Soaking food

[Benatus]

Hi all...I've moved Albert to a smaller facility right next door to my old one. The great thing is the price, the run, the turnout, and the access to the arena at my old place for $150 less per month - oh and better hay!!! Pinch me.

Downside, they don't use much hot water to soak.

I like to soak the food for Albert b/c he's got the EOTRH, and I think it's better for his gut to have it soaked, especially in the winter.

I'm there every 2-3 days, during the week, but wondering what other solutions I could use?

I've been thinking of buying a few double walled bottles at Alibaba and keeping them there in rotation for the girl and the owner to add to the food before they add cold. (I think a 40 ouncer would do nicely)

With the cold I've noticed that the food isn't really soaked, it's just cold and wet. Albert's been enjoying it, but sometimes he doesn't finish.

Am I being too picky?

Thanks all!

[piedmontfields]

It depends. I have been in a few barns where they soaked with cold water, but they also gave it a lot of time to soak, so the feed wasn't terribly cold at feeding time. If it is pelleted (not extruded) feed, I do prefer to soak for everyone.

[Abby Kogler]

No, I dont think you are being too picky. I think wet food is important for them especially in the winter. My guys here at home get their low carb "grain" and supplements very wet. Sloppy wet. And then I rinse the bucket and slop that in there too. They lap it all up. If there is any way you could figure out a way to make it easy for them to do it the way you prefer, I would try hard to do it.

[PhoenixRising]

Is it a matter of them not having hot water available, or of not wanting to go out of their way to do it? My first thought was what about a portable kettle?

[heddylamar]

You are not being too picky.

Show them what you’d like Albert to be fed, then ask how you can help them accomplish that. Offer the bottled hot water ... or is there an instant hot water heater? And give them a time frame for soaking.

Maia chokes, so we soak her grain all the time, no exception. In the winter, my BO brings a thermos of hot tap water from the house, in the summer, we just use tap water.

[Benatus]

Thanks all. Good ideas. B/o is very amenable. Kid at night does not have access to hot water.

I will update, soon!!

[Quelah]

I soak with cold water (beet pulp pellets) but I add the water the night before for morning feed. Would that work? I'm in California though, so me doing that isn't going to result in a frozen solid bucket the way it might some places.