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

Thanks Shysmum (although damn you for posting again.....*drools over beautiful pony*), it is a Paddock Likit, not one of those little round colourful things.
 
I thought it was, and peeps had got the wrong end of the carrot stick ;)

Knowing what I do now about the stable likits, I certainly won't buy one again. I think they are missing a trick, not making a vit/min round mini likit - I searched everywhere.

sorry, those pics again.....:D
 
I dunno. I like them they taste yummy ;) and I think they're good if you've got a horse who is quite disciplined. We had the toy that is like a spinning ball for the mare when she was on box rest, she totally ignored them it has to be said apart from very occasion licking, but she definitely liked spinning the toy! =]

We also have the "apple" toy where you put one in the middle, she ignored that too! But I think she enjoyed the spinning one and it did keep her occupied.
 
The likits that are bad for the horses are very tasty though :) I always munch on it before I give it to my boy! And I don't care if their full of sugar he only has one every now and again its not like their fed daily!

But some horses just wont touch it, have you tried holding the lick up to him as they are more likely to eat out your hand (I know there heavy so might need two people :p)
 
Have not read all of post above as am supposed to be watching alien vs predator,but its confusing me and its also a bit rubbish, but have you tried putting a handful of nuts or polos over the likit so she eats them and gets a taste of the likit, maybe also wet the likit before hand so that it gets on the nuts and she will taste it.

Other than that just keep shouting 'lick it' at her. It might work, or she might think her name has been changed (lol) and will make your neighbours laugh :D :D :D
 
Ye I might hold it up for her. I did try sitting on the ground with it between my knees for a while so she knew it wasnt scary. She keeps sniffing it and she does like it cos she constantly goes back to it. I think its probably an element of trial and error - one day she'll get it!
 
Flamehead, please take tis advice as constuctive, not having a go. Chaff will not force growth in a youngster, it is a fibre feed. Horses are designed to eat fibre and it should be the main, if not all, of their diet. Certainly giving a small amount for a supplement will hardly do anything! Most chaffs do have mollasses coating them but the paddock likit is nearly pure sugar- with a small amount of added ingredients, so you will be giving much more sugar this way. the pddock likit is made by the same company as the little round ones. The levls of added ingredients are also quite low.

I know you are trying to help your horse but honestly, the paddock likit isnt a very effective way of achieving what you want, especially with the disadvantage of the high sugar content.

Foals/youngsters learn the same as humans- by gradually trying something and eventually they get used to it and will eat it. They dont always take to something straight away. they will learn quicker if they are out with another horse, as they will learn from each other by copying. But it can take a while for a horse to learn to eat or lick something and obviously some tastes they dislike. So theres not much you can do except to leave the lick there and eventually the horse should lick it. As for the supplement, the same goes for that- persevere and eventually she should eat it
 
Teddyt, thanks for that. I persevered for literally weeks with her supplement, she isnt interested.

I appreciate your advice re the sugar but its not something I'm worried about (although clearly if she goes loopy I'll take it off her!!). Also if she does eventually show interest in the likit, i'll take it off her when she's close to her "recommended amount". Although at the moment, ANY licks would be useful ;)

xxxx
 
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
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Ah, so it's a yearling not a foal........

And of course you want the best for her, no one could possibly doubt that.

Sounds like a little bit of reading up on growth, suppliments and nutrition generally would be usefull - because you seem to have a few misconceptions about these.

Obviously you're paddock lickitt won't really do any damage - but if you are serious about ensuring her good health and development there really are much better options.
 
flamehead said:
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!!
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Same problem here a horse who is very good at not eating the very costly suppliments!

What works for me is to mash the suppliment up with a bit of banana (I usually use less than half a very small one) then mix this paste either into the feed or into a bowl of mixed carrots, melon whatever...alternatively Vardi now just licks the Banana paste off my hands vits and all!

Never been refused yet!
 
shysmum said:
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.
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Mine did the same, in fact it got a thick layer of dust on it by the time I decided it was a lost cause and handed it over to another livery whose horse devoured it within a day! I bought her a really cool new one, which was a mixture of nuts, molasses and other tasty things and she wolfed that one down in record time. So now I spend £2.99 a week feeding her addiction to this tasty new treat, I should have left the dusty one up and saved myself a fortune!
 
In answer to the OP's original question - I dunno.

Our's hate them! We bought the fancy schmancy ones on colourful string when we go south and travel involves a 14 hour ferry journey plus a day's travel. They don't touch it.

Our lot like the feedlicks in buckets only and salt licks.
 
flamehead said:
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

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!!
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I was thinking of hard feed as in nuts etc with added veg, fruit to encourage her to eat the hard stuff! I'm contemplating hollowing out apples etc to get the boy to have his supplements as he's not eating at the minute-leaves any chaff etc.

Maybe try a drib of molasses, well stirred into any hard feed so she's more tempted.

I do think that if she looks OK (where are the pics?:mad:), then you don't need to worry too much. Again, only grass analysis will really tell you what, if anything, is missing from her grazing.
 
I am very new to everything horse, and have bought all the treats for my loan over the last few months, I bought a lickit with the fancy holder and string and hung it in his stable thinking it would occupy him during the day as he is in all day, when we brought him in all he did was constantly bang his head on it!!!!!!!!! then when I was mucking out I forgot and got a slightly black eye by hitting the damn thing several times!!!

Needless to say it is now gathering dust!!! (you live and learn?)
 
sally2008 said:
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!!
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yup, this is why Ron only gets a himalayan salt block! anything else, even rockies :eek: goes in seconds.... i do feed him, honest!:o
 
I bought one of the bright blue mint hanging ones for my youngster. He had no idea what to do with it, and yes i tried licking it myself to show him, holding it up to him, everything. Hung in his stable for 6 weeks untouched gathering dust until one morning I went in to find pony with a bright blue face, teeth, mouth and lips, and a few crumbs of the lick left in his bed.

Whole thing demolished in one night. Was actually quite impressive! i have to say i was terrified he would be a nightmare to handle that day with all that sugar in him but it didn't seem to make any difference... he was prob too embarrassed about having a blue mouth to mess around.
 
Can't advise how to get him to lick his lickit, but an alternative is to mix a powdered supplement or a balancer into a small amount of soaked Speedibeet or Fast Fibre - most horses prefer supplements this way rather than in chaff.
 
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