Until now.
This is what Beaver Molls has been up to lately.
Please note that all of these photos are from different locations in her stall where she is straight up just eating her way through. What the hell horse?
This chewing has been going on for a few weeks and has honestly baffled me. Mollie has NEVER chewed wood before, never mind to this extent. We tried a Quitt supplement but I had a feeling boredom/being hungry was the actual culprit. You see, at the last barn, Mollie basically lived at a 24/7 buffet. She was never without hay/grass in front of her face and that is no longer the case. She now gets 2 flakes at breakfast, another 2 at lunch, 2 more at dinner, and 1 last flake at night check. The problem is after she's gobbled up this hay (in 10 minutes flat) she just stands around, bored and hungry since she is no longer out on grass. In my opinion, she's also dropped a bit of weight.
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| Right after moving to the barn |
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| This weekend :( |
We established a plan that we would increase her hay by an additional flake at each meal, just for a month to see what happens. She's also going to get a bit of hay stretcher thrown into her morning and night grain to see if that helps. Mollie has never eaten much grain to begin with so I'm hoping the added forage will be enough to curb her appetite and prevent her from eating the barn.
Back when my horse was eating me out of house and home, I started using a slow feeder net - the Nibblenet worked the best. Almost no waste and the action of pulling the hay out of the net mimics grazing. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteShe has one both inside and outside. She still inhales hay :(
DeleteI hope things look up for Ms. Mollie. Suzie started chewing wood when it started to just pour rain and she had nothing to do all day. I really think it could be from boredom as well, as that is what was "wrong" with Suzie.
ReplyDeleteyikes!! i've heard of horses becoming termites when they're not getting enough forage -- except my mare eats through her hay too fast too... perhaps a small-hole haynet that hangs independently, so she has to work harder to get a grip on it? like the Pampered-Ponies set up here: http://pampered-ponies.blogspot.com/2014/12/poorly-personage.html... anyways good luck!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I can definitely see that she dropped a lot of weight. Happy you and the BO have made a plan. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you have a BO who's willing to work with you! I've added alfalfa pellets to my horses' diet, which has helped them gain weight. I like to think it helps keep them full, too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat about a small hole hay net forcing her to slow down?
ReplyDeleteTry a stall toy or two to help!
ReplyDeleteSlow feed hay net! one flake at night is ridiculous. That has to last them 8 hours...this is how ulcers start. I would ask if you can feed with a hay net. I pack mine full with half a bale and the horses pick at them all night.
ReplyDelete