What causes this? I have noticed this with several of my easy keeping horses that they will chew on the fence posts (Not crib, actually bite the posts) and some will eat poop. They have a round bale so its not like they are starving so I’m guess this is some kind of mineral deficiency??? One group does gets a ration balancer the other gets 3 lbs of Tribute Kalm Ultra per day. Any ideas on how to prevent this? Both groups have an orchard grass round bale. Don’t have my hay tested because I go through so much, approx 200 round bales per year (so it come from lots of different fields)
We have been having a wet winter. Maybe the hay is tasting ‘off’ from the moisture and it is causing them to seek entertainment elsewhere?
This is normal, IME. Horses don’t strictly eat grasses…they also chew on bark and trees and other assorted weird stuff.
Tossing some branches into the field (horse safe woods!) makes them happy and can save your fencing.
My mare began eating other horses’ poop last summer and the vet said it is sometimes an early warning sign of hind gut issues. I put her on Omega Alpha Biotic 8, and she stopped almost instantly.
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My guy was literally starving (300 lbs underweight) when i bought him, and he would eat poop… He also would EAT his salt block, rather than licking it… As soon as I got him into a better situation with grass and appropriate feeding, he stopped and has not been seen to eat poop since. I do have him on a hind gut supplement and have since I bought him, and he’s not the world’s easiest keeper, though he’s fine if there’s plenty of grass.
I’ve noticed mine doing this before, as well. After I de-wromed her it would stop. I’m not sure if its a coincidence or not
Horses eat wood & poop not anything to worry about. Mine have hay 24/7 and still like to eat wood & poop. They also have loose salt out I’ve even seen them licking the dirt.
well, I’ll be the dissenting voice and say that chewing bark/wood is very different than coprophagia. Ask your vet what they think about it.
IME coprophagia means a deficit somewhere or ulcers/hind gut issues. I’ve seen boarder cases resolve with UG/GG, or an ulcer supplement.
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I seriously believe this is due to some type of gut upset and the horse is trying to self heal. By eating poop/wood they are seeking nature’s way to correct the problem. This of course, does not apply to starving/bored horses. Horses are designed to graze constantly while on the move with short periods of rest. Gut upset can be anything from mineral inbalance, parasites or digestive pain. I worry when I see any horse doing this…
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I also believe a vitamin deficiency on the wood chewing. Poop eating is not normal unless something is wrong. I have had many horses over the years and not one has eaten poop.
I have noticed that my very easy keeping Morgan will chew and ingest tree bark when his diet is too rich - ie too much good quality hay/grass/treats. Its as if he is craving empty roughage.
I have a new 3yo OTTB and he’s a helluva wood chewer! Barn siding. Trees. Posts. He appears to not be picky. It has slowed down since he’s getting plenty of groceries and not being worked, but I can still find fresh evidence of it regularly. I asked my vet and some horsey friends and all indicated it wasn’t worrisome unless it affected his behaviour (panicky if he can’t do it, eating a LOT, etc.). He’s a pretty happy guy so I think he’s just so excited to be in a pasture he’ll eat anything around him.
According to my equine studies text book from way back in the 90’s, horses, like other hind gut fermentors (rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.) will sometimes eat their poop. It’s called coprophagy. It helps them to regain some of the vitamins and minerals that weren’t absorbed the first time around.
“Horses practice coprophagy - the eating of feces. Young foals will eat the feces of mares they are housed with. Adult horses will eat their own feces or the feces of other horses, a practice that does them no harm.” Horses: A Guide to Selection Care and Enjoyment, Third Edition by J. Warren Evans.
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