Minis eating wood in barn......

[Bellas Babies]

Notitced today that there are huge chunks or wood missing where someone has been eating it... Only our minis have acces to that stall I will try and get picts tomorrow- it is unbelieveable how much they have eaten... Why are they doing this?? I wouldnt think it would be good for them.... Any help... Thanks

 

[Marty]

It usually means they are bored and/or not getting enough nutritious hay.

i always am sure to hay mine very well when they are in the stalls for those reasons.

 

[Zoey3]

We changed our horses feed to omelene and put hot sauce on the wood. Worked for us.

 

[Mareish Mom]

Boredom, lack of minerals, or teething. My gelding was doing this and it turned out he was cutting his 4 years molars and they were aggravating him. The equine dentist cut his gums for him to help the teeth erupt and had me rub them twice a day until they were in and that was the end of the wood chewing.

 

[Carolyn R]

Usually a sign of pain, stress or boredom. Sometimes the fix is as easy as moving who they are stalled next to if it is stress related or giving them more hay in a slow feeder to keep them busier longer.make sure any wood that is getting chewed is not pressure treated.

 

[targetsmom]

Around here they chew wood on the outside of the barn after rain or snow storms when the wood is wet. I can usually predict when they will chew and spray liberally with Chew Stop (the stuff in the dark blue spray cans/sprayers). Nothing else works for our guys. Since ours only do it under certain conditions - and I think boredom plays a part - and most all do it, I don't think it indicates any huge problem with their diets, but in some cases it could. Chewing wood is not good for the barn OR the horses, so you need to find a way to stop it. I have also used wire netting or thin rubber matting in the stalls to cover especially easy to chew spots. Metal (i.e. angle iron) is very effective too. Slow hay feeders or more frequent feeding help too.

 

[Becky Horat]

We've had good success with the stuff you paint on the wood made for horses. Not sure the name of it. We bought it at our feed store and it came in a gallon paint can. It looks like a stain and is sort of oily. Works great...been on there for about a year.