Why goats eat the ground and gnaw boards: causes and what to do, prevention

Funny and mischievous kids sometimes do things that are difficult to understand logically. Every farmer needs to know why goats eat damp earth. A seemingly harmless habit can have serious consequences for kids. Diseases, as well as unbalanced nutrition of animals, are pushing to eat the earth and other foreign objects.

Reason for this strange preference

The kid is prone to eating clods of earth for the following reasons:

• avitaminosis;
• worm infestation;
• immunodeficiency;
• stress, fear, anxiety;
• dysbacteriosis.

The basis of all the above conditions is the lack of vitamins and minerals in the goat's body. Eating the earth for more than 3-4 days is considered dangerous for the life of a kid. If the soil chewing habit persists, action must be taken.

Sometimes the tendency to chew the earth in kids can develop for other reasons:

1. Lack of s alt in food.
2. Desire to get rid of hairballs in the stomach.
3. The desire to taste the world.

Besides the earth, a young goat with illnesses and nutritional imbalances begins to sharpen its teeth with a board, chew bags and other garbage. If this behavior is not stopped immediately, there may be sad consequences for the animal's body.

Why does the goat actively gnaw on boards?

A young goat chews on boards like charcoal to cleanse its stomach of pesticides and nitrates found in modern crops. Here the wood acts as an absorbent. Another tree gives the goat the missing trace elements. Quite often kids eat bark from trees and young growth of shrubs within a radius of several kilometers around the grazing field.

What to do in such a situation?

The kid will stop eating clods of earth when his diet is optimized. In addition to hay, grains, vegetables and fresh grass, experienced farmers add bone meal, rich in phosphorus and calcium, to animal nutrition. Every goat in the flock should have access to s alt and fresh water.

It is sometimes useful to solder animals with special vitamin complexes, including B vitamins, which are scarce in simple food.

If the prevention of helminthic invasion has not been carried out for a long time, it must be carried out immediately. The drug that was used for animals in a particular farm earlier will do.

Possible consequences

A goat that eats earth constantly will definitely pick up parasites or helminthic eggs. Her body will suffer from nitrates and pesticides accumulated in the soil.

Important to know! The kidneys and liver of a goat after eating the earth will suffer in the first place. Then the damage will be done to the digestive system. There may be bloating and even volvulus.

When a kid refuses to eat after eating soil, bezoar disease can be suspected. Lumps of wool in the stomach interfere with digestion. In this case, you need to call a veterinarian and give the animal a suitable absorbent. Symptoms of poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea, can be caused by bacteria from the soil.Preventive measures will not help here. Vet assistance required.

Prevention

Prevention of eating land and boards is considered to improve the diet of animals. Feed should be selected from trusted manufacturers. Another preventive measure for this phenomenon is the timely examination of young animals on the farm. If the goat's tests are normal, then a simple vitamin complex will solve the problem of eating soil.

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