Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: Alpaca in the Back Yard
Hey Ken,
I am not sure who told you that Queen Anne's Lace (QAL) is poisonous, but they are wrong. I think what may have happened is that they or you have confused QAL with Poison Hemlock which is very similar, but easily differentiated. QAL is also called wild carrot, and you can easily smell that carrot smell when you cut the stem.
Poison hemlock grows taller and has a very similar, but more open flower. When the flower (actually flowers) dry, they retain their shape, while QAL will curl when they dry forming a bird's nest shape. Poison Hemlock is a biennial as is Queen Anne's Lace, and both are easily brought into control with timely mowing.
Poison Hemlock has already bloomed and the plant is drying down now, but it can be distinguished by red or purplish spots on its stem. When you cut it the aroma reminds me of peanuts. The QAL is blooming now in mid Ohio and probably still is in Kentucky. It's is shorter growing, usually 3 feet compared to the 3 to 7 foot growth of hemlock.
Alpacas will actually avoid both, but will graze them if a pasture is overgrazed. The hemlock could be a problem, but the Queen Anne's Lace is not.
Be sure to mow the blooming plants now, for you will interrupt them setting seed. The plants blooming now will die this year, but you still will have some that germinated this year that will grow and bloom next year and if you mow them, you will only have a few that come up in your pastures as latent seed might germinate.
Good Luck and I hope you can relax now...unless you have poison hemlock which is very common around here, but not as common as Queen Anne's Lace.
Laurel
The Shouvlins
Bluebird Hills Farm
Springfield, Ohio
937-206-3936
www.bluebirdhills.
bluebirdhills@
>
> That post might have been from me. I lost a sweet girl last fall after
> opening up my front yard to the Alpaca. After a couple months of no
> problems, Willa tried eating some Taxus Yew. A very common evergreen
> shrub used around houses. My horse friends had missed them since animals
> tend to leave them alone because they are so poisonous.
> Only takes a small mouthful. I cut them all down along with all my
> Boxwoods. House is mostly barren now but the kids are safe. I never knew
> there were so many poisonous plants in Ky ! I just found out Queen Anne's
> Lace is bad and it grows everywhere. It has to be in the bales of hay I
> get. Just not in sufficient quantity.
>
> Ken Hoh
> Alpaca Hoh Ranch LLC
> Owenton, Kentucky
>
> --- In AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
> wrote:
>>
>> The only red flag I see is making sure you have no plants or
>> bushes or trees that are toxic to the alpacas. I remember reading about
>> an
>> alpaca that died after grazing on the front lawn. It had eaten
>> something..but I can't remember what. Azalea? Something that is
>> normally a
>> landscape plant in a household yard. Does anyone else remember this?
>>
>>
>>
>> I would love to let our goats graze but they head straight
>> for
>> my Burning Bushes....then the Crape Myrtles!
>>
>>
>>
>> We finally had some rain but need more. People are in a
>> panic
>> over not enough hay to see them through winter and sales have been cut
>> off
>> by some of the hay providers. We have enough but wanted to stock up on
>> more.
>>
>>
>>
>> Laura
>>
>>
>>
>> Laura Roberts
>>
>> R Half Pint Farm
>>
>> Spotsylvania, VA
>>
>>
>>
>> _____
>>
>>
From: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
>> Behalf Of hjsilversonic
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 12:56 PM
>> To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
>> Subject: [AlpacaTalk] Alpaca in the Back Yard
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> So it's been raining so much in northern Missouri that the farmers are
>> having trouble getting their hay put up dry. Until last week we had been
>> buying the tail end of last year's hay. The alpacas and sheep (I have 2
>> of
>> each) were not eating it at all (the horses were eating it grudgingly)
>> and I
>> was becoming desparate because my fiber critters were getting very thin.
>> I
>> had my husband put a gate through the back yard fence so I could let the
>> alpacas and sheep into the back yard. Now they're out grazing under the
>> swing set. So far they're leaving the strawberries and tomatoes alone. I
>> feel like a Clampett but I guess it's worth it to see them put on
>> weight. I
>> was afraid at first that our dog might be a problem but Kip, our cocker
>> spaniel, leaves them totally alone. I guess they are used to each other
>> since they've lived across the fence from each other for 5 years.
>>
>> Well, I just wanted to share my happy story with people who care about
>> alpacas. Everyone else in the neighborhood are horse people since we
>> live on
>> a 2,000 acre horse park. They're just happy when the critters don't baa
>> and
>> squeal when they ride by and spook the horses. :-)
>>
>> Jacqueline Jacobson,
>> Lone Jack Fiber Mill
>> www.lonejackfiber.
>>
>
>
>
posted by Chaddo at 4:13 AM
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