weighing your hay?

[kdtexas]

I'm going to start weighing my grass hay so I can more closely monitor the amount Liberty is getting. I want to give her 1-1.5% of her body weight in grass hay, right?

I don't have scales; so do I need to purchase some or is there another way. I know sometimes when I move a bale of coastal bemuda around one bale will be heavier than another one so I know I can't just assume a flake will weight a certain amount all the time.

My Liberty (2yr old, 30-31") is really too fat; not obese but is getting higher on the body condition chart and I don't want any health issues. I cannot feel her ribs and she has some fatty pockets; vet has seen her and also says she needs to stop gaining weight. I'm also going to gradually remove her Strategy pelleted feed, start her on Born To Win, about 4 oz a day, her hay and then she will graze with a grazing muzzle on. I've gone over this plan with my vet and she is in agreement for me to try this before we do think about a thyroid test (a one time thyroid test is not diagnostic in her words).

So my question is how do ya'll weigh the hay? If I need to purchase a scale what type? Is lit like you see in farmers market to weigh you vegetables?

 

[shane]

WELL WHAT I USED TO USE IS A HOOK TYPE WEIGHING THINGY! :bgrin THAT FISHERMEN WOULD USE TO WEIGH A FISH, ITS VERY SMALL WITH A HOOK AT THE END,AND I WOULD PUT MY HAY IN THE HAY BAG,AND PUT THE HAYBAG AROUND THE HOOK, LIFT IT UP AND IT WOULD WEIGHT IT

: I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT,

:

 

[minimule]

I use a digital scale I bought on eBay. It has a remote display so it is easy to see. I zero the scale out with the hay bucket on it then add the amount of hay I want. No 2 bales weigh the same. You'll be amazed at how much difference you will see.

I used to use a baby scale that I found on ebay but the digital is more precise.

The baby scales can usually weigh up to 30 pounds, not like you'd be feeding that much. BUT I'm feeding a QH too so needed something to go higher than 5#. The new scale I got is great! It will weigh up to 300# so technically......I could figure out a weigh to use it to weigh most of my horses. I think I got it for about $45 total.

I do have a postal scale that weighs up to 10# but it is hard to read it when there is something sitting on it.

 

[Becky]

I use a little scale that I bought at Wal Mart. It weighs up to a pound.

 

[SandyWI]

I bought a little digital scale, but for the life of me I can't remember where! The scale itself is only about 6" by 6", but it weighs several pounds. I'm not sure how many pounds, but I know it goes at least up to four, because one time I had that much hay on it. It probably goes much higher, which wouldn't be needed. I believe. However, the weighing tray it came with was too small for hay, so I bought a larger tupperware container, and put it on the scale and zero it out and then weigh. It weighs to the 1/16 of an OUNCE, which is fabulous!

I think this was supposed to be a kitchen scale of some sort.

 

[Marty]

I used to put it in a pillow case and then put it on my postage scale.

I quit doing it. I had all the same good intentions that you did but my intentions backfired. Sometimes weighing things out for me isn't as good as eyeballing so I gave it up.

I also went the muzzle grazing route. Lasted about 5 minutes or less. Couldn't go through with it. It was just too pitiful. I know people do it for a number of reasons for the horse's health, but I had to find a better way for us and our situation. Took a while but finally came up with a program that works for us. Be very careful too with that muzzle in the heat. Good luck with everything you are trying to accomplish.

 

[appypintolady]

I bought an old meat scale on e-bay that you can calibrate. It works great for weighing the hay etc.

 

[kdtexas]

thank you all for the great suggestions. [SIZE=14pt][/SIZE]

And Marty, you are sooooo right about the grazing muzzle being so pitiful. Spouse had to cut the hole bigger for her to get anything; and it's just too sad to see her trying to get something; she would go up to the vines on trees and lower little sucker limbs and try to get them and she would rub to try to get it off. So I'm probably not going to use it afterall. That was today and I would just be afraid that she would get it hung up on something trying to get it off or even get her front hoove somehow caught in it trying to get it off; it's suppose to be for a mini but it's so wide around her muzzle area I can put about 1/2 a fist in the space. So I think it's just trouble waiting to happen if I use it like it is.

I will just have to cut her grazing down to maybe 1/2 hour in am and pm; Perhaps by cutting the strategy feed out completely over the next few days(gradually, I know) and giving good nutritional supplements (purina born to win) and try and exercise her some when it's not 95 degrees at 7pm, will get some of the fat off her.

Again thank you all for your great ideas on scales to weigh the hay. My minis are my pets, not showing or breeding.

 

[Marty]

I was overwhelmed with a couple of obeses horses too and paniced over it.

A stallion I used to have itched and fought with that muzzle till he darn near tore his face off in a fence. I didn't want to carry on about the muzzle thing and start a big hoo haw but I really think they can do some respiratory damage. I used one just for a few minutes on a mare and when I removed it, my horse's muzzle was just soaking wet and her nostrils were flarring something awful. I really hated myself for that and said never ever again and I had to find another way to loose some fat. I threw the dang things out in the trash where they belonged. In the heat, I wouldn't even consider it for a second.

Mine are all out grazing again happily in the am now for about 6 hours. They come in about 1:00 or 2:00 before the heat and flies kick in and have access to dry lot too. I believe that sugar rises in the grass in the afternoon which puts on the beef and since I've been bringing mine in off the grass at those times, they have all lost weight in the gut. You might want to just try that.

 

[Miniv]

We use a kitchen scale. I get them at yard sales. They eventually die after a year or two in the barn, so I always keep a back-up. :bgrin

I calibrate the scale with a Rubbermaid dishtub on it. Then lay the flake on the dishtub.

MA

 

[shminifancier]

I have done it in the past and now for years I don't need to I can "Feel the amount" in my hands. so no need to go through that step anymore. After many years a person can know the wt. just by holding it in ones hands. And if not use ones eyes. if getting too fat and a hay belly cut back if looking like not enough add more. :bgrin