Hay box first try

My son says this is the first and last box he will make!  It did take longer than expected.  Its 2x3x15"h.  We made it out of the recycled plastic/wood composite decking material because have been known to chew wood.  I attached the hay bag in the center as I did on the mats.

There is a local guy who makes horse hay boxes and he is going to down size one for the donkeys.  Pics when I get it.

Check it out

CHECK IT OUT!

So after arriving home last Wednesday and sitting in the pasture thinking what can I do to keep the little boys grazing all day and night on hay and not alfalfa-dirt sand at the fence lines I came up with this.

Above pic you are looking from the big pasture into the middle pasture.  Before today Carb and the donkeys had access to both.  At night I close that gate to the left. 

So I decided that the plan was to keep Carb in the middle and let the little boys come and go in both.  So a 20' pvc pipe and some brackets went up.  This above pic their first approach to the barrier bar. 

Badger was the adventurer and went under first.  Being shorter than Pistol and Pedro helped! 

Now Pedro is still reluctant to go under, even days later.  I wish I had the video on the phone on because Pistol, even though he could have walked under, got on his knees and did the limbo.  I was laughing so hard I spooked Badger.

 So here are the mats, 4 of them.

 I drilled a hole in the center, put an eye bolt with big washers on either side and then a heavy duty carabiner.

 Then hook the carabiner to the middle of side of the hay bay.

I left this one bag out for a day or two so they could get used to it.  When I went out to feed last night I found it off the mat and.......

Since Emma wasn't letting Ramsey near the hay bags I sent a while back DD graciously sent them back for the boys to use.

 As a note Carb was appearing to have a problem seeing the bar so I painted it for him.

 So this morning was our first meal.  Each bag has 3 pounds of timothy hay.  This is Pistol.

 Badger

Pedro

We will have to see how much hay they go through>  I would like to leave out 24/7 and hear they will soon realize the bags will always have hay and not snarf it all up.

Frustrating Day

Badger had his 3 weeks recheck visit today.  They scoped him and xrayed him.

Good News is that the ulcers are gone, no more ranitidine 3 times a day!

Bad news is he has sand accumulation again.  And he has been on 8 cups of psyllium a day!  Granted he probably only ingests about 5 of those 8 cups. But still thats a lot of psyllium.

here is pic of discharge day xray, you can see just wispy amounts of sand at bottom

here is pic of todays xray and you can see all the pockets of sand

So I am at loss as to what to do.  Well there are options none of them good.  

1. he could live in a stall for the rest of life-not happening

2. Grazing Muzzle, which I already own.  got home and put on him.  he stood hovering over his water trough trying to figure out how to take a drink.  He tried to lick his Himalayan salt block (he loves his salt block).

I finally took it off.

3. grazing muzzle for Carb the horse so he can't eat their hay (remember Carb has no teeth and eats soaked hay pellets, he could choke eating hay).

After walking around the pasture for an hour measuring and thinking I may have an idea.  The boys have access to 2 pastures: the smaller middle pasture where their run-in shed is located and a bigger pasture that has no shade or shelter.  there is a gate separating the two pastures and I lock them all in the smaller one at night so they are not right up at the road.  If I give in and let the little boys out there 24-7 I could leave gate open but put up a single horizontal bar at fence top line height so Carb is blocked but the little boys can go underneath.  Then I can put 4-5 mats out there with hay nets attached so they can 'graze'.  Carb will be p#!@#d off but then no one has to wear a muzzle.  

So tell me what ya'll think or if y ou have other ideas I am all ears!!!

ANOTHER DONKEY ROPING EVENT

I STARTED A PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG

LAST YEAR THE 2 PETITIONS TO STOP DONKEY ROPING EVENTS IN VAN HORN AND EDEN TEXAS WERE SUCCESSFUL.  PLEASE HELP IN STOPPING THIS EVENT.

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/casey-round-promoter-of-bad-brads-wild-ass-pasture-roping-stop-donkey-roping-event-in-welch-oklahoma-2