A Horse, of Course
by Don Blazer
Birds are singing, leaves are sprouting and foals are popping out just like Spring Poppies.
Soon those foals will be eating their mother's manure.
Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! You say!
No; natural!
A foal needs to, and does, eat small amounts of his mother's fresh manure. Known as coprohagia from the Greek kopros for feces and phagein for eating, it is normal behavior which helps get the foal's digestive system operating.
The manure provides "starter" bacteria the foal requires for the system of fermentation and digestion which enables his intestinal tract to handle solid food. In addition, the common environmental bacteria in the manure stimulate the foal's immune system, reducing the chances he'll get sick as he gets older. (Some also suggest possible parasites in the manure also stimulate the immune system. Others add the manure may contain additional B vitamins and protein which the foal needs.)
Eating only fresh manure lessens the chance the foal will be infected by the dam's parasites. It is necessary for the parasite eggs to pass through maturation stages in the manure before they're infective.
This normal and necessary behavior usually ceases by the time the foal is five months of age.
When this behavior is seen in adult horses, a warning alarm should be clanging in your head.
With adult horses, manure eating can be a habit, and the habit can be hard to stop.
When it is a habit, it usually has to do with inappropriate feeding, boredom and/or a lack of exercise.
If the horse is not getting enough roughage in his diet, the adult horse may turn to eating his own manure just for something to do. Studies show that it is extremely important and necessary for a horse to use his lips, picking through grasses and other kinds of forage. When he is not getting enough forage, he'll start using his lips, picking through and eating manure.
If a horse has been ill, and antibiotics have been used to rid the horse of persistent infection, the drugs may have killed off the beneficial intestinal bacteria as well as the bad. (The good bacteria, present in the gut of all horses, help prevent invasion by harmful bacteria or fungi. In addition, they help the horse gain the maximum nourishment from his food.) Eating manure may help the horse replenish the good bacteria.
Another way to get your horse's natural intestinal fauna replenished is to feed a "probiotic." Probiotics are a source of live, naturally occurring microorganisms.
When food is scarce horses will eat manure. A lack of fiber and protein may prompt the horse to begin the habit. In some cases the cause may be a lack of minerals in the horse's diet. Always feed loose salt on a daily basis. A mineralized salt block may help solve the problem.
If health and diet are okay, then boredom may be the cause of manure eating. A horse in confinement with nothing to do, or one turned out in a dirt paddock with no forage can begin the habit.
For horses turned out, be sure they have enough forage to last them the entire day. Feeding in the morning and then at night is not satisfactory if the horse must go for hours in between with nothing the munch on.
For confined horses, try a hay net outside his stall door so he can munch and watch outside activities at the same time.
Frequent cleaning of stalls and paddocks is a must.
But don't stop the foal from manure eating; for him, it's natural, it's a good thing.
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THE WAY OF HORSES
Proper nutrition and management practices can prevent many problems associated with caring for horses. You can learn how to provide your horse with a better life-style by taking the online course "How to Feed for Maximum Performance" taught by Eleanor Richards. Go to www.horsecoursesonline.com for more information. Contact Eleanor at
[email protected] or (440) 554-3714. Be sure to visit Eleanor's web site at www.thewayofhorses.com
Your Manure-eating Horse
It's terrible!
It's disgusting!
It's your horse eating manure!
Why does he do this?
If your horse happens to be a foal it is a perfectly natural behavior.
The digestive system of the foal is not designed for utilizing grain and forage. His nutrition is coming from milk. Lactase and maltose (enzymes) are present at this time to break down the milk sugars.
About three months of age the foal's digestive system starts to change, making it able to digest forage and grain. The foal now needs microbes. The manure from an adult horse contains microbes originating from the adult's large intestine. This first "solid meal" will inoculate the foal's digestive system. Some breeders will introduce a probiotic product designed for foals to aid the development of good bacteria in the digestive tract.
There may be several reasons an adult horse eats manure.
It is possible the adult horse is also adding to the microbial population in the hindgut by eating manure, but not likely.
If the horse has been receiving antibiotics the drugs may have killed the beneficial intestinal microbes as well as the bacteria which were causing the illness. Eating manure may help replenish the good bacteria.
Offering a probiotic during antibiotic treatment, and for several days after the treatment period, is a better way to keep the microbial population healthy.
But the habit of manure eating usually starts due to a of lack of, or inappropriate feed, stress or boredom…and sometimes a combination of these factors.
Horses need fiber in their diet. They are trickle feeders. Horses should graze or have access to forage on a continuous basis. Yes, some horses will get fat on a program of continuous forage, so chose your forage based on the horse's nutritional needs. Don't feed alfalfa or top quality grass hay to an "easy-keeper". Try to offer small frequent feedings instead of two large meals. Scatter the hay around the stall or pen to simulate grazing.
Horses not getting enough "chew time" or are lacking in roughage will look for that fiber elsewhere. It may be the wood in his stall, the bedding, his companion's mane… or manure.
Manure also contains some nutrients which were lost during the digestion process. If the horse's diet is not meeting his nutritional needs (especially minerals and vitamins) he may resort to eating manure. Make sure the grain is designed for the age, performance level and type of forage being offered; feed commercial products according to the manufacturer's feeding recommendations. Free choice salt should be available at all times.
Stress can also start the manure eating habit. Horses like routine. They like to be fed at the same time everyday. They feel safe in the same stall, with the same companions, with the same training schedule. Horses being moved from pen to pen, fed at 7 a.m. on one day and 10 a.m. the next day never get a chance to develop a routine. These horses may be nervous and resort to undesirable habits in an effort to comfort themselves.
Boredom is also a source of stress. A single horse with no stimulation or companionship may eat manure. Hang a hay net outside his stall door so he can munch and watch outside activities at the same time.
Even after making changes in the management of a horse that eats manure he may continue to eat it. It is a habit. Frequent cleaning of stalls and paddocks is very important. A good deworming schedule is also a must.
The correct name for the behavior is "coprophagia". The name comes from the Greek words "kopros" for feces and "phagein" for eating. Most just call it "yucky"!
Copyright©thewayofhorses
Eleanor Richards
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Coprophagia (Horses Eating Their Own Manure)
Hi Dr. Weiss, I hope you can help me. Recently I witnessed my horse eating her own poop in her stall. I have not seen her do this in the field. She's a 23-year-old Arab/Welch pony who is fed 1.5 lbs. of senior grain twice a day, and right now, until pasture comes in, she has access to unlimited hay. Now that I've seen this, I wonder how long it's been going on. Early in the morning, she does not have as much waste in her stall as my other pony does in his.
Why is she doing this, is it dangerous, and how can I get her to stop?
—Becky
This behavior has a fancy name—coprophagia. Coprophagia is regularly seen among foals, and while it does occur in adult horses, it is much less common. The behavior can occur because of dietary imbalances or boredom. I would begin by having a vet take a quick look at your horse's current diet to make sure it is complete. You might also discuss with your vet the possibility of running some blood work. Assuming all is normal with her diet and blood work, begin providing your horse with plenty of enrichment options while in her stall, such as lick treats, bobbing for apples in her water bucket or a scratching place. Also, be sure she has plenty of outdoor time turned out in a paddock. The behavior should decrease when she has more opportunity for enrichment.
