How to stop a horse eating his straw bed!!!

I used to muck my boy out & keep a pile of semi-dirty straw in a pile then when I put the new straw down I would mix the slightly dirty straw with it which stopped him eating it..
 
I have a bed eater aswel.

People have suggested spraying jeyes fluid on the bedding, but I don't feel comforatble doing that incase she still eats it.

What I do, is leave the wet in her stable and mix with clean. I only take the poo's out and when the bed is well mixed she eats less of it. I take some of the wet out every other weekend though as it gets harder to mix with the clean as most is still dirty. I also feed her hay in small holed haynets so she takes longer to eat it, thus keeping her off the straw for a while longer.

Failing that try a different bedding.

Good luck
 
Iv watered down jeyes fluid and spayed on, works really well, one sniff of it and they don't touch it! Carbolic powder also works and is again a disinfectant suitable for stables and states on packaging a deterrent for bedding eaters!
 
Thanks Guys!

Will give the jayes fluid a try, fingers crossed!

Also will have a look at the carbolic powder then if its ok for them.

LaurenBay - this is my alternative bedding, its the cheapest! Have been on shavings forever but trying to keep costs down this winter! :D
 
One of mine eats her bed...after she's finished her small-holed haynet .....doesn't bother me in the slightest as

a) its only a small flap or two as she's on matting as well
b) its cheap
c) its low calorie and good quality straw......

She always has plenty of water.......

Sometimes I mix quality straw in with hay or haylage for good-doers anyway.....bulk without many calories;)

Theres no way I would be spraying anything on my horses bedding, sorry.....
 
Just leave a bit of dirty straw in with the clean - it works for the greedy bed-eater on our yard!

I wouldn't spray any chemicals on the bed, what if he eat's it all anyway?? You could risk the horses health...
 
I had several very neurotic horses and I used to throw some baler twine over the rafters and hang a small holed haynet in the middle of the stable. This takes them forever to eat as they cannot rest it on a wall to then scoff. It's worth a try.....
 
I had to put my cob on straw due to cut backs this horse will eat pure bute out of your hand so nothing was going to put him of. Very easy to muck out though everything left in the morning is pooed on so just take the rest out and start again. not sure if its cheaper for me as put four bales in a day
 
The jeyes fluid is a deterrent, it's not like your tipping the bottle on feed! I'd much rather have my horses in their stables with a small amount of jeyes fluid in
their bedding than have them lying in dirty bedding, getting thrush and risking them colicking through eating it!
 
Thank you bumblelion! I was beginning to think that everyone was thinking I was shoving a bottle a night down his neck!! I merely wondered if there was something I could use that would put him off eating it! ie the smell.

I dont want people thinking Im going to be poisoning him!!! :D
 
you really need to read the directions for use on the side on the container - or do the words, do not allow livestock into the area until it is thoroughly dried - not mean anything to you. Foolish to do such a thing, very foolish indeed.

If he does go sick after eating it (because he just could) then how will you feel.
 
Rainbow01 said:
Thank you bumblelion! I was beginning to think that everyone was thinking I was shoving a bottle a night down his neck!! I merely wondered if there was something I could use that would put him off eating it! ie the smell.

I dont want people thinking Im going to be poisoning him!!! :D
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People have been doing it for years, it's a well known remedy! It's the same with rug trashers, spray some on rugs diluted, problem solved!! Economically, the carbolic powder is really good too, Lincoln make it (it last for ages!). It smells like TCP and is a pink powder disinfectant, so great for sprinkling on stable floors as you can bed straight down on it. Can also be mixed in with the bedding to deter bed eaters! Works on my two. I have a gannet, who would eat anything!!
I personally wouldn't try the hanging a haynet from rafters. Horses naturally eat from the ground, they're not giraffes! Don't get me wrong, mine have nets, they actually have them double netted but isn't that defeating the point of haybars etc? They would be more likely to get respiratory illnesses and also muscular strains.
 
I once heard something about watered down vinegar. Not sure if it works though, I'll have to try it out on mine as she's a greedy guts and eats her bed too. Mixing up dirty straw with clean won't stop her finding the clean bits of straw to eat, she was on cardboard at one point and any strands of hay that were in the bed she could pick out like a needle in a haystack. Dirty bedding won't bother her haha. :)
 
Actually a couple of people have also told me about the vinagar along with the watered down jeyes fluid, quite a few people have told me it works. With the exception of the greedy guts out there!!!!! lol:D
 
bumblelion said:
People have been doing it for years, it's a well known remedy! It's the same with rug trashers, spray some on rugs diluted, problem solved!! Economically, the carbolic powder is really good too, Lincoln make it (it last for ages!). It smells like TCP and is a pink powder disinfectant, so great for sprinkling on stable floors as you can bed straight down on it. Can also be mixed in with the bedding to deter bed eaters! Works on my two. I have a gannet, who would eat anything!!
I personally wouldn't try the hanging a haynet from rafters. Horses naturally eat from the ground, they're not giraffes! Don't get me wrong, mine have nets, they actually have them double netted but isn't that defeating the point of haybars etc? They would be more likely to get respiratory illnesses and also muscular strains.
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I don't have it hanging so they are like a giraffe. It was hanging at about nose level when they were stood normally. It worked with a couple of very neurotic 2yr old colts I had in - hence mentioned it. My horses all eat off the floor.
 
Aces_High said:
I don't have it hanging so they are like a giraffe. It was hanging at about nose level when they were stood normally. It worked with a couple of very neurotic 2yr old colts I had in - hence mentioned it. My horses all eat off the floor.
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Oh! It must have been the way I read it! I imagined them rearing up nose butting it and attempting to eat! I wish I could feed mine off the floor, they scoff a nets worth in minutes, so I have to double net!
 
Vinegar and water its safe and should work! I would NEVER use jeyes fluid just in case! its not worth the risk. there is also this product called yukka bed which is unpalatable but not poisionous and deters them but i found vinegar cheapest and best. Mix 1 parts vinegar to 3 parts water approx in a spray such as a NEW weedkiller spray bottle with pump from B&Q. You should be able to smell the vinegar when mixed for it to work. Perhaps start with a larger ratio of vinegar to water to really make her notice it then reduce.:)
 
tbh I was so shocked that "people" were giving her this advice that i hit the post reply buttin without reading the posts further down - so its actually not aimed at any one person in particular.

If people want to put jeyes fluid - diluted or not on their horses beds then so be it.

Your horses = your choices.
 
Yeah, also heard about the Yukka bed, though figured vinegar would be cheapest. Plus if it doesn't work you haven't spent a ridiculous amount of money on a product you can't use...you can simply put it on your chips instead! :D
 
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