[AlpacaTalk] RE: Poisonous plants?
<<< So sorry for your loss. Just lost
one of mine. Wild Cherry tree
leaves are very toxic when they are green.
Shirley Dillon>>>
I am so sorry for both you and Ken's loss :-(. So tragic to lose one.
I buried many before last summer when I spent $1000s to have all the
wild cherry trees removed from pastures. They were very tall and skinny
(trying to reach the sun) and I too thought it was the green leaves that
were the problem so I wasn't considering that as a possibility as they
could not possibly reach any of the leaves. Much to my sadness I was
finally told that no, the green leaves are not a problem, it is the
falling/fallen wilting and wilted leaves that are toxic, and indeed can
kill cattle (the power co contractors told me that if they are trimming
branches along a pasture they are required to enter the pasture and
remove any limbs/leaves (wild cherry or maple) that fall on that side.
Then once they are totally dry they are no longer toxic. I had too many
to keep the leaves cleaned up so I had to decimate their woods (and
shade). I hated doing it, but I have not buried an alpaca since. Thank
goodness.
I have always let my guys out into the yard for a treat and for new
"experiences"
apples alone - they *love* those leaves and fruit. They strip the side
of the apple and fig trees that they can reach from their pasture by
standing/climbing the fence. Now that that harvest season is almost
over I will likely start letting them back out again to browse. I
really enjoy seeing them roaming and pronging about the yard. We do the
same for the horses, letting them out to graze the grass in the "yard"
(10 acres). They will quickly suck up any apples they can find on the
ground, but do not eat the leaves, so I just make sure to collect any
fallen apples before I let them out.
Again, my condolences, Janice
PS After ridding myself of the wild cherry danger (btw I was told *any*
pit fruit tree wilting leaves will be just as toxic so I also removed a
wild plum in their pasture), this year the danger has been from coyote
and bobcat. Both were roaming quite close to the pastures, both front
and back earlier this year. Their voices sent frigid chills down my
spine nightly. Every night I was out several times - 1AM, and 3ishAM
doing what I came to call my "walkabout" with flashlights and my german
shepard. It was frightening and exhausting. I had had 2 bobcat attacks
in the pastures - one got a female cayuga duck and nearly killed my most
curious and personable alpaca (slashing his neck in several places right
to the bone - I can just see it in my mind's eye as he would have been
the one to go investigate what was going on when the cat was taking the
duck - not a small duck by any means and it would have been a ruckus).
About the time I got that healed up (goldenseal, diapers, and duct tape
- he was quite a sight!), a month or so later, another attack left my
sweetest female blind in one eye and she nearly lost the eyeball.
Since I put 2 great pyrennes puppies out there I have not heard one
single blood curdling scream in the night. They are still puppies and I
was not supposed to trust them with my livestock untilk they were 2yo.
They were in a pen in the pasture and at first only allowed out while I
was there to supervise. But finally as the screams came closer and
closer, even tho I had moved the alpacas to the pasture close to the
house/bedroom window, still the coyote/bobcat (I had both out here this
year) was coming closer and closer. One night while I heard it
shrieking/screechin
let the pups out. I have never heard it again. They now get to be free
with the alpacas every night, but they are indeed not trustworthy around
the fowl, so stay in their pen in the pasture during the day. In fact I
was having such trouble with one of them chasing the ducks, that I moved
the duck pen and attached it to the side of the doggie day pen so they
could stay nose to nose all day - hahaha. And there is a electric wire
around the inside of their pen so if they make a move towards the duck
(the ducks get rotated around so always different ones in that pen,
while the others are free) they get zapped. They no longer pay any
attention to those ducks! Now they go after the chickens, so they still
have to stay penned up during the day while the birds are out. But they
are only 5 mos old and definitely have earned their place here.
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posted by Chaddo at 7:28 AM
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