Starting To Eat His Poop

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Cobland

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Mo our 8yo tb gelding has started eating his own poop today, hes not had a change in diet and he was last wormed on the 1st November.

Anyone tell me what makes a horse start eating poo? Hes never done it before.
 
I always thought it was because they are not gaining sufficient minerals/salts from their diet. It could also be replacing microbes. Does he have access to a salt lick? You can always add prebiotic to his diet to replace the lost ones. Maybe ring a feed company or nutrittionist for advice and they could analise his diet!
 
Is he getting enough fibre and ad lib hay? My old chap when I first had him ate his poo and stopped when I gave him more hay at night. It can become a habit! - not particularly nice but won't do any harm.
 
Hes on baileys conditioning cubes and cool mix, also alpha a oil, he is getting loads of hay. I put salt in his dinner and he gets the likits tongue twist at night.
 
Thank you, i looked up the internet and it gives so much reasons. Some say that it happens just after worming because of the bacteria in the gut, then others say a change in diet can cause it. However hes not had any of those recently.

Im such a worrier, if they start doing something they never done before i panic and think of the worse thing!
 
My youngster was doing this although he has ablib hay and has a good diet but his turnout is restricted so I think a lot of it was due to that and boredom. I bought him a dengie stable lick and he has stopped eating his poo and both of my horses absolutely love it.
 
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