Oak trees

[Warped]

Just wondering if anyone has oak trees in their pasture.
We currently have 3 huge oak trees that shade a large portion of our pasture. But right now the acorns are falling and i'm afraid my donkey,or horses might eat them.I have heard they contain tannins and can make them sick or even cause death.

Should we fence the trees off from them???

 

[lupinfarm]

I have oaks on the outside of my pasture, but they do drop acorns into the pasture and my mare has no interest in them. I would fence it off, and when you're down there try to pick up acorns and take them away.

 

[Warped]

I have oaks on the outside of my pasture, but they do drop acorns into the pasture and my mare has no interest in them. I would fence it off, and when you're down there try to pick up acorns and take them away.

Okay..i will do that.

 

[Bronco Hollow]

I have 12 acres of pasture - ok mountain terrain - of Oak trees - water oaks and white oak. There are hundreds of them. There is no way I could possibly fence off oaks - nor could all the folks with horses in this rich horse country could. Its a fact of life here.

Here is what three vets have told me..... Unless your horse is starving, eating the acorns will not affect them. After 5 years of watching my horses thinking acorns are falling from the heavens and scarfing them like no tomorrow, I've never had a problem.

I had a stressed oak tree snap about a month ago... my horses have devoured every twig, leaf, acorn and bark from that tree. I have a bare trunk and limbs and still they gnaw away at it.

Of-course there is always the one in a million that one will - so there you go. Horses are foragers... eating tress are natural to them.

 

[freemotion]

I have spent many years around many horses and only knew one mare who would gorge on acorns and had to be restricted. It was just until the squirrels did their thing and cleaned up, though. Just watch your horses and make sure no one is collecting acorns. An occasional one eaten while grazing is one thing, but gorging is another.

I have one pygmy-x doe who will eat herself sick if I let her and no one else will touch them. I have red oaks in my pasture, which are among the more bitter type. White oaks are sweeter, so can be more tempting. Look for leaves that have very rounded lobes with no spikes or points, those are white oaks.