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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
   
Location: Pacific Northwest | I need ideas for a horse that drops his grain when he eats. He's 14 and we've had him for 10 years, he's done this since the day we brought him home (I honestly thought he had never eaten grain the first time I fed him, he was way worse back when we first got him).
He's always been kept up to date on his teeth so I don't think that's it but I could be wrong. He takes REALLY big bites, like entire mouthfulls, and then walks in a circle around his stall and drops grain the whole time. He doesn't try to eat fast, he just doesn't pick at his grain with his lips the way most horses do. For years I've fed him in a feed bag but they keep ripping...I'm trying to see if there's something else I can do before I buy yet another feed bag? What if I put really big rocks in the feed tub so that he had to pick at his grain with his lips like a normal horse instead of shoveling it in his mouth like a starving hippo...?
I wouldn't really care so much but he gets supplements that he needs...he's on a hoof supplement and Lung Aid. I don't really like watching that spill onto the ground, it's like watching money pour out of his mouth haha.
He doesn't drop hay, he's fine with eating that lol. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
Location: The South | My horse used to do that too, he was such a piglet. I put a small salt lick in his feed so he had to move it around to eat. That helped a lot. It was one of the brick sized salt licks. Good luck! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 972
Location: Texas! | My gelding has ALWAYS dropped his grain, it drives me insane  Regular teeth floats and still does it. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| My 17 year old was doing that. My vet brought a new guy into his practice and he came out to cover his call two weeks ago. I asked him to check her teeth (just had them done about a year and a half ago). Her bite was misaligned (just worn that way from how she chews). You could see it when you look at her front teeth, the left was worn down further than the right. He floated her and evened out her front teeth, and now she isn't dropping grain anymore. One side of her back teeth weren't able to fully touch due to the misalignment.
On a bonus note, looking at her teeth she looks younger now. LOL! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | The big rocks are a good ideal, or put a salt brick in his feed tub. I have one that likes to take big mouth fulls of feed to and I hate seeing the feed hit the ground. Or another thing you could try just feed him a little bit at a time, and then build it back up, maybe by then he might start getting some table manners.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 615
Location: kentucky | Here is what I finally did ! I was sick of seeing him pull his head out of the feed bucket every time he took a bite ! He was dropping his grain everwhere ! It was killing me ! I have been doing this for about a month now and he has also gained a lot of weight ! It works like a charm ! LOL !
Edited by boldbonanzarocks 2013-11-23 2:33 PM
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | Put a salt lick in like others have said. These guys are horse versions of people who chew with their mouth open, my old guy does too. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3534
Location: Stuck in a cubicle having tropical thoughts | I always either spray water from the hose or dump water from a bucket on their grain which slightly turns it in a bran mush. I have been doing this 4-5 years now and they love it and waste way less. They love it so much that I have trouble getting them to eat grain dry now
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  Ms. Manners
Posts: 1820
Location: Oklahoma | boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 2:27 PM Here is what I finally did ! I was sick of seeing him pull his head out of the feed bucket every time he took a bite ! He was dropping his grain everwhere ! It was killing me ! I have been doing this for about a month now and he has also gained a lot of weight ! It works like a charm ! LOL !
Such a simple solution that didn't come to my mind lol. I was thinking to tie him up and put smooth rocks in his bucket, but the feed bag method is fail safe :) |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 615
Location: kentucky | Morab76 - 2013-11-23 8:09 PM boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 2:27 PM Here is what I finally did ! I was sick of seeing him pull his head out of the feed bucket every time he took a bite ! He was dropping his grain everwhere ! It was killing me ! I have been doing this for about a month now and he has also gained a lot of weight ! It works like a charm ! LOL ! Such a simple solution that didn't come to my mind lol. I was thinking to tie him up and put smooth rocks in his bucket, but the feed bag method is fail safe :)
I tried the rocks and salt blocks and he would throw them out of his bucket ! LOL ! |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 8:53 PM Morab76 - 2013-11-23 8:09 PM boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 2:27 PM Here is what I finally did ! I was sick of seeing him pull his head out of the feed bucket every time he took a bite ! He was dropping his grain everwhere ! It was killing me ! I have been doing this for about a month now and he has also gained a lot of weight ! It works like a charm ! LOL ! Such a simple solution that didn't come to my mind lol. I was thinking to tie him up and put smooth rocks in his bucket, but the feed bag method is fail safe :)
Try a deeper bucket  |
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 Dog Piling Expert
Posts: 5868
Location: Elkview, WV | I have a gelding that will drop a ton of feed if I give it dry. I actually had forgotten how bad he was because I feed pellets so always soak. I fill a juice jug with hot water and dump up on his grain while I'm getting everyone's supplements added and such. Within a few minutes it's a mash and he eats it fine. |
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 Works Hard For The Money
Posts: 4469
Location: Memphis, TN | I've heard a lot of good things about Prevent Feeders. I haven't personally used one though. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 615
Location: kentucky | Southtxponygirl - 2013-11-23 8:58 PM boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 8:53 PM Morab76 - 2013-11-23 8:09 PM boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 2:27 PM Here is what I finally did ! I was sick of seeing him pull his head out of the feed bucket every time he took a bite ! He was dropping his grain everwhere ! It was killing me ! I have been doing this for about a month now and he has also gained a lot of weight ! It works like a charm ! LOL ! Such a simple solution that didn't come to my mind lol. I was thinking to tie him up and put smooth rocks in his bucket, but the feed bag method is fail safe :)
I have He must throw them out with his teeth or something !!!! |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 10:26 PM Southtxponygirl - 2013-11-23 8:58 PM boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 8:53 PM Morab76 - 2013-11-23 8:09 PM boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-23 2:27 PM Here is what I finally did ! I was sick of seeing him pull his head out of the feed bucket every time he took a bite ! He was dropping his grain everwhere ! It was killing me ! I have been doing this for about a month now and he has also gained a lot of weight ! It works like a charm ! LOL ! Such a simple solution that didn't come to my mind lol. I was thinking to tie him up and put smooth rocks in his bucket, but the feed bag method is fail safe :)
Oh no  |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | You can get those buckets that have a ring around the top to keep horses from flinging out their feed while eating.  |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Let me if these will upload, but these are what I used to use when I had a horse that like to scoop his feed out while eating.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 615
Location: kentucky | Southtxponygirl - 2013-11-23 10:49 PM Let me if these will upload, but these are what I used to use when I had a horse that like to scoop his feed out while eating.
This still does not help if you have a horse that takes his head out of the feed bucket after they take a bite, the feed falls out of there mouth ! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 364
| I hand feed mine. Problem solved. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | boldbonanzarocks - 2013-11-24 7:26 AM Southtxponygirl - 2013-11-23 10:49 PM Let me if these will upload, but these are what I used to use when I had a horse that like to scoop his feed out while eating. This still does not help if you have a horse that takes his head out of the feed bucket after they take a bite, the feed falls out of there mouth !
Its to help keep the rocks and salt brick in the bucket they cant scoop them out because the ring will help hold them in, I know that they can take their head out while they are eating and still drop feed all over the place DUD!!!!!!!!!  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
Location: PA | What is his feed like? My one gelding got a sweet/oat mix and if he got a bite with oats he spit them out, and just try eating his sweet feed. |
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 Sorry I don't have any advice
Posts: 1975
Location: Sunnyland Florida |
I've owned two very bad feed droppers. What works best for me is to feed in a normal corner feeder and put down a rubber stall matt that covers every direction he spills. Keep a broom by his stall and sweep the rubber matt clean before feeding that horse. This way they get to eat everything they dropped. |
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 Blackbelt Babe
Posts: 9405
Location: South Georgia Good o'l USA | probably already posted but....if his teeth are regularly floated...try salt blocks in the tub or....stick with the feed bags,...some are just pigs like that.
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