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Is Your Pasture Safe?

Is the grass starting to come up in your area? We finally got some rain and now our animals have something to eat in the pasture. Every morning, our horses, miniature donkeys, llamas and sheep all wait anxiously to run, play and graze. With the high hay prices, it's essential to have a safe and healthy pasture for grazing. Before the grass gets too high, it's a good time to do a safety check.


If you have horses, be sure to be on the look out for Yellow Starthistle. It doesn't take much for it to take over a field and it is very poisonous to horses. Starthistle causes nigropallidal encephalomalacia, also known as chewing disease. Only horses are known to be affected by this fatal nervous disorder, so make sure your pasture is free of Yellow Starthistle. For more information visit UC Davis' IPM site:

While you are out there checking on what's starting to grow in your pasture, be sure to watch out for ground squirrel holes. There's nothing like the beauty of horses galloping across a field. The last thing anyone wants to see is them falling and injuring their leg because of a ground squirrel hole.
 
 
You can get rid of the ground squirrels in many different ways. Baits work, but you run the risk of your dog or cat eating the poisoned ground squirrel. Also, the bait could kill other wildlife and birds of prey. Trapping is a good idea, but you are still left with the hazardous holes. The Burrow Blocker (www.burrowblocker.com) fills the holes, controls ground squirrels and prevents re-infestation at the same time.

After you make sure the grass is safe for grazing and the ground squirrel holes are filled, don't forget to check your fencing. Then it will be time to sit back, relax with a glass of wine or a beer and look out at your lovely view.
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  1. AnonymousJune 5, 2017 at 1:11 PM

    also you can get rid/even scare away the population of the squirrels with a PELLET GUN or also a BB GUN you can pick up in the nearest sport store for a fair price and are so easy to use.

    ReplyDelete

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