Do not feed yet

Ponds have warmed up enough for our koi to become a little active. The koi appear to beg for some food.

Do not feed yet

Even though ponds have been at temperature generally high enough to start feeding slowly, doing so during a warm spell can be very detrimental to the koi, and the pond. First of all, it takes as much as two weeks with temperatures in the fifties before koi will generate enough digestive enzymes to assimilate a meal. Consequently, feeding too early causes the food to go through the koi mostly undigested and the koi actually spends more energy in the digestive process that it extracts from the food: a negative energy net result.

Second, the filter system is not ready to process undigested food, resulting in nutrients availability in the pond water for the growth of undesirable bacteria. The bacteria, mostly pathogens, multiply and look for more food: probably the weakened koi.

Do not feed anything until the pond water has been consistently above 50°F in early morning for ten to fifteen days (some high-end hobbyists do not feed before the water temperature is above 55°F). Then, feed half of what you would normally do and only twice a week, then three times a week, then four times a week, then every day. After the water temperature reaches 60°F, increase feeding very slowly, giving time to the filter to pick up and start a new season.