow, so no grass. I put a load of hay out each day and there it sits! The worrying thing is he's not really eating much at all in the stable either. Its lovely hay and my other horse is eating loads. It just seems the snow has messed up his brain. Couldn't even catch the little git this evening, he made me walk the whole length of the paddock and then galloped off again. I caught the other one at which point he had a nervous breakdown and screamed that he'd been abandoned. Grrrrr, he does annoy me when he's like this :mad:
 
Well, that is really strange but also a bit of a relief that other horses are acting the same.

Oldmare - we had 2 who we couldnt catch today to check their rugs etc. Couldnt get anywhere near them. Really strange.

I wonder what is different then? My sons nursery (dont laugh) said that the snow has a different feel to it. They tried to make a snowman but it wouldnt stick!
Who knows?????

Another thing I forgot to mention, 2 of them havent been eating all their hard feed either. They normally lick their bowls clean, but they have been leaving a few mouthfulls. Again, they seem more interested in the snow?
 
It could be that they are more interested in the grass that is under the snow,but do double check that it is not because they are not drinking enough. Some horses are reluctant to drink when the water is chilly or icy, and therefore less keen to eat dry food like hay. In this weather it is very important to keep an eye on their water consumption and check for any signs of dehydration.
 
mine are doing same. the hay is top quality and have tried hay from both of my suppliers but they still don't want to eat it. they eat haylage marginally better but not eating the whole lot like they were b4 snow.

I don't get it- no grass but wont eat the hay/haylage which they were eating b4 snow fell anyway so its not like they have had sudden new alien feed introduced into thier diets.????????????????:confused:
 
Our herd has been very choosy, they'd eaten the big bales by Sunday, so had to have some small bales from last year. None of them wanted it, they'd rather stand and stare into space waiting for the next bales to go out on Wednesday.
They weren't particularly hungry when brought in for feeds either. They were, however spooky, hyper and general arses. Also spent alot of time hoolying around the fields.
 
Yep, it is almost as though aliens have invaded.

The quiet ones are being hooligans in the fields. The ones normally easy to catch I cant get near!

And the ones who dont normally stop eating, wont touch the hay.

TGM - We did think about perhaps them not drinking enough. There are definate tracks to the water trough with nose holes in the slush so at least one of them has definately had a drink. However, we did put fresh 'warmer' water from home in a different bucket (big huge one) tonight so gonna see if that makes a difference. We had to break the ice in the trough this morning, but it was still unfrozen when we returned to night.
 
Mine are proper fed up now, Samba even shared her dinner with Jake and walked away from it. Like what the ........ ??

They wouldnt even come up the field for dinner to begin with and just stood there staring at me while I was making it. V weird very abnormal
 
Mine are still mad for hard feed, but not interested in haylage, it's going to waste in the field. I made up a couple of small nets and hung them in the barn this evening, but I doubt they'll be eaten! They are all still fat as butter though, under their shaggy coats!
 
This made me laugh some of mine have been doing this i am sure it is some kind of natural instict to dig dig dig kicking in and i am sure they are doing it as they arent really hungry.
Altough it is deeper snow here it doesnt seem bitter although the weather forecast says it is colder than it was last year, horses they just love to keep you guessing.
 
Mine are eating four haynets over a 24 hour period, also got hay loose on the floor, but stopped drinking their water today and yesterday. I think it maybe 'cos I am giving them a huge sloppy Dengi hi-fi and sugar beet, happpy hoof ( with hot water) feed daily, so they are sufficiently hydrated. I do the skin pinch test on the neck if I am at all worried.
If they are not eating hay I would be worried they are not drinking enough.
Horses wont eat if there is inadequate water. Horses need a minimum of eight litres a day. Give them loads of sloppy suger beet in hot water to keep them safe from colic.
I am taking 40 litres up to mine daily 4 x 10 litre drums, with OH taking 4 x 20 litre drums every few days to top up troughs again as some is lost to freezing every day.

Mine are scraping snow and eating grass underneath too. I think is to replace fluids when the water is just tooooo cold to drink.
 
*breathes a huge sigh of relief*
My boys have been doing the same they have been happily munching their way through a round bale and with all the snow they have stopped eating. Still very happy to see their buckets with a few handfuls of chaff on a night and are holding their weight but even so it had me rather worried.
 
Same here......they were eatting it when it was put out on the frost but now it's snowwing they aren't interested at all, they are offered slightly warm water too but not interested i think they are getting enough from the grass which is long but covered in snow.

They are tucking into thier feeds however jsut not interested in the hay.

They are having huge buckets of chaff and sugar beet to keep the fibre content up.

Nice to know it's not just mine. :)
 
Mine are the same, I have tried haylege, new hay and old hay and they pick, toss it around and then go off to the other end of the field where the grass is long. Relief to know lots of others are doing the same.
Mine are both fatties so they won't fade away.
 
I'm so relieved to read this. I am beside myself as I have a mare feeding a 6 month old enormous foal and they aren't eating any hay at all. She has water delivered and always has a big drink, and is eating 2 enormous feeds a day but no hay.
 
Storminateacup said:
Mine are eating four haynets over a 24 hour period, also got hay loose on the floor, but stopped drinking their water today and yesterday. I think it maybe 'cos I am giving them a huge sloppy Dengi hi-fi and sugar beet, happpy hoof ( with hot water) feed daily, so they are sufficiently hydrated. I do the skin pinch test on the neck if I am at all worried.
If they are not eating hay I would be worried they are not drinking enough.
Horses wont eat if there is inadequate water. Horses need a minimum of eight litres a day. Give them loads of sloppy suger beet in hot water to keep them safe from colic.
I am taking 40 litres up to mine daily 4 x 10 litre drums, with OH taking 4 x 20 litre drums every few days to top up troughs again as some is lost to freezing every day.

Mine are scraping snow and eating grass underneath too. I think is to replace fluids when the water is just tooooo cold to drink.
Click to expand...

We have been taking 2 x 25 litre containers full of warm water up twice a day and most of the time, we havent needed to use it all. I dont think it is a case of them not drinking, as like I said, there is tracks in the snow to the water trough and holes in the slush.


To be honest, I am really glad I started this thread now. It seems that sooooo many of us have all been worrying over the same thing. If only we could understand them and they could tell us.

Off to the field now so will be interesting to see how much has been eaten over night.

Wil update late.
 
Yes another one here who is worried too. Moved my horses to a friend's 12 acre field. Topped up the ring feeder with 5 bales of hay and to my horror five days later there is no sign of any hay being eaten. The troughs are absolutely frozen solid each day so have a lump hammer at the side. I make sure they get a big bucket of extremely sloppy food but I'm still worried. We've been hit quite badly in the East Midlands with over 18 inches of snow but maybe they are digging for grass.
 
TGM said:
It could be that they are more interested in the grass that is under the snow,but do double check that it is not because they are not drinking enough. Some horses are reluctant to drink when the water is chilly or icy, and therefore less keen to eat dry food like hay. In this weather it is very important to keep an eye on their water consumption and check for any signs of dehydration.
Click to expand...

I quite agree. It's really important that you atually watch them drink or at least know they are emptying water buckets at the moment. I worry about impaction colic, from hungry horses who are dehydrated, suddenly eating lots of dry fodder. Mine are getting warm wet feeds prior to them eating their nighttime hay.
 
My horses are being complete brats.

They are being sniffy about more Hi-Fi lite than usual being added to their meals. Along the lines of "what's this *****e?" and then knocking the bowl over and standing in it. They are living out, there is nothing to eat apart from what I am lugging to the field. Brats.
 
I had this problem with my youngster last year when it was snowing. He wouldn't eat his hard feed at all - whereas normally he is greedy and eats every scrap. I did a post on here about it, and I got some interesting information.

Somebody said that what can happen, is that the water is colder then they are use to, and sometimes the horses then don't drink enough due to this, which in turn makes them dehydrated, and this can have an effect on their appetite - or rather - lack of appetite.

See this link: http://www.banhdc.org/archives/ch-exp-horsecare-deh.html Towards the end of the 'Signs to look for' section, it comments on how the appetite can be effected in a dehydrated horse.

Someone advised me to put hot water in the water buckets/troughs, just to try warm the water through and encourage them to drink. As the weather became mild, my youngsters 'usual' appetite returned full bore!

I hope my ramblings made sense. I will see if I can find my old post and you can read the advice for yourselves - it will have been detailed better then I have done it! xx :)
 
TGM said:
It could be that they are more interested in the grass that is under the snow,but do double check that it is not because they are not drinking enough. Some horses are reluctant to drink when the water is chilly or icy, and therefore less keen to eat dry food like hay. In this weather it is very important to keep an eye on their water consumption and check for any signs of dehydration.
Click to expand...

100% agree with this. I work at a equine vets and we have has case after case of colics. Monitor the amount of water they have is as important as the amount of hay they have.
Our youngsters who are out have a automatic water trough but its frozen so taking water down and notice how much they are drinking atm but am glad cause I can keep a eye on the amount.
Also my horse who doesnt drink much in the stable perfers water outside has been drinking double the amount. I have added salts to all my horses diets to encourage them to drink.
 
OK, so back from field.

I have 2 groups of horses. 3 in each.
One group hadnt touched their hay at all, the other had eaten 2 out of 3 haynets.
Both lots of water was frozen so this was broken and topped up.

Now with regards to the dehydration. I have checked them all and they all seem ok. However, I have been told in the past (by a vet) that one of the reasons they drink less in this weather is because they get enough fluids from the snow. Are you all saying that this is not the case then?
 
Mine hasn't gone off hay in the slightest. I'm putting loads in the field and it's getting hoovered up no problem. I wish they would rummage for a bit of grass but it's under a foot of snow and they haven't even attempted that. I check the trough twice a day. I always have to break the ice and on a morning I have to unfreeze the pipe or ball cock with a kettle of water.
It sounds unusual that they aren't eating it when there isn't an alternative. Horse don't like drinking water when it goes below a certain temperature, even though it is unfrozen so maybe they are a little dehydrated.
 
My 4 have been the same, but only had a few inches of snow, the grass is very soft compared to when it was very frosty.

During the frosty weather they were drinking loads as were eating a lot of hay, now with a little snow aren't really bothering with the hay or water.

I suppose they are getting plenty of moisture from the grass, rather than the snow.
 
wellsat said:
Gerry stopped eating hay last weekend when our snow started but I must admit that I assumed it was because we'd bought a manky batch of hay. I've swapped him onto haylage now and he's tucking into that with no objection.
Click to expand...

totally the same with mine, nowon haylage and gobblig it up! they also would rather snuffle for icy grass than the hay i put out for them
 
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