when do you normally feed your animals

[vicki2x2]

I feed and water both mornings and evenings. When it is really hot, I also go out in the afternoon and give them cold water.

Some have food 24/7, others are on a limited diet, so must be monitered more carefully. I have one mini donkey that came to me quite a bit overweight and we were doing ok, but now his weight is creeping up, so I must cut him back more. Poor guy, he just loves his food! Ironically, the other two, who eat the same, look great!

 

[dangerouschicken]

My birds always have food and water, but I feed them table scraps twice a day... after lunch and after dinner. That gives me time to top off waterers and refill more Layena, etc too. I also like checking them later in the day, rather than in the morning, to see how the heat or rain may be affecting them. There are usually no eggs until after lunch anyway. They always lay later rather than earlier.

 

[patandchickens]

Chickens have their feeders full 24/7; if they get weeds and garden odds and ends it's in the afternoon, or kitchen scraps after dinner, if they are lucky

The 4 housecats get fed at 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (before dh goes to work, and after we eat dinner). Not only would some of them get fat if food was left out, some have to eat special foods so cat mealtime involves separate rooms and a certain amount of policing

Horses graze 24/7 (or in the case of the fat white pony, 25/7) during the growing season. When there's no pasture, they get a little tiny bit of grain in late afternoon with a supplement in it (just the TBs, not the f.w.p.), and they get hay tossed to them 1-5 times per day depending on the weather. Always last thing at night, usually also first thing in morning and in late afternoon. (That way there's lots less waste, and less overconsumption by fat white pony, than if they had it perpetually available).

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

automatic waterers on most livestock
others watered 2 times per day, morning and night check.

goats fed every 2-3 days in summer, winter everyday with hay

same with cattle

chickens feed/water checked 2 times per day....monster-size feeders and water

dogs fed 1 time per day at evening--always have water
cat food out most of the time--they drink from waterers

sadly my BEST horse passed about 8 mos ago from twisted gut.....I miss her terrible but will get 2 new horses when daughter is older and will learn to ride. So this horse crazy gal is horseless right now....but all my horses were fed 1 time per day, 24/7 grazing and winter was hay

 

[glowworm]

Dogs and Cats should have measured meals, set out twice a day. Most will get fat from "free choice". FRESH WATER 24/7.

All BIRDS, including chickens, should have FOOD and WATER available 24/7. Their metabolisms are very fast and they need to eat frequently.

THe bag that comes with your dog/cat food will tell you how much to feed for the desired weight. (ie. if you have a dog that is overweight at 60 lbs, and it should be 50 lbs, give the dog the amount of food for a 50 lb dog)

The parakeet should have a pellet diet, not seed. Seeds are for treats (like scratch for chickens) and the pellets should be the main food. Google how to switch foods if you need to.

 

[Akane]

Of course you feed the animals before yourself. On a farm the animals are your food and if you don't make sure they are taken care of you starve... or these days end up spending more money on buying food so you can't spend it on other things. Only city people who have never had many pets eat breakfast and supper before their animals.

Wake up, walk through the house checking water bottles, dishes, and filling up everyone's food. Take the guinea pigs to their outdoor pen, make sure all the outdoor animals are in their pastures and have water and hay if they need it. Eat breakfast. Afternoon catch a horse, ride out to the fences, check the rest of the herd, if it's really hot or freezing double check all waterers and that noone is suffering heat storke, bring the guinea pigs in if they look too hot. Eat lunch. Run back to work where I mostly get to sit around on forums while waiting for various computer stuff to complete. Evening repeat the morning but in reverse. Check all the outdoor animals, lock up those that need to be, bring the guinea pigs in if they are still out, fill all the water and food dishes of the indoor pets. Hopefully eat supper before my martial arts class but sometimes supper is at 11pm. Yesterday supper was a poptart on the way to class.

My dogs and cats get measured feedings morning and evening but never finish it in one meal. I have issues just keeping weight on my dog even with very dense foods so she usually has more food in her bowl than she will eat that day.

 

[annaserv]

The animals always eat before the people. Use to Dairy farm and we would spend quite a few hours in the barn before we got to have breakfast. They don't eat, we don't eat.

Food is available at all times to everyone except our glutton of a dog and refreshened in the morning and if needed thoughout the day.

One other exception is our beef cattle in the summer. They fend for themselves in the pastures (might have to open a gate to a new pasture area from time to time). It sure seems so strange having low maintence cattle (in the summer months)

 

[cmom]

Mine have access 24/7 to their food and water. Even the old dog.