My 6 month colt has slightly runny manure today? Experienced people please..?

Question

My 6 month colt I noticed had slightly runny poo today, not worryingly so, but Im just a bit concerned..

I have been feeding him a full can of crimped oat/barley mix with a handful of soaked pulp twice a day plus he has all day free access to chaff (instead of hay because you cant get hay in the area in the country I live in - I live in a rural part of Turkey)

Anyway, lately, he has hardly eaten much of his chaff at all but really enjoys his grain mix.

Do you think I am giving him too much grain to have made him eat less of his chaff?

The problem is I am trying to get some weight on him as he needs filling out. My old question about him is here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AncSXi_ZEfwtXaei1h8qP3Xsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080727123318AAT5tp9

I'd love advice from anyone here if possible. Im finding it rather worrying putting him on the right stuff as we dont have bagged horse feed here.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Sounds to me like he needs more fiber.  Cut back on the oat/barely mix, and make his diet mostly chaff and pulp (beet pulp, I'm assuming)?  His little belly can probably only hold so much so he is going for the "good" stuff first...which is the oats and barley.  Then he probably doesn't have as much room for the chaff.

Beet pulp has a lot of fiber and fat, and you can feed it in bulk without worrying about colic so I think that would be a really good thing to give him in addition to his chaff.  I wouldn't even bother with the other stuff, except for maybe a handful here and there to make his pulp taste better or as a treat.

EDIT:  Cotton pulp...never heard of it as a horse feed, I'm gonna have to look that one up (you learn something new everyday)!

Answer 2

hi

sorry if this seems obvious but is there any chance he may have worms runny poo is the first sign

maybe cut down the grain he needs the fibre from the chaff to help keep his tummy in good working order if horses do not get enough fibre this will cause the runs too

Answer 3

Well i'd call what he has 'scour'. In a young horse i personnally wouldnt worry too much. But since he is 6 months, you should dose him for worms. The oat/barley would be make him quite high rather than a cool feed, if he's agitated because of the feed then that may be why he's scouring. His diets a bit unusual for a foal i think... he'd be better off on a simpler feed. But deff keep up the soaked pulp (great for system) but you didnt say his size or weight so you could well be over-feeding the pulp which could also lead to scour. If you crossed out every other option then you should get him checked out by a vet (especially if the scour lasts more than 2/3 days). If scour is serious it could be a problem with the liver. Its unlikely at his age, but check his gums and eye membranes for a yellow tinge (jaundice). Good luck and hope he's ok, will check out your other question now =]

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