yes, Coprophagia - the fancy term for poop eating.  My horse is doing it AGAIN!.  She is a 5 y.o. Appx QH and has a habit of this.  I had been giving her the red salt block - the one with other minerals besides salt, and for the cold months switched to the pure salt block (it doesn't crumble as much - she can actually ingest more).  As soon as I switched, I noticed the poop eating.  I was told previously this was due to lack of minerals, mostly salt.  I'm throwing this out to everyone - what have you done to combat this? (because lets face it - its gross! and promotes worms - EWW )

So, have you battled this?  What have you done?  Any idea of the causes?  Suggestions?!  Thanks!!!

I've seen all of my mares--and donkeys--nibble on poop occasionally. They get loose free choice salt and LMF's Super Supplement, so I know they're not missing any minerals. They do it b/c they're bored.  My horses are turned out daily in a several-acres-large dry lot: plenty of trees for shade and shelter, but no grass. They chew on the branches, and the twigs, and sometimes the poop when they want to do something. Yeah, it's gross to humans but not to horses, so just don't watch.

Like we discussed in your original post about this, it's a bad habit she's learned to take the place of grazing.  I think the only way to fix it is free choice hay if there's no grazing available to her.

I THOUGHT I asked about this but then I couldn't find the post... Gosh I am losing my mind already  /sigh

 

Thanks

FluffyD:

I THOUGHT I asked about this but then I couldn't find the post... Gosh I am losing my mind already  /sigh

 

Thanks

LOL well it has been a while since the last post!  Hey I'm doing good to remember yesterday's! 

But I really think the coprophagia just gets to be a bad habit once they get started more than something missing in their diet.  Since you know your horse is doing it, if it were me I would keep hay available at all times if possible.  If free choice is not possible then maybe breaking up her feedings into several a day would be another option.

Foals eat their mvelope the correct bacterian in the digestive system.  I wonder if a probiotic mightares manure to de help her..just  thought

 I'm with txspots on this one.  You have to think back to a horse's natural instincts and the way their bodies were designed. Horses in a natural enviroment graze constantly.  Their bodies are designed to digest food continually not just twice a day the way most of us feed.  Some horses adjust easily to the routine of eating in meals and others do not.  Depending on what type of hay you feed try a variation of the following:  here in Texas we feed Alfalfa Hay once in the morning and once at night and it is much to rich to allow our horses to free feed on it so we also throw a lunch of Coastal Hay (or round bale if you prefer) which has a much lower protein level for our horses to munch on through the afternoon if they get bored.  When we lived in California we did the same but with beardless wheat hay, or another variation of the same instead of coastal.  It isn't as tasty as the Alfalfa and so they normally won't gorge themselves on it but if they do get bored or need some extra fiber to digest they can happily munch away.  this also keeps ulcers away which can be very costly.  You also might try getting her a stall treat like a lick-it, uncle jimmy's, etc. if too much hay is making her fat.

In this particular case, I think the solution is simple, since you noticed she does it when the trace mineral block is gone, then she should have a trace mineral block available at all times.  Perhaps you can put the block somewhere the weather can't wear it away.

Spotted Pony