OT
Been meaning to ask you if you agree with this feeding schedule?
http://www.lagunakoi.com/Feeding-Koi-Koi-Information-sc-23.html
My babies love the Cheerios® for breakfast.
Cheerios, LOL! Never thought of that....nor hand feeding, but I always stood around while they were dining.
Don’t think I can be of much help on this, but FWIW:
My koi only liked Tetra Pond Floating Koi (and/or Vibrance) Sticks....period. Back of box has a feeding/winterizing schedule. I tried the flakes one year (no go). IIRC, they had a different nutritional composition. Even tried Tetra sticks with a different nutritional composition. No go.
I started to wing it. As the cold weather approached, I started feeding them less and observed how fast they ate the food. When I shut off the waterfall and winterized the pond, I continued to watch their behavior, their sluggishness as they became more dormant and how they responded to food.
I never took the water temp. One advantage that I had that you may not have is that my pond freezes solid every year & stays solid throughout the winter. Don’t know winters in northern VA, but they may fluctuate more wildly than more northern climes.
I bought my koi from a well-respected local nursery, where I also bought most of my trees, shrubs, flowers, etc, etc. I quickly learned who was the most educated to answer my questions on what issues. Usually the managers (but not always) of their respective divisions.
If I were living in northern VA, I would do the same to start off with-—even more than expert advice from the net. Local nurseries like happy regular customers and usually offer excellent advice.