Chinchilla
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My mares are currently out full time with hay and hard feed; they seem happy. Except for one thing. And that is that they seem to much prefer pulling the tarpaulin off the straw and eating that, whilst leaving their hay. Giving less hay seems to make no difference: it just means less is wasted! But I'm concerned that they won't be getting the nutrients and calories they need, not to mention that it's wasting a lot of hay and means there's a risk of running out of straw, which was purchased as bedding.
So why might they be doing this, and what can I do about it? Or should I not worry, seeing as how they do have the choice of both hay and grass!
(Yes, it shouldn't have been stored in the field, I know, but these are the big bales and it was sort of assumed a nightblind horse wouldn't be able to open 2 securely tied tarps at night - Diva decided to prove me wrong!)
So why might they be doing this, and what can I do about it? Or should I not worry, seeing as how they do have the choice of both hay and grass!
(Yes, it shouldn't have been stored in the field, I know, but these are the big bales and it was sort of assumed a nightblind horse wouldn't be able to open 2 securely tied tarps at night - Diva decided to prove me wrong!)