Someone is nicking my feed.

Haphazardhacker

Haphazardhacker

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Im at a DIY yard and someone casually mentioned the other day that this other lady on the yard helped herself to another persons feed the other day. Saying "ah she owes me 6 scoops". Anyway just wanting to check none of mine was going as I certainly have never borrowed any feed from anyone else, so don't "owe" any.

So I placed my scoop in a very specific way in my feed bag and took a photo yesterday morning. I had filled the scoop up and left it on top of the bag. This morning the scoop is empty and upside down in the bag.

Now I am quite a shy person and don't want to cause a scene, but wasnt sure what to do.

Do I

A. Mention it to the yard gossip and hope news filters down and it stops

b. Go passive aggressive and put an honesty box for donations for my feed.

C. put a sign in my feed saying "hands off!"

D. Put a lock on my freezer which houses my feed.

It just makes me feel uncomfortable about what else may go missing.
 
I had this problem a few years ago. I did the sign inside bin. Didn't work for long and ended up locking bins

So annoyinh
 
Leave a note in there along the lines of:
I KNOW you have taken my feed, so please stop.
Inspect daily & if any more goes, then lock the freezer.

Or just lock it up now. I hate anyone going through my stuff with a vengance, so would want to try to pile the guilt on 1st ;)
 
I've had this happen to me more than once, I can't understand why on earth anyone would think that we don't notice (or why they'd do it in the first place)!!
I put a note in my bin saying "I have counted every single one of these Fibre Cubes so I WILL know if there are any missing..." This did stop it as I think once the person knows you are aware they tend to think twice. However, I am rather scary when I yell so perhaps they were just frightened of me!! :D
I think if I were you I'd just lock your freezer!!
 
Would lock the freezer as it both makes them aware you have noticed feed is going missing and prevents further nicking.
 
Fen mkIV trap in the bag. You will know who the thief is - or coat your scoop handle in cooking oil & purple spray.
 
Put a lock of the freezer. Report to yard owner. And if you really wanted to set the cat amongst the pigeons, you could perhaps leave a note in the feed room/on your freezer about why it is now locked and that it has been reported to YO to send a very obvious, but indirect message to the culprit.... Although that may of course cause some friction (as would potentially getting dragged into yard gossip) and so it depends on how well you would cope with that. Either way, without permission, I would be livid... my money, my feed, my stuff!
 
Had this happen on an otherwise lovely yard a few years ago, not just feed but hay and even small items of tack. Locked everything. Even put hay in metal bins with padlock and chain. Very irritating when in a hurry but money saving .
 
OMG!!! I am flabbergasted that this seems to go on so much!? In 20 years of running our yard, I know for certain this has NEVER happened, and if I have anything to do with it, it never damn well will! Outrageous! Tell your YO they are the ones that should be dealing with thieves, just because it's a bit of food, it's still breaking the law, so if YO won't do anything get the police involved, or maybe the threat of doing so will be enough. I know you said you are shy OP, but I'm afraid you are going to have to bite the bullet here and stop this disgraceful carry on! Goodness me!
 
When i say im shy i im not aftaid to rock the boat a bit,
i just dont look forward to creating friction and causing an atmosphere and elephant in the room type environment.
Sadly no yard owner as such, she lives away and doesnt get involved.
 
I think if I were on a big yard I would automatically lock everything up. Just there are only a handful of us at this yard so didnt think it necessary.
By all means if someone has run out of feed and needs a scoop of it until they get to the feed merchants then thats fine if they ask. (Everyone elses horses are on far posher feeds than mine, so baffled why someone is nicking it)

What really annoys me is that they think I wont notice and also while I have nothing to hide from anyone - someone has gone in my freezer, my only sort of private space where I keep two bags of feed and a lot of my bits and bobs - exercise sheets, first aid kit, supplements , fibre blocks and other assorted miscellany.
 
Lock the freezer for ease of confrontation, but in my mind I'd be setting mouse traps, and spraying thief paint on the handle of the scoop (get another for your use!) Hate 'help-me-selfs'.
 
Put a padlock on noticed a while ago when old yo was there my supplements seemed to be going down rather quickly suspected but couldn't prove it was one of two people final straw was when i came up and half my Global Vite had gone. Lockable box and padlock sourced from lidl. Funnily since the two people I suspected have left yard no thefts!
 
Padlock EVERYTHING. At a livery yard we used to be on, in the tack room I had an old wardrobe, a chest and the rack for my saddle and bridle. I locked everything including my freezer in the feed shed. Best thing to do!
 
A friend of mine had this problem on a yard we both used to be on. The culprit was the YO.........so a note saying 'stop STEALING my feed' was put in feed bins but she didn't stop. Was a yard with a mix of DIY and full livery and the YO was stealing to feed the full liveries. No way will 2 horses get through a bag of Alpha A in 3 days. They were only getting a scoop each. Funny thing is my friend got given notice to leave a few days after the note was put in her feed bins.
 
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