Salt block chewer

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Kootenay

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Fruitvale B.C. (Canada)
Hi everyone ,

My mini Buddy has been chewing on his salt blocks and now ice since it is -13 Celsius or worse outside. It also seems that he has taught my rising two year old mini mare Sweet Pea to bite/grind the salt block. She used to lick it like any normal horse, but by watching Buddy 'Monkey See, Monkey Do.

I'm thinking of installing some kind of grate in the spot where I have it now (plastic milk crate). I just don't want to make it too hard for them to get at it, but not let them chew on it. I have to imagine that this is pretty darn hard on their teeth.

Is there any way to cure them of this? I can't possibly stop them from chewing on ice, as there is quite a bit of it out there at the moment (thick ice). I put used shavings and dirt on most of it, but they push that aside and still lick and chew at it.

I'm at my wits end.
 
If they are chewing the salt block it could be for 2 reasons. 1. they need more salt 2. theyre tounge is sore from licking it , horses tounges are softer then cattle so they can get sore on those blocks. My horses chew , or scrape with their teeth also. I have been giving them salt once a week in their hard food , and that seems to help a lot, they are not so desparately going at the salt block. You do want them to eat salt to encourage drinking water on those cold days. but make sure the water tubs are not frozen, or too cold for them to drink from. I add a bucket of very hot water a few times a day to make the temp better for drinking.
 
YUP my arab gelding chews his up within a week of putting it in!!!! I was told that free choice pure rock salt(water softener salt) is better for horses than salt licks as horses are chewers not lickers like cattle. They will only eat what they need. I might try this for the winter...
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what kind of salt block do you use?

I know there are some that are more for horses and some more for cows. The ingrediants can very slighty, maybe the hardness or roughness does as well.

I would possibly try a wall mounted salt block holder, or go to loose a salt-mineral combo instead of a block.

http://www.horseloverz.com/product.php?productid=146141
 
My post has nothing to do with them chewing a salt block, just something about a mineral block that I thought I'd share. I have a red mineral block in the barn that got pushed against (it was touching) the tin siding and actually ate a hole right through the siding on my barn.
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Shocked me when I saw the hole it left.
 
I have a gelding that you could not leave a salt block of any size with him. He would eat a 4# salt block within 2 days and would stand around for hours breaking off piece of a 50# block. My vet said that I needed to remove him from areas with salt blocks as he was going to damage his kidneys and use electrolites instead so he was given electrolites in his feed at each meal. I always feed mineral salt blocks.

We retired him from showing when he was 16 and he finally decided to quite eating salt by the chunk. He was alway allowed to stay outside except for a week before a show when he would come in and get clean up. Guess he just doesn't like so much salt now that he is a older gentleman.

My vet said that some horses just have an insasable craving for salt--just like some people do, but letting them have too much is not good--guess it is not good for us either.
 
I had a horse doing this at one time, my vet told me that taking the salt away for a week was good for all the horses and give them a break from free choice. If you feed processed grains (pellets) there is salt in there as well.

I don't know anything about the ice problem.
 
Are they bored and looking for something to chew on besides just the salt? I would not take their salt away, they need it and would not chew on it if they didnt need it. Sometimes mine chew it rather than lick it.

What are they getting to eat? Plenty of roughage to munch? I dont know about chewing on the ice, but it is not abnormal for them to chew the salt blocks.

Salt WILL eat through metal. Many years ago they used salt on the roads when there was bad ice during the winter, and cars would rust through and the metal would be eaten away from the salted roads. I never recommend putting salt in or on a metal object for that reason.
 
I'm with Laurie. Are you providing enough good hay out there? Buddy could be very bored or lacking roughage. Does he have a companion in with him?
 
I feed timothy hay twice a day (a flake and a half per feeding/per vet's orders because of Buddy's weight), and Buddy does have the company of my other miniature and a goat. They have about an acre of turnout. They could be bored, as I have not been out there a whole lot lately due to the cold snap we are having. The salt blocks are the red ones (iodione). There is no snow on the ground here yet, but the grass is dead and frozen, but the horses and goat wander around 'grazing' as well. I also do not feed any grain as they do not need it (per vet's orders).

Thank you for all the replies. I would have gotten on here yesterday to reply, but my internet connection was acting up.
 

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