foal eating mare's manure?

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Our boys were over at the neighbor's, and their week old foal ate it's mother's manure. The boys got grossed out, but the owner said, that is just nature. Foals eat the mother's manure.

Any comments on that?

-- homestead2 (homestead@localnetplus.com), May 08, 2001

Answers

It's a normal and needed item in their diet. It's the only way the foal can get its digestive system primed with the bacteria and such that it needs.

==>paul

-- paul (p@ledgewood-consulting.com), May 08, 2001.


Paul is absolutely correct! Perfectly normal and needed.

-- Dianne (willow@config.com), May 08, 2001.

Most animals do this, either their own or 'somebody' else's. Some must do this as adults, too... For those that don't, as adults if they eat manure it is usually because something is lacking in the diet.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), May 09, 2001.

yes they do that normally because they are not born with the intestinal flora momma has ,and this is how they recieve it.Folks should know if they are raising an orphan foal,this is available in a product called probiotic.(it does the same thing)and we use it on horses with digestive upsets....teri

-- teri (mrs_smurf@yahoo.ca), May 11, 2001.

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