Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Culprit?

Maybe whining actually is productive, look what made an appearance today...

It made it nearly up to 30 degrees and NO WIND.  Everyone spent the entire day basking in the sun.


I have been finding quite a bit of this in my hay, it's Canadian Thistle....

It's very prickly, but in no way toxic.  In fact, it is highly nutritious and the donkeys actually like the stuff.  Tessa avoids it, Gabe....I don't know.  It would be just like him to rush in, gobble this down and then complain about the prickers for the next two weeks.  It seems odd to me that he has more trouble with loose hay than the nets though.  With loose hay he could sift through and avoid this stuff like every other horse I know, but then again....he is a stinking hog.  I need to watch and study on it some more.



8 comments:

  1. I can see how being a pig would get him into trouble with loose hay. We have a cat that eats too fast and can never keep anything down because she's more concerned with how fast she can eat than actually eating. Maybe he doesn't chew his food as much when he takes larger bites?

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  2. It just blows my mind when I see the donkeys munching happily on a thistle. How can they do this !! Ouch !

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  3. Funny, we get loads of thistles growing in the field (It's Scotland, whaddya expect?) & Dougie Donk actively seeks them out to eat the heads. I wonder if there is some mineral that is more concentrated than in the grass, or it's just novelty value? the horses show no interest at all. I feel some research coming on :)

    Re. Gabe being happier eating from haynets - is there any chance he could have a sore neck or back? Just occured to me that hayneys being hun off the floor might be what's making it easier for him?

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    1. I know thistles are very high in protein and I have always heard that they are quite nutritious. The donkeys eat such a wide variety of things that I never see the horses eat. It is fascinating.

      I don't think the trouble is in Gabe's neck. I have been leaving the hay nets on the ground, it doesn't seem to matter if his food is up or down. And then there is the way he keeps rubbing his face.....

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    2. Mmm, missed the bit about rubbing his face. Maybe the sort of allergy that causes headshaking? It's a bit early in the yera for that, but maybe worth turning him out with a flymask & nose cover for a few days, just to see?

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  4. Great pics again today, and yes that sun yesterday was a welcome change! The net that the donkeys are eating from looks just like my Cinch Chix nets, are you by any chance interested in two more? I have the whole-bale and half-bale sizes, but the 1" holes are too small for my horses. They cost $182 new, I'm asking $100 for both. Maybe one of your readers might be interested?

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    1. Wow, prices your side of the Atlantic are steep. A half bale small hole hay/haylege net costs around £6-10 pounds here ($8.79 - $14.65 )

      Maybe I should be in exporting?

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  5. My elderly Palomino gelding would eat the heads of thistle also. I believe it is a self medicating/ilness prevention behaviour. Milk thistle seeds contain silymarin which is very good medicine indeed.

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