Levi Update Continued.... almost ready to come home...

[CrazyWestTexasFarmGirl]

ok I posted the levi update the other day:

http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=125339&st=0&p=1400144&fromsearch=1entry1400144

The breeder asked us if we are ready for him. He is a bit over 4 months and will be just at 5 by the time he comes home I think. Breeder is ok with keeping him there if we want to, we are figuring out if we are taking his half brother or not... weighing the money really with hay prices and scarcity.

SO, now I am getting nervous.... trying to get it all down on paper of what needs to be.

-Fence is done, gate going up this weekend.

-There is shelter.

-We have a decent amount of hay stored.. at least enough for the winter.

-I have two bags of Purina Mini Horse and Pony feed on hand.

On the previous thread it was noted yall thought he needed worming.(I am pretty sure he hasnt been wormed, breeder has had health problems and other issues affecting things so I am going to get with him this weekend and offer to do the babies for him(since it looks like TWO may be coming home with me anyways of the 3)

Now to the Questions:

-WHAT KIND of wormer would be best to start them off if they havent been wormed before?

-Water/stock tank... is taller better? Hubby wants shorter and doesnt want to use the tall one we have... shorter would be easier for us to secure to keep my dumb chickens from drowning in as much (been there done that dumb birds)

-Feed bin... I have big black rubber style bucket thing, is that ok for pellet and hay? Should I seperate them out?

WHAT else am I forgetting???? *WORRY WORRY WORRY*

S

 

[MeganH]

I got excited seeing this. I too am waiting to bring home my Ricky. Working on the finishing touches this weekend. Waiting to see what others have to say about your questions! You sound like you are preparing very well!

Congratulations! My boy will be coming home in the next few weeks and I am so excited!

 

[wildoak]

Two horses are always better than one.

Sounds like you are ready... I use muck bucket size water tubs for smaller turnouts with just 2-3 horses, and have the big rubbermaid troughs for the pastures. They do fine with either as long as they are tall enough to reach in and drink. Good luck & enjoy your new horses!

Jan

 

[wingnut]

As far as what to use for water: We started with a 50 gallon "flat" trough. We also started using a 30 gallon muck bucket for use as a secondary water source when we separate one more more of them from where the main trough lived. We found that several of the horses *preferred* the muck bucket. The 50 gallon trough was a pain in that it needed dumped and cleaned almost daily in the summer because of algae growth. It was a lot of wasted water too.

So, late in June we opted to ditch the trough and use two muck buckets instead. All the horses have adapted to this much better. We are not wasting nearly as much. The odd thing is that they all prefer the red bucket over the dark green bucket. I think the darkness of the green bucket has something to do with it. Despite having a preference, they all do drink out of both.

When it gets cold, we will switch back to the trough in order to use the water heater.

 

[kaykay]

Congrats on your new mini!

I would give him a couple weeks to settle in and then deworm with safeguard first, then ivermectin the next month.

 

[Jill]

Oh, I bet most of us here can remember when we were in your shoes -- It's so exciting but I also remember I was nervous, too.

If you can swing it, it would be really great to have two, vs. one. Horses are such social animals.

As for deworming, I would recommend using Safeguard / Panacur and doing the double dose procedure. A single dose would do little, if any, good. What you do is if the foal weighs 75#, then you dose for 150# (double dose) 1x a day for 5 days. Then in 1 month, I would deworm with ivermectin.

Good luck and enjoy your new baby (or babies!!!)

 

[Jill]

Also, I agree about using a muck bucket for the water. They hold about 16 gallons and you can use a bungy cord to secure it to the fence, a post, or a tree to keep it from being tipped. You can get them at a feed store, but if you go to Walmart, they are about 1/4 the cost ($5 or so!).

This kind of feed pan works really well for the feed and it's good for horses to eat w/ their heads down (that's as nature intended). What I like about these is that most horses cannot tip them over and dump the food on the ground.

 

[wingnut]

Jill...your horses don't paw these feed dishes and flip them over? I have 2 that do everything possible to knock their feed out of whatever I put it in. We use hanging buckets now and it's not unusual to see one or both of these horses putting their heads under the bucket and repeatedly pushing up until they get it to dump or come off the hook completely.

 

[Jill]

Jill...your horses don't paw these feed dishes and flip them over? I have 2 that do everything possible to knock their feed out of whatever I put it in. We use hanging buckets now and it's not unusual to see one or both of these horses putting their heads under the bucket and repeatedly pushing up until they get it to dump or come off the hook completely.

No, they will paw them but not knock them over. They have knocked over the other types of feed pans I've tried. These are mineral block holders, but w/o the holes in the bottom. I think you could probably also use large non-tip dog food bowls, but would have to be careful that the material they're made of wouldn't become brittle in cold weather if where you live gets cold.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Two are far more fun and not much more $$ to take care of. And they will keep each other company....

I say go for it!

 

[midnight star stables]

Two are far more fun and not much more $$ to take care of. And they will keep each other company....

I say go for it!

I agree!