Acorn scoffing ?

[HufflyPuffly]

So how many acorns do they need to eat before it’s an issue?

I’ve moved them to a different field so should be fine now, but they’ve been in a field with an Oak tree overhanging for about a week or so. Thought Topaz was crunching something the other day but didn’t really pay attention, until today when they all made a beeline to hoover them all up!

They all seem fine and I’ve given them a gut supplement to help but I’ve never seen them eat them before! Please tell me they have to eat tons for weeks before it becomes a big problem ???.

Naughtiest nose yo make it more interesting, she was the ringleader of course ??‍.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I'm afraid I don't know and I'm also hoping it's tonnes as I caught my mare crunching one the other week. I thought I'd fenced them off well enough, clearly not.
Fence quickly moved but there's just so many this year
Lovely picture though!

 

[little_critter]

Mine have an acorn habit too. I’ve fenced off as much of the tree as I can but some of it overhangs the track so can’t fence that bit off.
When I turn them out they make a beeline for the acorns and it’s like a game of Hungry Hippos as we all race to get the acorns first!
No nasty side effects yet.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

You guys are making me feel better! How toxic can they be when they eat them like candy ?????

 

[HufflyPuffly]

…
When I turn them out they make a beeline for the acorns and it’s like a game of Hungry Hippos as we all race to get the acorns first!
No nasty side effects yet.

This was exactly them! I was trying to scoop them up as fast as they were hooving any then could find!!!!

 

[Chianti]

My local walk takes me through a farm with a riding school in it. One of the fields has several oak trees in it. The first year I walked by there were horses hoovering up acorns. They've been doing the same for the past ten years. As far as I'm aware none has come to any harm. I suppose it's just luck?

 

[ponynutz]

They're not as toxic as other plants and some do develop a taste for them. I gather it's similar to how some cats eat grass.

Symptoms of there being problems are diarrhoea and early colic signs. Just keep a close eye and keep away but you should be fine

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Pony I use an acorn collector as she has IBD and managed to fence off most of the tree https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fushen-Gat...jcifQ==&sprefix=acorn+collector,aps,84&sr=8-8.

We cannot fence ours off as the middle tree covers two groups and the surrounding trees also a spaced apart so we would need numerous energiser, many many many many posts and many many rolls of wire.


they scoff them but with my mare I give her D&H milk thistle during the time of the acorns, they are not out all night, and so far no issues.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I have loads and my muzzled mini shetland is trying to Hoover them up 1 at a time by pushing muzzle on hard .... B fortunately ignores them.

A neighbour lost a 12hh pony with impaction colic as he had gorged on them, a friend has a herd of natives who gleefully Hoover them up every year, with no problem.

 

[Burnttoast]

The greener they are the more toxic - the toxins are gallic and tannic acid. Some horses are more sensitive apparently, but it's a bit of a lottery and many horses eat them all their lives with no issues. As above, keep an eye out for symptoms. Fencing trees off, raking acorns up and feeding plenty of hay can all be helpful.

 

[Shooting Star]

I’m in an area that has oak trees everywhere so it’s near impossible to avoid them and unfortunately I own an acorn addict, the answer seems to be that in general they can eat a lot but you do get the odd one that they cause problems for - these often seem to be horses that have other underlying conditions.

Given the chance I’d not graze near oaks whilst they’re dropping but in 30 years of having horses in fields with them touch wood I’ve not had an issue yet although I do worry every time. Hopefully most of the acorns are down now & we’re past the worst of it for this year and hopefully next year will be a sparse one as it’s been a mast year this time.

 

[HashRouge]

It's been a crazy year for acorns! One of mine is an acorn addict and she did make herself sick several years ago from eating too many (completely my fault for not fencing them off in time!). She had filled legs, was very quiet and went off her food. Blood tests showed a low white blood cell count so she had some kind of iron tonic from the vet, but nothing other than that (and me fencing off the oak trees) and she was very quickly fine again. My grass is too long for me to pick up the acorns (I know they're there as they crunch when I stand on them, but I can't see most of them!) so I'm just fencing the trees off for a few months.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Ah you guys have made me feel much better thank you!

Never known them to eat them before, but they were hoovering them up today! Hopefully no damage done, luckily I could move them to somewhere acorn free!

 

[meleeka]

My farrier said the other day that it’s been an awful year for acorn poisoning. He didn’t elaborate.

 

[cauda equina]

There seems to be a huge variation in acorn load between trees - some are absolutely laden, others almost bare

 

[Cowpony]

Please keep a close eye on your horses. We've had dreadful problems this year. We lost one of the horses at the yard, and 2 others (out of about 60) had to be hospitalised. They are both back now and seem fine, but one of them needed serious treatment for a few days. The vets probably treated about 15 on the yard. Apparently the weather conditions over the summer have made them particularly large and sweet, and the vets are seeing a lot of cases.

Having said that, all the others were fine and and either had no signs or a bit of runny poo for a week or two, so some horses seem to have a better tolerance than others.

Sorry, no comfort I know, but I'd hate people to underestimate what could happen. You're doing the right thing by fencing them off. It's a good idea to vacuum them up, or use a leaf blower to get them into piles that can be picked up and disposed of. Or if the soil is soft tread them in.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I fenced my oak tree off a few weeks ago once a few acorns falling became a lot. It's had loads of acorns this year, which are still coming down. My squirrels are doing a frankly pathetic job this year of clearing them up.

I've noticed that most of the acorns still on the tree have now turned brown, is that usual? I thought that they were usually still green when they fell.

 

[Auslander]

I've just moved my lot out of my borrowed field, as one of them was eating acorns like smarties. Although I've known horses to eat acorns with no ill effects all my life, this mare is about 30 and a bit fragile, and combined with news stories about poisoning, it wasn't a risk I was willing to take.
V annoying, as it's a great field!

 

[Yeomans]

Please be very very careful, maybe I was unlucky but lost my mare to acorn poisoning. Has made me paranoid about my horse being near oak trees.

 

[Landcruiser]

One of mine is an acorn addict and he's taught my youngster how to sniff them out too. I've fenced off where I can, but we have a multitude of big oaks on our boundary, including one that overhangs the stables, drops acorns on the front elevation of the roof, which pings them all over the yard. I'd love to cut off the overhanging branches, but they are Forestry England and protected. That said, old boy has munched them avidly for years with no ill effects, and youngster seems to be eating fewer than him

 

[Surbie]

We are surrounded by oaks so it's difficult to fence, but everyone on my yard has helped to get the worst taped off. We've had one that had to go to Liphook as an emergency with suspected acorn poisoning, now back with us but cannot go out on acorns again. The yard down the road has had 2 horses pts and had another in Liphook for the same.

The vets aren't sure whether this year's weather has made them more toxic or if it's that it's a mast year so there are lots more than normal so it's a case of volume.

 

[SEL]

My vets put out a warning last week. If you're worried it's probably worth a chat with yours and they might be able to run bloods to check everything is ok.

I've been a bit paranoid about my hedgerows recently after a friend lost a pony who decided to gorge on a conifer for no apparent reason.

 

[Boughtabay]

I’ve just discovered my youngster is an acorn addict this morning, texted my vet and he said that with real excess and little other forage available liver and kidney damage is possible. diarrhoea is the first sign of an issue but they can also just get that on its own without it meaning any damage has happened, which should stop after removing from acorns and not be a problem. Mine was only on them around half an hour and they’d mostly browned so I’m more concerned about colic if he managed to hoover a lot up. But after texting the vet I’m not as worried now & have fenced off the half of the field lined with trees. Not sure when I can risk giving them the other half of the field though!!

 

[tda]

Interesting, as some of mine seek them out and others don't bother.
We've never had any diahorrea, but they do get very black poo when eating significant amounts

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

A few years back when we had particularly heavy masts, there were a significant amount of ponies and cattle lost on the forest. I lost a foal due to suspected acorn poisoning and I'm now wondering if that could have been the cause of Flicka's issues as she was poorly in the autumn (her dam was a profilic acorner).

Personally I just wouldn't take the risk. I moved my lot into a different field as there were too many to rake up as the trees were laden. I appreciate that not everyone can do this but I would try to prevent as much consumption as you possibly can. Charcoal is also good for "mopping up" stomachs.

 

[maya2008]

As far as I understand, it’s only an issue if they get obsessed with them, or there’s nothing else to eat. My NF ponies monitor the others’ intake. They do eat some, but no one is allowed to eat too many - if they stay under the trees too long, they get chased back to the grass.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Well moved to another field and now we have sloppy bright green poos from the fresh grass! Can’t win can you ??‍, plus between topaz’s mud rug and Skylla’s burr accessories I’m ready to give them the acorn field again!!



Will be keeping a very close eye on them though, but I’m hoping I caught them early enough for them to be ok ?? .

 

[Nasicus]

Glad I shut the far part of the track with oak trees off a couple weeks back. I wasn't thinking about acorns at the time, but when I walked across that bit today the floor was absolutely littered with acorns. And being on very restricted grazing I've no doubt the girls would have merrily hooved them all up if they could reach them!

 

[Follysmum]

My uncle lost a few ponies due to acorn poisoning over the period of a month. Oak tree was in another field and had blown over. He was very unlucky.

 

[spotty_pony]

I’ve never seen so m many acorns as this year. I’ve moved mine out of the paddock with the Oak trees (there is a couple of sycamores in that one too) and they won’t be going back into that one until the squirrels have got rid of all of the seeds! I think it depends on the individual horse as to how many will affect them. There was a case recently I heard where all three horses in the same paddock were poisoned and died.