Eating Dirt

[Bonny]

I have heard that a lot of mares will eat dirt as they get close to foaling to possibly build up antibodies for their foal. Ive also heard if a horse eats dirt they are lacking certain minerals.

I dont know if its true or not, but Katie has been eating dirt every day for the past few days. She has 2 different salt/mineral blocks in her stall, which she has complete access to. She barely touches them. One is the red bricks you can buy for horses and one is a redmond rock "all natural" salt mineral rock.

When Bonny was in the last week of pregnancy she would also lick the dirt. But Katie chomps it.

Her feed is a dry mix and a 14% pellet mixed. I give her Farnman mare and foal supplement on top of it every day. She gets the recommended dose split for each feeding.

 

[Miniv]

Well, since she can't tell you what she feels she's missing in her diet (and I agree with you, that's probably what it is), all you can do is provide everything you can and make sure she is getting enough water and moist food as possible...... Wet beet pulp may help, and Metamucil type products? Anything to keep her gut flowing. Good luck.

Just a thought.......Could she be wanting calcium?

 

[Bonny]

She has a 5 gallon bucket of fresh water at all times, she gets daily turn out for typically 5 plus hours to grass. She also has free choice coastal hay in her stall.

I can imagine with all she has access to its a deficiency in anything. Her dry mix has everything in it including a 14% pellet. With the farnman mare and foal supplement she should be set to go???

What else could I possibly put out? I have a loose mineral supplement and have offered it to her several times, she never touches it.

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

This is a long shot but have you tried giving electrolytes? Metamucil maybe? Couldn't hurt to try it. 

 

[Bonny]

I can do that. I have both I can offer her.

 

[Allure Ranch]

Typically any time I've ever seen my horses eating any dirt, tree bark ect. that usually means they have a deficiency in there diet.

 

[Riverrose28]

This is a long shot but have you tried giving electrolytes? Metamucil maybe? Couldn't hurt to try it. 

I agree, put a bucket of water in her stall with electolytes and also a regular bucket of water, this is what my vet recommended to me, If she needs the electolytes she will drink from that bucket, but she has a choice.

 

[Marty]

Check out my thread about minierals. I'm using Purina 12 12 free choice minerals and they must have put some candy in it because I can't keep mine off of the stuff! geesh crazy animal life.

 

[whitney]

She might have an upset stomach, horses will eat dirt, eat alot of salt, minerals, curl their lip, yawn if their stomach is upset. Clay pulls toxins from the gut. I have a bentonite clay brick in all my horses stalls. They will lick them for a day or two and then leave them alone for months.... My bred grey mare was licking hers three days ago, and has left it alone for the last two. She had intermittent loose stool the day she started licking on the clay brick it firmed up the next day.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Whitney, I've never heard of the clay you speak of. Where do you get it? Feed store?

 

[Eagle]

HI, You could always have a blood test done, that way you will find out for sure if she is missing something. I test mine in both winter and summer. My stallion this fall needed Selenium (sp)

good luck.

 

[cretahillsgal]

Try adding a small amount of alfalfa hay or pellets each day.

 

[Bonny]

Thanks yall. I will do that too.