How does one go about getting a horse to lick a likit?

C

Cedars

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2009
Messages
7,830
Visit site
My blooming foal won't lick her paddock likit! She'll sniff it lots, she obviously likes the smell, but doesn't appear to understand what to do! Tips?!

On the plus side, the name is bang on - I spent HOURS yelling "lick it. LICK IT!!!!"
 
Other than sugar I understand they contain vits and minerals, maybe she just doesn't need anything topping up? Unless she has seen her mum or someone licking one she might not realise what they are for?!
 
LOL happyhack, you joke, but I've tried that!! it tastes like ****.

I've left it in the field with her and hopefully she'll get the idea. I tried rubbing some on my fingers and then on her mouth but she didn't really get any because it doesnt "rub" very easily.

Do you think maybe getting her to watch another horse doing it might help? Not sure either of the other two like them.

ARGH!
 
I wouldn't worry if she doesn't take to it unless you are trying to supplement her diet with vits and minerals? At least it will save you £ in the future replacing them!
 
P.s. hadn't even thought to lick one! Mine have the himalayan licks, would worry they would taste horrid!!
 
flamehead said:
My blooming foal won't lick her paddock likit! She'll sniff it lots, she obviously likes the smell, but doesn't appear to understand what to do! Tips?!

On the plus side, the name is bang on - I spent HOURS yelling "lick it. LICK IT!!!!"
Click to expand...

Why would you want any horse - let alone a foal - to go any where near one of these? She should be getting all she needs from her mother at this stage anyway.

Why not put a good old Rockies in the field - which is actually beneficial and contains no sugars????
 
I had a similar prob with my lad when I bought him a little lick in a tub. He kept smelling it but didn't seem to know what to do, so I showed it to one of his stable buddies who straight away tucked right in. Cue a very interested George that suddenly wanted his treat back, and now there is no stopping him lol! Maybe getting another horsey friend to "start it off" might do the trick in your lil ones case.
 
Er, firstly Amy, thanks for your judgemental reply but she is a year old now so has been off her mother for a long time, and the farrier recommended giving her one as shes got really really poor feet and is COVERED in flies. Don't be so horrid, she's my baby and pride and joy and I would NEVER do anything that I thought would hurt her.

Thanks Nickles!! =] I might try and get our older girly to have a lick of it and see if it tempts Puz! Maybe it might smell like horse if she's licked it as well?!
 
Add some water to it and rub in to start if off as it were, or if there's any crumbly edges take them and feed to her from it so she gets the idea that it's edible.

I spent an hour teach my lad about likits, now he has to be severely rationed!
 
Good suggestion there from Alibear.

I have nothing useful to add as I only ever bought my lad one of these because I had the opposite problem (I don't really do treats). He wrapped his teeth round the whole thing, crunched it into huge chunks and devoured it in seconds!!
 
Thats why its in that big plastic container, they HAVE to lick it because they cant bite chunks off. I'm less keen on the circular ones that go in the holders because I'm able to snap bits off and they worry me! However, I read somewhere taht tehy're not molassed, so they're really hard and they cant "bite chunks off", they have to lick things slowly.

Will see how shes getting on when i go back for evening feeds, the rain may have encouraged her as now it must be sopping!
 
this made me smile - my boy won't touch the stable lickits - yes I've tried showing him by biting it (not recommended). Was left untouched all last winter.
 
oooooops here he is again.....
Photo0110.jpg
 
flamehead said:
the farrier recommended giving her one as shes got really really poor feet and is COVERED in flies.
Click to expand...

To be honest a likit wont help with either. To help foot quality you need a minimum of 15mg of biotin a day, plus other minerals- you cant guarantee that from a lick. As you are experiencing the intake can be variable :) and that is of course if the poor quality is due to nutritional deficiency in the first place.

For flies you are better off with a stable, repellant or a rug!

For a balanced diet for a yearling you are better off with a vit/min supplement or balancer. I personally wouldnt feed any horse a likit either- they are almost pure sugar.
 
If you wanna try licking it first the little likits are delicous! :p I remember when I was 10 we used to eat half then give the rest to the pony :D
 
my pony wont have any lick when someone is watching him, hes had lickits, horslyx, rockies health lick, buggo and 5star lick. the thing is if you hide he eats it and loves them cos they go, hes just a silly pony so maybe he foal actually is eating it
 
Kokopelli said:
If you wanna try licking it first the little likits are delicous! :p I remember when I was 10 we used to eat half then give the rest to the pony :D
Click to expand...

hehe the really do dont eat the carrot one though its gross the cherry and apple tase good though oh and make ure you eat a lickit not a horslyx :P
 
wilsha said:
hehe the really do dont eat the carrot one though its gross the cherry and apple tase good though oh and make ure you eat a lickit not a horslyx :P
Click to expand...

I hate the carrot one! I think the apple was the best :p and the horslyx are horrible, the colour of them is awful aswell especially as my horse decided to spit it out in my hair! :p
 
the boy is very partial to his Dengie garlic lite-lick, but MUCH prefers a stolen lick of an orange mobility lick that he can dribble all down my clothes. :D
 
If the field lickits are the same as the little ones, look at the ingredients it's sugar sugar sugar. Why do people want to pile their horses full off sugar. I'm sorry but no wonder we have a nation off fat horses. There are healthy treats you can give horses
 
Monsters said:
If the field lickits are the same as the little ones, look at the ingredients it's sugar sugar sugar. Why do people want to pile their horses full off sugar. I'm sorry but no wonder we have a nation off fat horses. There are healthy treats you can give horses
Click to expand...

Excuse me, but dont you DARE!

My horse is NOT fat, she's a year old, she's got a VERY slight tummy on her from the summer grass. It is NOT a treat, its because she needs the biotin and the garlic!

How DARE you say that!
 
There is many many better ways to give your horse goodness without all the sugar. A good balancer would do a better job and add garlic if you want. Honestly it's a lump off sugar and you wouldn't sit your child down to munch a bowl off sugar.
 
Sugar doesn't affect horse teeth the same way as human teeth.

Are you giving her hard feed? You could chuck in a handy foal/youngstock general supplement to ensure she's getting all she needs.

Alternatively, get the grass tested and then decide if she needs anything extra. The most common lack is apparently limestone but I wouldn't give her anything unless you know what she needs-you could get bloods done, but that's possibly a little extreme if she appears fine.

My boy won't touch likits-refused point blank to try it himself. God, they're disgusting!
 
Cinnamontoast, thank you, she isnt getting a hard feed as I'm nervous about giving her chaff as its not meant to be great and can force growth in babes, I do have a youngstock but she basically wont eat it, if I soak the chaff she'll just ignore it if the powder sticks to the chaff, and if I dont soak the chaff she just shakes it so the dust settles to the bottom, eats the chaff and refuses to eat the powder. Or, at best, she upturns it onto the grass and then just eats the chaff! So, lots of the bad stuff and none of the good stuff! And I might as well throw a pound down the drain every day seeing as she wont eat any of it.

I'm not worried about the sugar as its so damn hard to get any off of she wont be taking that much in a day.

I'd appreciate it if people could give me advice on how to encourage her to eat it, rather than criticising my approach. Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I wasn't asking for advice on her food I was asking for advice on explaining to a foal what her tongue is used for!!
 
I think we should be clearer on this one, there are two sorts of licks being discussed here I think, and wires are getting crossed.

1) the paddock licks, which can be a feed in themselves, full of vits and mins. My boy's lite-lick is very low sugar, especially designed for the weight conscious and for healthy hooves. Mostly Horslyx and Dengie i think. Think the paddock likit is one of these too.

2) the round holder- likit types that are flavoured sugary treats, with no vits/mins. It's these that my boy will not touch. Designed for boredom relief, not as a feed per se.

I wil stand corrected if wrong, I only sussed this cos I tasted the hang up one, and it was pure glucose, so I spent ages looking for a paddock likit with very low sugar and added biotin, as the boy's barefoot.

sm x
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top