scottie1
Full Member
lady fillis
Posts: 468
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Post by scottie1 on Dec 12, 2008 18:33:28 GMT
my friends 3 ponies have decided to demolish her trees by eating off the bark.is it boerdom?hunger.vitamins?
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Post by anotherdeal1 on Dec 12, 2008 19:21:10 GMT
hunger and a lack of something in the diet but the two go hand in hand i would have said!
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poppy
Junior Member
Posts: 182
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Post by poppy on Dec 12, 2008 19:57:02 GMT
Horse and ponies often do this in the winter and early spring, the damp will soften tree bark, and as it contains some nutrient, they get a liking for it as it provides some roughage, they especially like younger trees! Beware though , it is possible to cause choke, so the trees should have some sort of protective fence around them as it will eventually kill them. Providing ad lib hay, salt licks and maybe a mineral lick, will help, but as in the wild, they are searching for food, and it is an instinct to do this, distraction and a full belly , will definately help!
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Post by kitty on Dec 13, 2008 10:57:28 GMT
Yes I agree with Poppy, it's a good idea to provide a mineral or other lick for the field. You can buy the big tubs for outside use at a reasonable price; they're really tasty and smell delicious If the grazing is a bit sparse due to the time of year and the grass losing it's goodness, always make sure that there is plenty of good quality hay available (I'm sure your friend is probably doing that anyway). In some cases, once the ponies have had a taste of the bark, they will always go back for more so maybe fencing around the trees is the sensible option to safeguard both ponies and trees! A friend of mine had to move her ponies to another field as they were still managing to get to the tree by pushing down the fencing (they were naughty little dartmoors though ) but that is not always an option when you don't have the extra grazing. I hope this info. has helped and 'good luck' to your friend.
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Post by cayberry on Dec 13, 2008 12:06:48 GMT
I have one that will leave all the grass to demolish a tree! but find mineral/salt licks do help reduce her passion for bark.
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scottie1
Full Member
lady fillis
Posts: 468
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Post by scottie1 on Dec 13, 2008 17:26:25 GMT
thanks all
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Post by equinim on Dec 13, 2008 20:13:11 GMT
my new forest mane makes a b line for bark even when full and in summer."foxview knows as she demolished her tree!). often the native are more prone to doing this due to their survival instincts i suppose.
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Post by foxviewstud on Dec 14, 2008 9:45:56 GMT
that mare likes anything wooden!! she actually ate all the bark round the tree and then started to chew into the tree causing it to fall down and was with salt licks and mineral blocks
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Post by Mya And Spangles on Dec 14, 2008 18:31:44 GMT
Horses who eat wood usually are lacking in fiber so i got told all of ours use to do it then we put them on fiber cubes and they stopped it straight away but it doesnt work for all of them. hope it helps Jess xx
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