midgey
Olympic Poster
Posts: 571
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Post by midgey on Jan 7, 2013 20:15:47 GMT 1
My 14. 1 cob is in a 1.6 ,acre field not much grass but enougth to keep her fat, on 2 handfuls of happy hoof and half a section of hay a day. I ride her twice a week she is fit and well. Wormed and egg counts done regularly. I had been shutting her in a corall with a stable over night , giving her a section of hay in a small whole net. She started to chew the new post and rail around the corall.
She does not crib bite or windsuck. I presumed she was getting hungary . So stopped shutting her in.
I have to watch her weight ,but I would like to save the field as well, by shutting her in at night.
Do you thing she needs a mineral lick ,if so have you any suggestions.
She will also chew the fence posts when on one acre in the spring , she will look well covered and the field looks like a bowling green.
Any Suggestions?
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Post by nich on Jan 7, 2013 20:22:07 GMT 1
She is missing something from her diet. Ideally get your forage analysed, or just get a feed balancer. Years ago one of mine started licking the concrete floor of our barn, I was recommended Kossolian blood salts (sp) which did the trick inside a week.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2013 21:50:29 GMT 1
I'd try giving her a balancer. It's been shown horses don't take anything like enough from mineral licks unless they're loaded with molasses. We had a pony at our yard who ran out of vitamin and mineral supplement and she started licking the soil all the time, her owner put her on a vitamin and mineral supplement and she stopped completely  |
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Post by horsefeed on Jan 7, 2013 23:58:04 GMT 1
My fatties do this when they run out of hay, I now feed adlib straw and have cut there hay rations down slightly and it has stopped maybe she is lacking forage or just bored being in.
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Post by specialized on Jan 8, 2013 9:41:42 GMT 1
She is just doing what nature tells her to do, if she has no fodder she will browse on whatever is available. I doubt if there is any deficiency she just needs a trickle feed of straw or soaked hay.
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Post by specialsparkle3 on Jan 8, 2013 10:02:46 GMT 1
 Buy a field size "Rocky" mineral lick and hang it on the fence. Apart from relieving the boredom, most horses lack certain vits and mins in their diet especially in the Winter. Chewing wood or licking earth, is a typical symptom. Fencing wood is often treated with copper and horses seem to love it. Giving him a lick will give him something to do and be good for him at the same time. ps I would also say that IMHO she is not getting enough forage which could be bad for her digestion.
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Post by clara81 on Jan 8, 2013 10:20:25 GMT 1
She's just eating wood which is a natural part of wild horses diet. She needs more forage is all. You could up her hay but soak it or bulk it out with straw. You mention the field looks like a bowling green which could be part of the problem - she needs more variety in her diet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2013 11:31:37 GMT 1
Actually I admit I hadn't read your post properly yesterday. If she's only chewing the fence when shut in with no grass and only a small slice of hay I agree she's not getting enough forage. You don't say if you soak her hay, but soaking it all day will mean she can have more of it or adding straw will add more roughage without too many more calories.
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Buy a field size "Rocky" mineral lick and hang it on the fence. Apart from relieving the boredom, most horses lack certain vits and mins in their diet especially in the Winter. Chewing wood or licking earth, is a typical symptom.
