How do i make the pony eat?!??!!

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Cedars

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My BLOODY STUPID foal won't eat her sodding dinner but WILL eat the walls, doors, buckets....

She's currently meant to be having a handful of chaff and a spoon of haylage balancer (from NAF), with a good glug of oil, but the litle bugger won't eat it.

Anything to make it tastier? She will chew a mouthful or two so its not the smell but more the taste - however she also won't eat biscuit balancers, chaff on its own or youngstock so I think shes just a picky little *******...!

Any suggestions much appreciated as she's currently costing me about £20 a day on the kickboards round her stable she's eaten that I'll have to replace =[

Thanks everyone. No suggestions stupid! xxxx
 
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Try Red Mills Cool N Cooked mix - it smells and tastes (yes I've tried it) like flapjacks... I haven't had ANYTHING refuse to eat it! Smells even better if you add warm water...

It's the only thing that will tempt my fussy on/off anorexic horse when he's refusing to eat anything!

ETA: PM me your address and I'll send you some to save you buying a whole bag and her not eating it!
 
I have got the same problem - my yearling won't eat powdered suppliment unless it's heavily disguised. Trouble is he is on a diet so its what to disguise it in! Have just left him with a sample of fast fibre soaked pellets with a scoop of powder in - we'll see if it's eaten then have a careful look at the calorific content too!
 
Mint is good for tempting them to eat.
Also apple juice is one i have seen people on here use with results.
Molasses is also good.

What chaff are you using?

have you tried apples/carrots chopped up small or grated??
 
Havent tried those options but shall attempt them all, particularly the grated carrots/apples as that sounds like something that may definitely work!

The chaff is hi-fi (the normal, not the light or other options), and the balancer is also hifi.
 
Try cooking some apples till they are mushy and mash them into some chaff. Also try using 365Complete feed balancer, one scoop a day and very economical, more concentrated than bluechip.
 
I had a poorly foal many years ago, he became quite picky when eating. I tried so many different feeds, and like yourself, it cost me a bomb. An old cob breeder told me to water down some molasses (looked like dirty water) and dampen his feed with it. It worked for him, he started eating and no problems after that. There is nothing worse than having a fussy eater :(
Good luck
 
I have just received a warning for this post! So am writing what the more sensitive members should read!

I have a darling foal who is being a little bit of a pain and isn't eating her tea. Does anybody have any suggestions with regards to how to make the gorgeous little darling eat. Thank you!
 
dear god you got a warning? wt.... arg better not add last letter.


any way back to HRH.. what about one of the flavoured chaffs. or ad some mint?? (think you can still buy it for horse.)

or figure out which part she isnt liking and change that?


or put her in a padded cell with a bucket of grub and let her decided how hungry she is. i presume no one will push the button and say im cruel... :D
 
HAHA like the idea about the padded cell ;) I won't push the button!!

We have tried separating the parts out but she won't eat the balancer OR the chaff so am feeling its more just that they don't taste nice enough, rather than she actually hates them. Blinking pony........!
 
flamehead said:
I have just received a warning for this post! So am writing what the more sensitive members should read!

I have a darling foal who is being a little bit of a pain and isn't eating her tea. Does anybody have any suggestions with regards to how to make the gorgeous little darling eat. Thank you!
Click to expand...

And people wonder why the older more long standing members don't bother to post any more... The fluffy bunnies strike again...
 
some really dont like oil. i would take this out and see if she will eat. why is she in a stable all day? does she eat plenty of hay/haylage? you could also try adding a handful of mix for a couple of days. see if a friend will lend you a few handfuls to see if she will eat before buying a whole bag. good luck. maybe she just hasnt learnt the eating from a bucket .. does she have very long legs? did she pick at the mares grub before weaning?
 
How on earth did you get a warning?! Hmm, anyway - fussy horses - who'd have 'em!!!

My pony can be like this, we once put him on a low calorie mix as his 'token' feed as everyone else was fed but we didn't really want to give him much. Well, he wouldn't have it at all. He likes his sugary stuff!!! Lol

Anyway, these days we feed him on a cool coarse mix from our local feed shop. I believe it is a Badminton coarse mix but it isn't named. It smells lovely, very mollassey (is that a word) and both this fussy pony and my youngster love it. We add sugar beet an alfa a to our horse's feeds too.

It is a pain trying to find something they will eat but I am sure you'll get there in the end!
 
If you use sugarbeet for any other horse on your yard you could try a scoop of the juice (after it has been soaking) as it has the sugar taste and helps disguise the taste of the oil. Also helps moisten the food hiding the powder...cheap and easy :)
 
Is bloody even a swearword??????:confused: After all, how could the complainer know what you meant, it may be that Puzz has been participating in an equine remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and has neglected to remove her greasepaint before teatime...;)

Fussy madam. I second adding some carrot / apple!

Or maybe some grated plywood, since she seems to enjoy it so much?;)
 
A warning????!!! WHAT!!!!!! *sigh*

jhoward i think I am going to have to push the button on you........ thats just so cruel!!!! :p he he just kidding.

Ive never had anything that wouldnt eat Alpha A. Its a bit more appetising than Hi fi i think. maybe try that?

lots of options here for you. Hope she starts eating soon!!! :)
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
some really dont like oil. i would take this out and see if she will eat.
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Tried this, still no eaties.

ofcourseyoucan said:
why is she in a stable all day? does she eat plenty of hay/haylage? you could also try adding a handful of mix for a couple of days. see if a friend will lend you a few handfuls to see if she will eat before buying a whole bag. good luck. maybe she just hasnt learnt the eating from a bucket .. does she have very long legs? did she pick at the mares grub before weaning?
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Shes not in all day (well, she is today but thats cos of the farrier), but she is now coming in at night as our fields are totally banjaxed and won't last the winter if shes out full time. She will be in a little enclosure thing but atm she's in her box because we still have building work going on at the school and she panics if shes not in her box.

Sorry to be dense, but what is 'mix'? Thanks!
 
Emily91 said:
A warning????!!! WHAT!!!!!! *sigh*

jhoward i think I am going to have to push the button on you........ thats just so cruel!!!! :p he he just kidding.

Ive never had anything that wouldnt eat Alpha A. Its a bit more appetising than Hi fi i think. maybe try that?

lots of options here for you. Hope she starts eating soon!!! :)
Click to expand...

do it lol. im in a rebelious mood....
 
Echo Bravo said:
Have you tried a small amount of salt in her food?
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She has a Himalyan salt lick in her box but not in her food, no. I did consider she might be low in salt when she started eating all those rails, and that maybe the mare wasn't letting her at the salt lick, but shes hardly touched it since she's been in. Does salt just make it a bit tastier?
 
i have found that almost every weanling/foal ive had almost without exception just dont "enjoy"chaff until they are around 9/10 months old..

good old fashioned sugar beet will disguise a multitude of supplements...

can i ask..why are you giving "oil"?
 
I'd definitely drop the oil for now if she is only having it because the others do, a lot of horses are fussy about oil, let alone youngsters who are notoriously fussy (I used to despair of mine eating anything when she was a baby but she is an absolute gannet now). Definitely agree that beet is more likely to tempt her than chaff. Try her with some beet with no supplement in to start, and then if she likes that start added the supplement. If she eats her hay/haylage well then make sure there is none in the box when she first comes in, and just give her her feed first, so she doesn't wander off from her bucket feed to her hay/haylage.

However, you also have to consider that the reason she won't eat her feed and is destroying everything else is because she may be stressed being in. You may have to change her management in some way to counter that, whether that is by finding another yard where she can live out, putting her in a box where there is a grille between her and a calm friendly neighbour, or using the little enclosure thing you mention.
 
She ate 18 whole rails when she was out in her field - hardly a stressful situation! And she is eating substantially less being in. I've also tried taking the oil out which doesn't help either. xxxx
 
bit of a different take on things, was she taken off mum very young?

im just thinking the chewing, not eating etc proberley is stemming from something else, personally i dont think a 17mt old needs oil.

have you tried putting small amounts of food just on the floor, not in a bucket?
 
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