I don't know if some of you might remember when I locked Chrome up because he was eating maple leaves, but he wouldn't drink our well water from the tank so I was having to take him out to drink from the pond multiple times a day. Well when Rocky was in the round pen getting acclimated to the boys he happily drank from the tank. After we let him out to join the herd I assumed he would start drinking from the pond. He did for a while (I saw him), but as summer has worn on and the water in the pond has gotten low and muddy I noticed all of a sudden that the 100 gallon water tank was almost empty!!
So we filled the tank and have been topping it off every few days because they are drinking so much. I assumed it was still just Rocky drinking out of it, but today I saw Zep and Chrome drink out of it too!!! Yay! I'm so happy they are all drinking the clean (well mostly clean) well water and staying hydrated.
A few weeks ago I hung Chrome's Himalayan Rock Salt by the water tank because I haven't been riding so it hasn't been getting used (it was hanging by the post I tie him to when I tack up). Now there is salt on both sides of the water tank! I'm sure that helps encourage them to drink. :D I'm adding loose salt to their feed too.
Anyway check out the video of Chrome licking both salt blocks and drinking from the water tank!
It's so cute how he wets his mouth and then licks the salt. Goofball!
Now enjoy some more random photos and video.
Chrome is still itchy... at least he's flexible??
Here is a video of hubby scratching Chrome with a... well just watch and see.
When hubby is in the pasture Chrome actually seeks him out and positions his shoulder in arm's reach hoping he will scratch. I don't know why hubby picked up a stick one day (probably because his fingers were numb from scratching), but Chrome loves it.
The below pictures are why I said the water tank is mostly clean...
I found a frog!!
I was going to empty the tank and clean it out like I normally do, but I saw this frog and a bunch of tadpoles so I couldn't do it. I hate killing tadpoles!! When I was a kid I used to fish them out with a bucket and take them to the pond. So I'll let them grow up and then clean it again. :)
LOVE his white eyelashes!
White goat was being photogenic!!
Well that's all for today. I hope everyone is still doing well.
I would think that the frog would help keep mosquito larvae & algae down & make the tank healthier? I remember my Grampa used to keep a couple of trout in the biggest tank that was always cold, but I'm not sure if maybe he just kept them there for a fish dinner handy. We had an artesian well in the south pasture that always had frogs & tadpoles - it always seemed clean (we swam in it) & the cattle & horses all drank from it quite happily even though there was a trough not too far away if they cared to walk.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had a problem with the goats being aggressive with the horses? Or vice versa?
That last question made me laugh out loud!! Yes, Chrome was very aggressive to the goats when they first arrived, but I think it was more playful than aggressive. He tried to kill them and actually injured the brown goat twice. They eventually sorted it out and now completely ignore each other.
DeleteI haven't noticed any mosquito larvae or algae in the water tank so you might be on the right track! I never really thought of that. I just really like frogs so I hate to kill tadpoles. So far they are doing fine. I just fish the big stuff like sticks and leaves out of the tank and leave them alone. :)