Eating Poo!

[sian_x101]

Right well just looking for a bit of advice really

My 9 month old colts been out in the field now all the time for about 2 weeks and has started up some really wierd behaviour...
It started with ihm jsut having a poo and sniffing it, then went on to nugging it and now he;s started eating it!!!
Now i don't really know why this is
would it be becasue it smells like grass. Just a bad habit or is he lacking in any vits or minerals (my mum got me thinking about this)
Any advice please?

 

[moodiestmare]

Could be but he could also be stressed. Has he got plenty of company?

 

[sian_x101]

well there's only 4 other horses on the yard
He's in a field with a colt the same age as him and the other two in another field so he's not alone

 

[Cahill]

mine is the same age.
he likes to paw the poo in the field,he follows me around when i am poo picking and has had the barrow over.and he lays in it(he is mostly white

)when he is in the stable.
i dont think mine is lacking in anything in his diet because i have spoken to the feed company.
p`haps just a colt thing.
i have read that stallions do 1 poo ontop of another to build a pile,don`t know if this is true or not.

 

[Stinkbomb]

Inky my youngster did this when he was younger. I believe its quite natural

for youngsters to do it and they eventually grow out of it!!

 

[Shilasdair]

Sorry to disappoint, but poo eating is normal in youngsters of your horse's ages. They have been born with guts designed to digest milk, but now are making the steady transition to digesting fibre, which requires breaking down in the hind gut.
To do this, they need the help of 'friendly bacteria' (vile phrase) and where can they find these bacteria? You guessed - from the poo of adult horses.
If your youngsters are eating more than part of a poo each day, it may be a sign that they're lacking in fibre in their diet, or possibly vitamins and minerals.
You could try phoning one of the feed companies for advice on nutrition to address that (although they tend to suggest more hard feed than is necessary in my opinion - they are in the business of selling feed, after all

)
Hope this puts your mind at rest.
S

PS Adult horses sometimes eat poo when they need to re-balance their gut population too...

 

[Zebedee]

Stallions do indeed poo in one pile. They will also poo over other horses dung as a mark of their dominance.

Foals will eat their mothers poo as a way of getting the correct bacteria in to their guts (think live youghurt etc).
Not sure about them eating their own ......I would think it's for a similar reason though.

 

[Cahill]

mine dont eat it,he just paws/hoofs it and sniffs it.
i dont know if it is his own or the other ponies poo he is doing this to cos i been too busy to watch who done what poo.

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
mine dont eat it,he just paws/hoofs it and sniffs it.
i dont know if it is his own or the other ponies poo he is doing this to cos i been too busy to watch who done what poo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, poo tells him a lot about the poo producer - its a calling card

- tells him age, sex, dominance etc.
I bet he starts eating it. Check carefully before you French kiss him

S

 

[Cahill]

ummm,interesting.i think my dog wants to be a fox!!!!

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
ummm,interesting.i think my dog wants to be a fox!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Why do dogs roll in fox poo?
Do you think it's to disguise their scent so they can hunt more effectively?
I know f**k all about dogs....

S

 

[Cahill]

i dont know but i think so.
it`s the worst thing ever.
my dog knows it not allowed so does it sneaky when i not looking,but behaves very guiltily so i can tell if it done it.

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
i dont know but i think so.
it`s the worst thing ever.
my dog knows it not allowed so does it sneaky when i not looking,but behaves very guiltily so i can tell if it done it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure there are other ways you can tell, than the guilty looks

If he were mine, I'd just have him PTS, and get another one from dog rescues.
S

 

[Cahill]

[ QUOTE ]

If he were mine, I'd just have him PTS, and get another one from dog rescues.
S

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

If he were mine, I'd just have him PTS, and get another one from dog rescues.
S

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

What's your problem - it would be less work than washing him?
S

 

[Cahill]

if you rolled/fell in some poo,i wouldn`t have you pts

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
if you rolled/fell in some poo,i wouldn`t have you pts

[/ QUOTE ]

I beg to differ. I think that if you could catch me, you would. You've always hated me.

S