cows eating acorn

[jbar]

i have lots of oak trees and they are loaded this yr. should i take precautions like fence them out of the woods??? :help: :cboy:

 

[Scotty]

Yes. Try to keep them away if posible until a good freez. Feed some hay to keep them interested in eating something else. They can get acidosis from eating too many acorns.


Scotty

 

[stocky]

It is always best to keep the cows out of the acorns. They love them and they will almost starve to death eating them. It is very important if you have them in the acorns that they have alot of good green grass, so they will still eat some grass. The biggest problem with acorns is that they pack into the stomach if there isnt enough grass to cushion and the sharp points scratch the stomach lining and then it becomes infected. They get cut up and when that happens the stomach doesnt digest and keeps packing tighter and tighter with the acorns and the infection and lack of nutrition kills them. Usually, by January the acorns and frozen and swollen and weakened enough that they wont be as likely to do the damage as they can when they are green. I have several pastures that have acorns and cant keep the cows out of all of them, but it is a worry

 

[Caustic Burno']

Hell we feed acorns here as long as they are white oak or red oak, we cut all the pin oaks out of the pastures to keep from tanic acid poisoning.

 

[woodspirit]

You'll find just as much tannic acid in red oaks as you will in pin oaks. Maybe more since reds have bigger acorns than pins. In fact all oaks are classed as either red or white based on whether the lobes on the leaves are pointed or rounded. Even though there is an actual red oak (Quercus Rubra), and white oak (Quercus Alba).

 

[Dusty Britches]

I have to agree with Causic on this one. We have oaks (all kinds) everywhere on our property. The cows don't seem to have any problems with them. In fact, they mostly leave the acorns. The deer eat them in the fall and the hogs get them in the spring.

 

[Beefy]

Acorn poisoning, to me, is an insignificant problem. Ive never had a problem with it that i know of, nor do i know of anyone who has. in fact the only time i ever anything about it is on this board. i wouldnt worry about it at all.

 

[milesvb]

Our places are heavily wooded in areas with Post Oak, Water Oak and Live Oak and we never give it a seconds thought. We lost one cow that gorged herself on acorns about 20-25 years ago and that is the only instance that comes to mind.

 

[jbar]

normaly i wouldnt worry about the acorns but this year they covering the ground. more acorns than leaves on the trees. but on the bright side the deer hunting should be good. ;-) :cboy: