Help - horse eating straw bed

[Pidge]

Quick help please as my friend is going on holiday tomorrow and has moved her pony to another yard for the duration of her holiday. Angel is now on a straw bed as opposed to a shavings bed and the YM won't let her change it to shavings. My friend is worrying because of the chance of Angel getting colic, is there anything she can spray on the straw to stop her eating it? Will need to be left with YM to do whilst on holiday.

 

[Benefice1]

Quite a few of the horses at the yard im at have a nibble of the straw, none of them have ever had colic because of it and have never had any adverse reaction to it. I think as long as the quality of the straw is ok and they aren't eating it excessively then it shouldnt be a problem x

 

[tuscanyD]

I try and stop my mare doing it as she will eat a lot of straw and [she likes her food] if nothing else it gives her a pot belly.

I just use a weak solution of any household cleaning fluid [prob not bleach though] and make sure I mix new straw very thoroughly in with the old - it seems to the trick

 

[the watcher]

would definitely agree on leaving in some damp straw, or when you muck out put the clean stuff underneath. It also helps to hold the bed together.
would the yard owner go with chopped straw or hemp? I assume they don't like shavings because they take so long to break down

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
I just use a weak solution of any household cleaning fluid [prob not bleach though] and make sure I mix new straw very thoroughly in with the old - it seems to the trick

[/ QUOTE ]

NO!!

Really, don't do that! Many horses will still eat it and you will kill the healthy bacteria in the gut and increase the chance of colic!! (that trick was a mega bug bear of my equine science lecturer at college)

As said, deep litter to limit the amount of new straw going in. Although I also agree with what someone else said above - as long as its good quality straw and they're not eating excessive amounts then merely eating straw shouldn't cause colic.

 

[flyingfeet]

Eating straw is very unlikely to cause colic, actually quite the reverse as better than having nothing to eat and stopping the gut from working.

The old fashioned method was to spray jeyes fluid onto the straw, as this will definitely put them off. However as mentioned above not a good idea for neddies to eat this sort of thing.

Therefore another method is to sprinkle chilli flakes (cheap) or tabasco (more effective, but more expensive) on the straw. Haven't met a horse that likes it yet and tasbasco also works well for rug chewers.

 

[jackpalfreyman]

give him less hay

 

[Pidge]

Thanks ever so much

, have spoken to Lou and she will go down the route of either deep litter and mixing new straw well in, or spraying something like chilli flakes on it, definately not diluted cleaning liquid.

 

[merlins-mum]

I don't think it gives them colic - and it *does* mean less to muck out !

OTOH it's a pain in the bum.