Nettles (also in NL)

J

Jenz

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I read part of a post on the forum that said someone feeds nettles (good for laminitis/laminitis prone horses). The post said they pick them in the morning and put them in the stable and they're wilted enough to eat by the time the horse came in at night.

I cut down a load in the field on Saturday morning and left in the sun (well it was sunny then!) and just went to pass them over the fence tonight to feed to my boy and got a bit of a sting on my hand. It was too late not to feed them as he snatched off the ground (about 6 or 7 30 inch stalks all in one mouth full!) and happily munched away. It was wasn't much of a sting and was on the palm of my hand so maybe tougher skin, but just enough to make me go 'ooh'!

There are nettles growing in the field which he never tries to eat but he was desperate for these! If they did have a bit of a sting left in them will they do him any harm (about 10 stalkes plus leaves)? How long do you leave them to wilt and how much to you feed?
 
my pony is in her starvation paddock which borders the nettle patch, I chop some off every day and just leave them to wilt in the paddock and by morning they are always cleared up. Don't think you can give too much
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Phew, they must have been wilted enough then.

My intentions were similar to yours, he's in a 'diet paddock' (not quite starvation), I thought they'd give him some variation and tidy up the big tufts of nettles to make the fields look neater!!
 
Nettles, whether still growing or wilted are perfectly fine for horses. Some actively seek out growing nettles to eat.
 
Nettles only release their goodness once wilted or dried, any 'sting' left won't do any harm. My older horse will snap my hand off for them but ATM they are both making short work of any thistles
smile.gif
 
Nettles according to my farrier are full of zinc which is why they are good for lami's - and makes a change from boring soaked hay. Mine wont touch them when growing but love them when wilted.
 
Yea, my boy sucks the top off thistles, then when the grass gets really low he eats the whole thistle plant, but I thought that in a 'look what I'm having to eat because you're starving me!'. Maybe he actually knows they have some goodness in them.
 
LOL! My girls are on strictly electric fenced off field, with the two little'uns (one of who gets laminitis) who have the own small paddock within it. The paddock was brown and had no grass due to the heatwave, so I put the little'un in with Saf and Mist. Of course, very little grass in Saf and Mist's, although it was a bigger field, so now even less grass due to extra ponies munching.

Anyway, long story short, largish patch of nettles in the corner of the field, very tall - I'm 5'5 and they're nearly as tall as me. I've seen them much the odd one occasionally, however got down the yesterday and the whole patch has been decimated. I was looking around for the culprit, and Penny wandered over and started munching the top off one of the remaining ones. Then Mist came along and joined in. They gave me a 'look what you've reduced me to' look (like Haffy's) so I told them it was good for a detox and left them to it.
 
He has lots of faces for when he's hungry! With a grass muzzle on it's a 'I HATE YOU!' (kevin style), the nettle one, just as you say 'look what I'm having to eat' and then yesterday as I was poo picking he was following me everywhere putting his nose on my shoulder with a 'I'm reeeaaaally hungry' look on his face.
 
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