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Post by rodeo51 on May 28, 2007 20:29:02 GMT -5
I was out to see Katey today and did some riding. After riding I gave her a bath, dried her off and I turned her back out to her pasture. A few moments later I found her pawing up the grass and taking big bites of dirt and eating it. She did this twice while I was watching. I haven't ever seen this behavior before. Is it something I should be concerned about?
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Post by shelberttk2 on May 29, 2007 1:22:05 GMT -5
She may be lacking something in her diet, is she on free choice minerals with her salt??? I would try that if she isn't!
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Post by mkgbuegel on May 29, 2007 10:35:11 GMT -5
Thats what I was thinking too.
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Post by lauras on May 30, 2007 11:34:52 GMT -5
Platinum just arrived at my place and is eating the dirt...
I use a salt block and add NW minerals to the food. Do you think that that will work?
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Post by beckybee on May 30, 2007 11:45:37 GMT -5
Moved Web and Manny to new pasture - Web is pawing up hard clay and crunching that in addition to crunching bites of salt block!
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Post by agilitygal on May 30, 2007 11:55:39 GMT -5
I just read about dogs eating dirt. They say they are seeking iron and calcium.
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Post by mkgbuegel on May 30, 2007 12:48:09 GMT -5
We offer free choice calcium/phos mix and a iron rich trace mineral mix to all of our horses. There is very little dirt munching or cribbing ( except for some of the ex racers, cribbing seems to be a way of life).
Typically when a new horse arrives at our facility they eat allot of the calc/phos. mix, upto 1/2 cup a day, for sometimes as long as 2 weeks, then when they have had their fill, they slow way down to about a 1/4 cup a month.
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Post by rodeo51 on May 30, 2007 17:34:13 GMT -5
Michelle...do the free choice mixes come in a mineral block?
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Post by mkgbuegel on May 30, 2007 19:48:43 GMT -5
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Post by shelberttk2 on May 31, 2007 0:44:08 GMT -5
I can understand them eating dirt if there is clay in it, that is pretty common...Lots of nutrients in the clay.....The loose minerals come in a pretty good sized bag (Not sure what size, but they smell good!) and are the texture of rough salt. I can't remember what brand they are, but I got mine at the local feed store for under $20 for the bag and it has lasted me a long time! Our horses love it!
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Jul 19, 2007 2:30:37 GMT -5
With horses and free choice minerals - I have to strongly recommend ADM Gro-Strong. This is one of the best free choice minerals I have found on the market. It is a loose mineral and does contain salt - I give this free choice in small tubs in the stalls and also have tubs of it in the pastures. Many of the salt/mineral blocks and even the loose salt/trace minerals you buy do not have chelated or organic minerals. This means very little is actually utilized by the horse - and salt blocks are a joke IMO. Some horses will bite off chunks seekig what they need - or lick themselves till their poor tongues have to be raw. I am a BIG believer in free choice minerals. I have also used the loose individual minerals by Dynamite in the past and found it very interesting to see what the horses go for  Also - eating clay can be a sign of digestive upset in horses as well. Ulcer horses will often eat dirt - so this is something to consider Sara in WA |
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