Dear Curiosity Journal,
I’m curious as to why all of the sheep and goats are so drawn to a burn pile in the pasture. They seem to enjoy climbing, licking, laying on, and rubbing up against the charred wood. Ralphy is especially into scratching his horns on the logs and coloring his head in black soot. Rufus mentioned that animals are drawn to singed wood due to some mineral deficiency and the burn pile acts as a sort of mineral block. So far, I’ve also read that animals like covering themselves in ashes because it helps reduce flies and that the animals are just curious about a new pile (a cure for boredom). I need to continue my research, but would love any farmer feedback. Have you experienced this phenomenon?
~Joy
