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Post by Angel62197 on Aug 15, 2007 20:04:05 GMT -5
So I'm long familiar with the rule against feeding grass clippings, but a new dilema has popped up that piqued my interest.
A friend has a pasture that's gotten pretty dry (all the grass is brown, several inches tall), as is usual around this area unless you have awesome irrigation (they don't!). They've been watering areas with sprinklers/hoses, but haven't had much motivation to keep it up. Well, a neighbor asked if they could keep their horse there, and I wasn't sure about any issues with dry grass. Can it be toxic like clippings?
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Post by schwung on Aug 16, 2007 11:02:09 GMT -5
No, I don't think so - there just isn't much nutritional value in it. Even if the horse maintains weight on it (an easy keeper might) I would supplement with a good multivitamin, and the horse may not maintain weight on it so she may have to feed hay as well.
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Post by cat67 on Aug 16, 2007 11:09:16 GMT -5
The problem with grass clippings is typically that if they are in a bag, like a lawnmower bag, for even a short time, they begin to ferment and become highly toxic. You can hand pick grass from your front lawn and hand it to you horses and that's okay, but what most people want to do is mow with the bagging lawnmower and then dump the bag out for the horses - that's what's dangerous.
Dry grass, yeah, it won't do much for nutrition but it won't hurt them.
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Post by schwung on Aug 16, 2007 11:14:48 GMT -5
Even if you don't bag them, but the grass is really long and you mow, most mowers will leave clumps of grass and the clumps can ferment as well. However, if the weather is dry usually within a day or two the grass will dry out and then its fine. I keep horses off freshly mowed pastures until the clippings have turned brown, then its totally safe for them to be out on it.
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Post by schwung on Aug 16, 2007 11:16:50 GMT -5
Oh - and another reason you don't want to feed bagged clippings, even fresh ones that haven't had a chance to ferment, is the risk of choke and founder. Horses can gorge themselves on the clippings and choke on them, or eat too much of them quickly and founder.
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