Spring feeding??

It's St. Patrick's Day and the temps are to reach the high 50's!! (Suppose to get 3-6 inches of new snow on Saturday) but we're not going to talk about it. The weathermen never know anyhow. My outside pond temps are finally 50 also. The fish are already much more active. The single dead fish still has me gun shy, so I've been adding Medzyme to my ponds. Medzyme is like Koizyme which is just a bacterial additive that is suppose to compete with aeromonas and pseudomonas (the bad bacteria that make our koi sick)I've also began adding a little salt. Salt is very controversial, but after all I've read and learned, I make the choice to add salt to my ponds in early Spring and in Fall. Removing all of it during the Summer and Winter months through water change outs. I only have it in there during the months when water temps are flip flopping back and forth. Like today, temps are in the 50's, but by Saturday they are suppose to be back below freezing (thus the snow) so I expect the water temps will fall again also. These changes are really hard on already compromised fish immune systems. Costia is also a cold water parasite that can wipe out a fish pond in early Spring. Salt helps to keep all parasites at bay. It also helps reduce algae. So, I add salt. Over a period of a few days, I bring the salt levels up to a therapeutic .3%. Again, this is basically only for the months of March/April. We continue to do water changes. I've had several club members call to report winter koi kill. This is always so sad. My heart goes out to them.
Harry said he took down the plastic fence we erected at the mouth of the stream (to keep the fish out of the shallow area during the winter) He called to say before he could walk to the other end of the stream, the koi had all dashed up the stream to beat him. They do enjoy the stream for some reason. It was like they were all just waiting for him to open the gate. The filters in the pump house are almost thawed. We will still empty the ponds and completely clean them before we turn all the filters and pumps back on. Hopefully only a couple of weeks away before we do that.
Heard one of the members at the pond meeting last night mention he was already feeding his koi Cheerios. I kind of cringed. It's still pretty early for that. If you can't resist feeding, at least feed early in the day, so they have time to get it digested before the cooler night sets in. Also, watch the weather. If a cold front is moving in, then refrain from feeding. A cold front can shut the koi back down again, and we don't want that food sitting in their guts undigested. So, if you must feed, use a Spring/Fall blend (wheat based) food. Also, remember, just because your koi are anxious to eat, your filter's bacteria is not up to par, so you may be creating ammonia and nitrite spikes. Once you begin feeding, the koi will begin to produce waste and the pond's ecosystem is not ready to handle it yet. Start doing your water testing.