Horse Eating His Own Poo!

[itsmyparty]

Could not believe it when I went down to skip out last night. Found Charlie chowing down on his own poo. Grim. He had his foot up too, as if it was a really tasty treat. I've never seen him do this before, he had plenty of hay, is fed on chaff and Bailey's Lo-Cal and a carrot in every feed. Why?

 

[rhino]

It's called coprophagia and is not that unusual. Foals especially pick up the 'good bacteria' they use for digesting food by eating small amounts of poo May be worth considering a pro/prebiotic supplement for a few weeks if you are worried?

 

[fburton]

You can find articles about this if you google "coprophagia horses". It isn't necessarily a cause for concern, especially if it's a foal doing it (thought to be normal gut-seeding behaviour), though it can indicate a dietary deficiency in adult horses.