I've know for a while that the dog has a preference for the commercial feed I give the horses. Any time I spill on the feed room floor, she's there to vacuum up the pellets. And when the horses drop feed while they eat, a common occurrence with my pair of special needs eaters, she's there to hoover-up the orts, sometimes getting herself covered in wet, slobbery crumbs in the process.
But now I find the black cat has developed a preference for the chicken feed. The last few days I've found her poking around the outdoor feeding pan. At first I thought it was exploratory sniffing. Now I've caught her actually eating the chicken feed.
I'm not depriving the dog and cat by any means. Yes, the dog is on restricted diet to help prevent weight-related issues for which her breed is known, and I really need to curb what she eats in the barn since I've discovered her random indoor flatulence is due to the soaked beet pulp she pilfers off the old horse. The cats are all on ad libitum cat chow supplemented by a healthy diet of chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits usually caught by the black kitty herself. "Q" is even the first one at the feed bowls when I dole out the twice-daily refill.
Not good that the resident familial carnivores have a preference for what the herbivores (horses) and omnivores (chickens), but they get enough of their own respective feeds to prevent any dietary deficits. But it would be nice if I could get away with feeding them what the others are getting, it would safe a lot on the feed bill.
Which reminds me, the horses are running low. I better add the feed store to today's list of errands.
No comments:
Post a Comment