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Barnmice Community -> Barnmice Forums -> Stable Management -> Messy eater?
Post Info TOPIC: Messy eater?
sedonasilver


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Date: Jan 10, 2011
Messy eater?
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As a side note to my previous post re: feeding for weight gain - not heat, i was also wondering if anyone here has a messy eater?

Lorenzo scoffs his food so quickly that he does tend to drop a lot of it. He will go around later and clean up most of it from the ground, but i dont understand why he drops it in the first place?

He has his teeth checked once every 6 months and he always gets the thumbs up from the dentist, rarely needing sharp edges filed down.

My concerns are that he will be eating a lot of sand while he 'tidies up after himself'? He has had gastric issues in the past caused by sand in his stomach so because of this, i have him drenched twice a yearly.

Any suggestions? I thought perhaps putting a blue tarp under his feed bucket - or maybe feeding him in a bathtub/bigger feed bin? Are there any 'gimmecks' out there for this very problem?



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justice


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Date: Jan 10, 2011
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I have a messy one.. tends to share his food with the floor, too. So.. I put a couple bigger rocks in his feed tub. Slowed him down just enough, not the same mess. The tarp would work, or a matted area specifically dedicatd to his supper will help, too. Sometimes, there is no real reason for the mess, my boy eats heartily but with the mindset of a stoner eating popcorn at a movie : ) As long as the weight stays consistent, and the energy is there per usual, I let him be (no sand to worry about here).

-- Edited by justice on Monday 10th of January 2011 06:59:21 AM

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shaiarabs


Well Schooled

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Date: Jan 10, 2011
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he is possibly pigging out mate, because the volume is not what he is used too...

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Nikki Salo


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Date: Jan 10, 2011
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LOL Justice's stoner reference!

I had a messy eater as well, nothing was wrong - actually the equine dentist told me his jaw was too big and it was harder for him to get his feed back to his grinders + the fact that he was a really excited eater = mess all over the place.

Things to try:
A smaller bucket (I did this, it was harder for my horse to open his mouth like a vacuum)
Wet his feed (worked great with the smaller bucket idea, because the feed sticked together a bit, making him work at it)
Salt/mineral block in the bucket
Feeding hay before grain

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Queenrider


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Posts: 115
Date: Jan 11, 2011
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His jaws may be out of alignment. He may need some chiro.
You can also try a feed saver ring. Buy him a new feed tub and ask for one of these. It is a donut shape piece that fits on the top of the feed tub.

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