Weasel
Member
- Location
- in the hills
Is it safe to let sheep graze a feild that's got a lot young ragwort in it, from about two inches to flowering stage?
Dina ken aboot that Willie.How ironic the most suicidal, death craving, animal known to man, can eat a poisonous plant with no I'll effect
I think l read somewhere that ragwort poisoning actually takes a long time, that's why it's more commonly found in horses because although you might find it in say a 10 year old horse, sheep never get to reach that age as they have either gone to meet with mint sauce or died of summat else long before then!If you graze ragwort (they're known as Yackyards in these parts) infested grass for long enough, with enough sheep they will eventually eat the heart out of the plants.
In the winter, these 'hollows' will fill with rainwater. A bit of frost will soften them up and eventually they will rot.
Not as quick or as efficient as a dose of something out of a sprayer tank, but a fair bit cheaper.
We've never had a dead sheep that was attributed to Yackyard poisoning.
Tell the hippies rushes, nettles and docks also.Ragwort is addictive to some horses as it contains alkaloids, but don't tell the hippies that. On second thoughts, do!
I graze a field in the spring that is coved in it with mule yearlings, they never do on it and for a month after do have a check.Best time to graze Ragwort with sheep is in the spring when they will happily eat the rosettes which prevent the plant from growing.
While it has always been said that sheep suffer no ill effects, I am less sure.
We have grazed large areas over the years with Shearlings and those that are exposed to it for a long time seem to have a higher death rate, although that might be due to poorer nutrition as the land is usually poorer to start with!!
They do a good job though!!