Is there something wrong with my mare?!

[FoxTrotx]

I caught my mare licking a dead bird this morning, she was completley fixated on it and it was absolutley soaking. She didn't have it long as she'd only been turned out about ten minutes before I spotted her behaving oddly.
So do other peoples horses eat dead birds or should I be worried?

 

[dreamcometrue]

My previous horse always stopped to snuffle at roadkill. We used to call him Dr Stan because it was like he was checking to see if he could resuscitate! My new mare did the same thing the other day. I think its their caring side coming out lol! Maybe they are just curious?

 

[FoxTrotx]

Phew, glad its not just mine. She was really obsessed with it, I had to poke it right under the hedge with a stick because she tried to get it back when I kicked it under, lol.

 

[abitodd]

I would be assessing diet and mineral imbalances. Mine licks the road.Great for stretching the topline,but not so good for avoiding traffic! I have always assumed he had found something nutritionally important and hence looked at my feeding regime.

 

[FoxTrotx]

She's on happy hoof chaff and limestone flour for her feet, topline cubes for condition (and it makes shiny ), good quality hay and a mineral lick in her stable overnight (can't put one in the field because she gets defensive over food and would rather she didn't take chunks out of her field mates ) I do wonder about her hormones though as she is a bit jeckyll and hyde.

 

[abitodd]

What variety of bird was it?
I have noticed that crows/ravens smell of desiel oil???????
Perhaps consider a balancer. She may not like/eat enough of the mineral lick to fulfil her needs.Mineral imbalance can affect hormones too.

 

[FoxTrotx]

It was a crow, how strange.
She does enjoy her lick but I will see if a balancer makes any difference to her hormones although she doesn't seem distressed, quite the opposite really.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

A bit different but when I told the vet that my cat was licking concrete he prescribed a mineral supplement.

 

[brown tack]

When I was younger my aunties pony caught a pigeon in the air, and ate it's head!

I had nightmares for years,

Such an odd thing to see

 

[FoxTrotx]

That is really foul Mucky Shavings, it did make me giggle though...

 

[tasel]

When I was younger my aunties pony caught a pigeon in the air, and ate it's head!

I had nightmares for years,

Such an odd thing to see

Are they starting to evolve to become carnivores?

God help us! :-/

 

[starryeyed]

Bit off topic, but our pony used to have a habit of murdering rabbits was horrible! not sure what he was lacking but thankfully he's stopped now!!

 

[FanyDuChamp]

Not sure if it is relevant but a friend once told me sheep eat the grass at the side of the road because it has salt on it. So it could be some kind of mineral deficiency.
Really yukky though!
FDC

 

[FanyDuChamp]

Bit off topic, but our pony used to have a habit of murdering rabbits was horrible! not sure what he was lacking but thankfully he's stopped now!!

Where we used to keep Captain one of the horses killed a full grown sheep.
FDC