Irishdan
Well-Known Member
We suspect our two year old has been chewing fence posts, quite badly. Anyone know if this could be diet related ie lacking something?? She currently lives out 24/7 and is on good quality haylage but nothing else.
Wood Chewing!
- Thread starter Irishdan
- Start date
Shay
Well-Known Member
It could be dietary - but it could also be boredom, stereotypic behaviour arrising from stress or even something called pica which is a mental condition driving the animal (and humans who suffer from it) to eat non food items.
You can try having your grass and haylage professionally tested to see if there is something missing. Might there be something stressing her? Is she on her own?
You can coat wood with something like crib stop which tastes foul. But if she is lacking something or stressed then she will simply move her behaviour onto something else. It might be worth having a chat to your vet. Also to find out if whatever coating you have on the timeber might have some poisonous effect!
You can try having your grass and haylage professionally tested to see if there is something missing. Might there be something stressing her? Is she on her own?
You can coat wood with something like crib stop which tastes foul. But if she is lacking something or stressed then she will simply move her behaviour onto something else. It might be worth having a chat to your vet. Also to find out if whatever coating you have on the timeber might have some poisonous effect!
Wagtail
Horse servant
Wood chewing is one of those habits that gets copied by other horses. I had a new horse arrive on the yard and he started to chew the fence posts in the all weather. Soon afterwards the other three that he is turned out with one by one started to do it! None of the horses in the other group do it. All are fed a balanced diet of hard feed and haylage. I am tearing my hair out as I am having to replace rails left right and centre. If I spray with cribox it works but only for an hour or so. Grrr!
becca1305
Well-Known Member
My 2yo has a habit of doing this. Shes in at night with adlib haylage and out in the day with plenty of grass. Shes also fed the recommended amount of a feed balancer so I dont think its feed related. My TB occasionally has a nibble and did it one night quite soon after she arrived when they were waiting for me to come in and the little monkey watched him and copied with gusto. Shes just about destroyed the field gate 
. Atm Ive got them shut in an electric fenced area but it does have some wooden posts, and wooden posts with horsewire on all the way down the hedgeline. i havent noticed her chewing any of these (my tb doesnt) so can only assume its a learned habit. Im hoping keeping her away from the gate and horizontal slat fencing a bit might make her forget about it *fingers crossed* and putting a metal plate over the gate to protect it (whats left of it!).
. Atm Ive got them shut in an electric fenced area but it does have some wooden posts, and wooden posts with horsewire on all the way down the hedgeline. i havent noticed her chewing any of these (my tb doesnt) so can only assume its a learned habit. Im hoping keeping her away from the gate and horizontal slat fencing a bit might make her forget about it *fingers crossed* and putting a metal plate over the gate to protect it (whats left of it!).Merlin11
Well-Known Member
We have a loan horse who does this especially in winter when there is less grazing. He was stabled a lot before we got him so think he has learned this behaviour. We use the spray but agree it only works for a while. Once the grass comes in he is normally fine. The others are tubby good doers so I can't give them ad lib hay. Don't think there is an easy answer.
Clava
Well-Known Member
My mare does it every winter (usually in January), I put it down to not much grass to pick at and having a full belly as I feed her more in the winter, she just stands chatting to the other horses and picks at the fences (as her diet is more supplemented and technically complete in winter than just grass in summer, I can't see it is lacking in minerals)
Cribox stops it.
Cribox stops it.
shortstuff99
Well-Known Member
My youngster does it when she's bored but she's into chewing everything at the moment like a puppy! She chews wheelbarrows, grooming brushes/ box anything! Lol
5horses2dogsandacat
Well-Known Member
My little filly did it from the second she arrived on the yard now all 4 do it, like wagtail I'm pulling my hair out and when I'm mucking out it drives me insane just hearing that noise. I think it is a learned behaviour and in the summer when they go onto good grazing I'm hoping they will 'forget'. I do put my fillys behaviour down to poor weaning though Xx
Mare Stare
Well-Known Member
Dooney is doing this too! He's around 2 years old. You should see the state of my fence! Luckily Doris has been in a good mood. She's so tank-like I have visions of her just charging through it and the chewed rails just ricocheting off in all directions. The top two rails are looking extremely thin.
He can't be bored as he has the other horses to keep him company. I don't think he's missing out on any minerals.
I'm thinking maybe it's something to do with his big teeth coming through?
If not, he's just being a destructive little sod!
He can't be bored as he has the other horses to keep him company. I don't think he's missing out on any minerals.
I'm thinking maybe it's something to do with his big teeth coming through?
If not, he's just being a destructive little sod!
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