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Discussion on Weanling Chewing Wood
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Member:
Leec
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 - 11:52 pm:
Hi All,
We all know that horses often develop vices due to confinement and lack of horse company. My 10 month old Appendix filly chews wood even though she has the company of another weanling and 3 acres or more of turn out. Keep in mind we have snow on the ground, so there is no grazing. However, hay is scattered over a large area. She has only been living in this environment for a little over 3 weeks (check out the details of this filly’s situation under Medications/Sedatives & Anesthetics/Discussions on... not covered above/Sedate filly recovering from injury for trailering...??? – easier than me explaining the whole thing again). It was easy to stay on top of her chewing, with products made just for that, in her original 30’x40’ pen. However, where she is now, the area is just far too large to treat and upkeep in such a way. Sadly, I’ve been asked to take her home due to her destructive behavior Is it possible this behavior will lessen as she gets older if the conditions remain right (company and turn out)? Is this amount of chewing perhaps not uncommon for horses her age (teething, entertainment)? Is this behavior due to being weaned too early? Daily she is getting 8 lbs of Phase 1 (16% crude protein grain mixture formulated for foals to 1 year) and free choice alfalfa/grass hay. She has access to a mineral/salt lick and water at all times. I think some of it may be personality related – she is curious and likes to be busy, as was her mother, who sometimes chewed, but not enough to be an issue. HELP!!! Other than building everything out of steel or aluminum or electrifying everything, does anyone have any suggestions????
Lee C
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 - 10:15 am:
Lee you seem to have all the management bases covered how about putting a couple of tough large rubber balls in the paddock? We have one stallion that loves to kick it around in his small pasture and it keeps him occupied for hours. It is uncertain that any of the historical things you list have brought this on but teething is a possibility.
DrO
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Member:
Leec
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 - 11:57 am:
Hi DrO
She has balls and does play with them, she also has one of those Lick-It things hanging from the ceiling in her shelter. There is a tarp hanging between two trees that she musses with. I throw cardboard boxes in for her (without the staples) and she absolutely LOVES those - I think it's because she can destroy them and gets a sense of accomplishment. However, she still finds time to chew a lot - maybe the chewing gives her sense of accomplishment as well, the wood gets smaller and smaller as she chews... Interestingly enough, she really didn't seem that interested in the other weanling as a plaything - they would run together, but she avoided contact sports with him (he was not aggressive). I was hoping she would take some of her 'mouthiness' out on him. My vet is due up on March 4 to do some vacs, so I'll get her teeth checked and have her palpated for any kind of pain elsewhere. Let me know if there's anything else you can think of that she could look for while she's here.
Lee C
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Member:
Hwood
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 - 3:16 pm:
Lee,
Do you have any poplars around? Old Christmas Trees?
If you are trimming any poplars, throw those in . . . some horses love to strip them. Of course, if you are trying to get her to stop chewing wood at all, then that might not be the thing to do.
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Member:
Liliana5
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 - 4:33 pm:
Maybe she just misses her mum! Isn't it easier to get mum to tell them when to stop suckling than to have all these vices develop?
Just a thought
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Member:
Liliana5
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 - 4:39 pm:
Oh btw I could not help giggling with the first few words on your second post!... She has balls and she does play with them. mmm Isn’t she a filly??!!  ups
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Member:
Leec
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 - 11:47 pm:
Holly, I was letting her de-bark rails to distract her from the fences, but then she started to notice the trees, the living ones. So, I canned that and she has not been bothering the living trees since... Ha, ha! I love it - about the balls! Hilarious! How did I miss that when I proof read!? Thanks for pointing it out, I needed a laugh! Under different circumstances I'm sure she probably would have been better off with her mother longer, but mum has been sold, so can't go back there. Not sure if you read the other post I noted Liliana, but she was weaned early because of an injury that forced her to be confined. Her mother could not cope with the confinement and we felt (my vet included) her behaviour was going to cause further injury to her foal.
Lee C
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Member:
Leec
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Posted on Monday, Feb 27, 2006 - 12:26 am:
Just to follow up... I have had my girl back home now for 3 days. The first 2 confined in her small pen, whilst I worked in knee deep snow to make her pasture as safe as possible. Anyway, I saw none of the obsessive chewing that she was doing at my neighbors - even after being cooped up for 2 days. Could it be that even though she had turn out and the company of another horse at the other place, it caused her anxiety? She led home fine and other than calling a couple of times, she settled right in. Her first turn out in our pasture today went really well. Her and I trudged through the snow together until we were leaning on each other and out of breath - great fun! She was fine out there on her own after I left her. She preferred picking at the dried grass poking out of the snow over the alfalfa I offered her. So, perhaps wood chewing problem solved...
Lee C
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