How to stop horse eating straw (or deter!)

Perfect_Pirouette

Perfect_Pirouette

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As above!

He is on rubber matting and so only has a small straw bed at the back but every time I get down in the morning there's hardly anything left of the small straw bed and instead just his business! I have tried spraying a bit of Jeyes fluid on but not sure it really detered him.

Does anyone else have any ideas? May have to switch him to something else if he carries on, but am reluctant to unless I really have to as it's so cheap!
 
Only sure way is to take them off the straw. Both mine have a quick pick of clean straw, but not enough that I'd notice if I hadn't seen them do it. Other option is put more in, so that you build a bigger bed of older straw, then mix fresh in with it. Less likely to eat older stuff.
 
For some there is just nothing you can do about it! My mare had a good straw bed every night and had eaten her way through a huge portion of it by morning (we worked out that it was about 2 big wheel barrows full each night!), she had a good pile of hay too! Utterly nothing I tried spraying on it made the slightest bit of difference. I just got too worried about her colicing herself with the quantities she ate so she is now on shavings. I couldn't even put her on chopped eucalyptus rape straw as she tucked in like I had bedded her on chaff! If you have a hoover then shavings are pretty much the only option!
 
I would switch to shavings :)

The only way I got my mare to stop eating her straw was to mix it with the dirty bedding. I would take the poos out, add fresh and mix it with the wet. She nibbled on it ocassionly, but that was it. I am now moving onto shavings as she has a bad cough.
 
Nothing well thats the case with my girl tried it all from the usual Jayes Fluid to talc along with many others and nothing works for her :( its like I am putting on salt and pepper to flavour the straw :eek: We are not allowed to use shavings so just have to put up with it :confused: Ebony loves it :D
 
Mainly it didn't bother me that mine did this as I was happy they weren't starving once their nets ran out, and I was mixing straw in with hay in the nets anyway.. The only problem was their waistlines! Never had a impaction either and never heard of it happening. Now the 1 of mine who is stabled is on shavings and I worry he hasn't got a bed to pick through :rolleyes: can't win!! :):)
 
As long as its good quality straw thats ok for them to eat I wouldnt worry about it. Mine always used to eat his straw but I never saw it as a problem as it ment he was eating but it doesnt have as much nutritional value as hay. When I couldnt get hay and he was on haylage he had straw mixed with it to stop him getting fat.
 
I buy a really good powerful fly spray called Leovet power phaser, it absolutely stinks! When my mare was on straw I used to spray it on her bedding and it stopped her eating it!
 
how much forage is she getting? she may genuinly be hungry or need more fibre.

If you are having to restrict claories due to her being a good doer think about soaking hay or feeding quality straw along side her hay.

I have always found that a horse that is truely on adlib fibre will not eat loads of bed.
 
Can I please add that you should NEVER put anything that could be toxic on a straw bed in case they do eat it! Jeys fluid should never be consumed - if you would not eat it then don't put it on something your horse might eat!
 
Thanks for the replies.

I have actually only had him a few weeks and he is a bit overweight so needs to shift some pounds! I soak his (good quality) hay for 18 hours every night as he coughs.

He gets 1 big haynet a night, half a scoop of low fat chaff stuff in an evening feed and thats about it. He's out all day on an okayish paddock, could be more grass but could be worse. TBH, he really does need to lose weight so I'm not so worried about him not having loads of lush grass.

I just don't like the fact he's hoovering up loads of straw every night. Admittedly it IS good quality straw, could see why it would be tempting for him!

I think I may have to switch to shavings once I'm back off holiday.
 
mini-eventer said:
how much forage is she getting? she may genuinly be hungry or need more fibre.

If you are having to restrict claories due to her being a good doer think about soaking hay or feeding quality straw along side her hay.

I have always found that a horse that is truely on adlib fibre will not eat loads of bed.
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None of mine could be on adlib..they would be obese, and it's very hard to replicate the trickle feeding that is natural..
 
Personally, I'd give him a net of straw to eat and reduce his hay / muzzle him during the day, if he needs to lose weight. But then, I feed my highlands on straw anyway so I would think that was acceptable :D
 
Since you have tried the only real thing that can work.


He is eating virtually all of it you say? then there is a risk of colic,(compacted) if he continues to eat it.


I suggest you sell the straw to someone else. Either advertise locally at your feed merchant or sell on ebay. Otherwise you will find he will keep eating it till you run out. :)
 
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SummerxStarsx said:
As above!

He is on rubber matting and so only has a small straw bed at the back but every time I get down in the morning there's hardly anything left of the small straw bed and instead just his business! I have tried spraying a bit of Jeyes fluid on but not sure it really detered him.

Does anyone else have any ideas? May have to switch him to something else if he carries on, but am reluctant to unless I really have to as it's so cheap!
Click to expand...

Shavings :D Worked out cheaper for one of my friends whose horse would gorge on straw bedding. Sorry I can't help more than that!

Pan
 
Leviathan said:
Since you have tried the only real thing that can work.


He is eating virtually all of it you say? then there is a risk of colic,(compacted) if he continues to eat it.


I suggest you sell the straw to someone else. Either advertise locally at your feed merchant or sell on ebay. Otherwise you will find he will keep eating it till you run out. :)
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He is eating it all nearly yes, however I give him a tiny amount to begin with, literally just a tiny strip at the back of the stable so not like he's eating a whole stables worth, however I still don't like the thought of him eating it just in case!
 
SummerxStarsx said:
Thanks for the replies.

I have actually only had him a few weeks and he is a bit overweight so needs to shift some pounds! I soak his (good quality) hay for 18 hours every night as he coughs.

He gets 1 big haynet a night, half a scoop of low fat chaff stuff in an evening feed and thats about it. He's out all day on an okayish paddock, could be more grass but could be worse. TBH, he really does need to lose weight so I'm not so worried about him not having loads of lush grass.

I just don't like the fact he's hoovering up loads of straw every night. Admittedly it IS good quality straw, could see why it would be tempting for him!

I think I may have to switch to shavings once I'm back off holiday.
Click to expand...

I'd switch him back to shavings then although TBH I have been known to substitute half of my horse's hay rations for straw when he's on a diet!
 
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