Snow & feeding quantities dilemma

pottamus

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Hi, we and a lot of other people are forecast a fair amount of snow over the next few days. Now normally (in winter) this would be no problem for me as I strip graze my lad each day and there is enough for him to eat under the snow.
However, he has been on a very bald area of land for the last 2 weeks to limit his grazing for weight and laminitis prevention reasons. When this is covered by snow there will be nothing for him to even nibble at so I will have to feed him hay.
However...he gets pretty cross and frustrated if he cannot trickle graze and when I put hay out he will just stand and eat it until it is gone! (Greedy Welshie).
I dont want him to stand around for hours with nothing to eat, but don't want to feed loads or he will just risk putting weight on again or laminitis.
If I give him a measured amount of hay to eat say 3 times in the day - how long do you think it will be okay to leave him in between in terms of hours without having anything to eat?
I was thinking of giving him some when he is turned out at 6am, some at 10am, some at 2pm and then he will be brought in for the night at 6pm. These hay amounts will not last him long to eat either...perhaps half an hour at best in a trickle net?
Thanks in advance!
 

L&M

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When we had shetlands we had the same dilemma as they always had to be kept in 'bare' paddocks, and daren't ad-lib.

In the snow we fed them their hay 4 times a day - with a bucket of lo cal chaff at the first and last 'haying' as an extra. They seemed quite happy once they had finished their hay and would potter around trying to find grass, and soon realised that more would come later.

We were lucky as had them at home.

Lets hope this is the last bout of snow as have had enough of this winter.......
 

JillA

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Could you get hold of some nice clean barley or oat straw? If you use half and half straw and hay in the nets, that will slow him down, while he picks the hay out from between the straw. If he eats the straw it will fill him up but not make him fat, if he doesn't you can use it in the next net too!
 

maisie06

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I put a 50/50 mix of coarse hay and good quality oat or barley straw out for them to have free access while there is snow on the ground.
 

Equimo

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I can sympathise with this situation. I hate leaving them with nothing to nibble, it's not natural. If I were you, I would give a good amount in the Trickle Net (maybe half hay half straw) and hang it so it's suspended from a branch or beam so it swings freely. That should keep him occupied even longer, and then I think you'd be fine to give him a T net first thing, and perhaps again at lunch if he's clever and has emptied it. Then he should be good until it's time to come in. He's had forage through his gut most of the day without any long hungry spells :)

Please.......... if there is a God............. let it be spring soon :(
I don't like Narnia anymore.
 
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