Do you poo pick your fields?

Do you poo pick?

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Jackson

Jackson

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After watching in horror as someone ploughed pooh back in to their field, as horses grazed behind the tractor, I have always made a point of clearing my field of every last turd that my fat beast squeezes out. I understand that sometimes it is just not practical, if you have multiple horses or very large fields, but if I want to get the best out of my field and my horse, I think that it is worth sacrificing an hour or so of riding time to keep them both healthy... Who wants to eat their own pooh?
 
I poo pick everyday. If, for some reason, like torrential rain or
illness, I can't get the muck picked, it's done the following day. I agree, who would want to eat poo?
 
Yes - now I'm on a yard where I have my own field I poo pick daily. At the stud where we keep our filly and mare the fields are also cleared. Egg counts are always zero.

My last yard never poo picked even though they had a sweeper - the fields are always covered in ***** and I struggled to keep egg counts low. Turnout was dictated by yard managers and you went where you were told in groups dictated by them. The fields were large and they were supposed to keep on top of the poo picking - it was in the contract.

Wonder why I moved..........?

I went back there with a friend who is still there last week and was shocked as I drove onto the yard - even the old hospital/starvation paddocks next to the yard were absolutely covered - it would be so easy to do those with a barrow and fork. I never really realised how bad it was until I left and came back if you see what I mean? So glad I'm not there anymore.......
 
I pick once a day. It takes hardly anytime at all if you keep on top of it. Cant stand people who leave it to build up! As well as it not being good for the horses, it looks awful!
 
Yes always - twice daily usually! Agree with the low worm counts, it is good management to do it and good exercise too or so I convince myself! :D
 
Yes, there are 3 of us and we keep the field fairly immaculate. The girls have poo patches too and the boss horse will bully along anyone not pooing in the designated areas. Makes our work much easier.
 
I am obsessed and get stressed if I miss a day! I actually enjoy it and find it a very satisfying job! I am lucky as it is just my two in a paddock so don't have to worry about someone else taking their turn! My last field mate rarely poo picked or filled water up!
 
Jackson said:
:)
I would love to hear from the people who voted no, do you struggle with worms, etc? :)
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No, I have a de-worming programme.

I have a wonderful implement called a harrow, beggared if I am poo picking up to 50 acres a day, I have other things to do with my time. It just isn't practical for me to even consider it.
 
Jackson said:
:)
I would love to hear from the people who voted no, do you struggle with worms, etc? :)
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dont poo pick and dont have a problem with worms. ;)

on my fields we rotate the grazings, so rest the fields for at least 6 months at a time. (max of 3 horses at any one time.)

on the farm where i keep my yearling at the mo (owned by my friend- we swap one for one from time to time as she has better facilities, and i have more grass!) we also dont poo pick- large fields which are then rotated and rested, poo harrowed in to fertilise ground and grow hay crop off.

has there not been a link to grass sickness from poo picking? as horses are grazing in the soured areas of the field?
 
I only poo pick if they're in small paddocks, which is rare. We can't do it in winter, its just too boggy, so we harrow in spring and then they move off for six months anyway. In the bigger fields, which are 5-7 acres, I don't do it often, just when there seems to be a lot in certain areas. We only have our own 3 horses on 20 acres, so don't really have a worm problem or poo problem either.

I think its more of an issue when there is one horse in a small individual field and it can't get away from it's toilet area.
 
appylass said:
Twice a day,every day! It is something of an obsession I think!
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Ditto for me too. Doesn't take long & keeps the paddocks tidy. After all, many years ago I reasoned that if the boxes were being mucked out & skipped out at least twice a day, then the paddocks could be too - also means Fuzzy's out 24/7 get seen properly twice a day :)

I also keep a very tidy square muck heap :o
 
Enfys said:
No, I have a de-worming programme.

I have a wonderful implement called a harrow, beggared if I am poo picking up to 50 acres a day, I have other things to do with my time. It just isn't practical for me to even consider it.
Click to expand...

same here far to many fields and horses and work full time so dad harrows the fields and they are rested and hows have low worm counts as on a very good programme
 
No our fields are a valley with no space at the bottom to dump it and impossible sides to push a barrow up! The horses are regularly moved between the valley fields and onced moved out of one paddock it is harrowed. We regularly worm egg count and worm when needed but almost always come back as low to none!
 
always poo pick, keeps flys away, the grass does not grow well around the poo (the BHS stages are good to teach grass management) and worming of course.
 
big paddocks are swept by a lovely bloke once a month, fatties paddock I keep on top of as it's small. also co-graze with sheep part of the year and winter grazing has been harrowed and rested over the summer.

someone mentioned GS-poo picking in itself is slightly protective, mechanical poo-pickers that disturb the ground are a slight risk factor. however, when it comes to GS there are an awful lot of risk factors so you have to make a judgement call-on the whole, poo picking is better than not.
 
No, far too many horses to do that paddocks are grazed in rotation with the sucklers and rested for months at a time. If I was to, I wouldnt have time to do anything else. Dont have any worm issues either and the only harrowing we do is to level the ground thats got poached during the winter (or summer!).
 
I think poo picking is only done religiously by those with postage size paddocks.

My two smallies are regularly wormed and have 4 acres to themselves so always plenty to eat without poo.

Front 2 1/2 acres is divided into small paddocks and these are done daily.
 
Yes small paddocks daily with a big barrow, large fields quad and poo picker. We have sheep also.

I hate to see loads of s$$t in the fields it looks horrid.
 
Ive never had to do it before lol! always been in a big field where it dosent actually get done!

but now im in a small paddock to myself and i will be doing it daily!.....easier to keep on top of it if its done daily/every other day if im mega busy.... :)

only fair on my horse :)
 
I try to do it but its impossible to keep on top of to be honest.

Whilst on the subject of poo picking, for those of you that use mechanical means to collect poo are you aware that there have been some instances of horses contracting atypical myopathy/grass sickness by this method? Studies of horses that have been affected by GS/AM have shown that one of the common denominators are quite often horses who have had their fields subject to soil disturbance by means of mechanical poo pickers with a brushing/sweeping action.

Any soil disturbance should be kept to a minimum so if you have mechanical poo pickers just be aware of the danger that they may cause.
 
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