Hay for the holidays

By CHELSEA GRASSE
Posted 12/9/20

Winter greetings from all the animals at Breezy Acres mini-farm!

The animals are looking forward to the many things associated with the upcoming holidays—the different treats they receive, …

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Hay for the holidays

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Winter greetings from all the animals at Breezy Acres mini-farm!

The animals are looking forward to the many things associated with the upcoming holidays—the different treats they receive, some extra hay and dressing up for holiday cards. When making meals for holiday gatherings, I set aside vegetable skins and scraps in a bucket throughout the day to feed them to the crew: my donkey, Daisy; goats Blackie, Brownie, Francis, Bucky and Floyd; and 22 chickens.

Everyone gets so excited when they see the carrot skins, celery tops, cucumber bits and whatever other odds and ends made it into their food dishes. Along with giving the animals grain and hay daily for dinner, I buy whole corn from the local pet store to mix into the feed during the colder season. This can help to keep their bodies warm in the harsh winter cold, especially at night as heat begins generating in their bodies a few hours after they digest the grains. 

As fall ends and winter arrives, I start giving extra hay to Daisy and the goats throughout the day due to the lack of green fields to graze on. When the animals see a fresh bale of hay, they come running towards it. They are so thrilled, they eat the hay out of my arms before I can even put it into the hay rack. Daisy loves to take big shanks of hay in her mouth and shake it around in the air for everyone before she digs in further. 

The animals here are extremely photogenic, as you can see, and adore their pictures being taken, especially throughout the holidays. They get dressed up in various hats, scarves, bows and collars and will strut around in the field as I snap their photographs. The pictures make the perfect greeting cards to send to family and friends for the holidays.

vegetable scraps, animals, photos, holidays

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