Re: RC: Re: Re: pasture/fertilizer

["Truman Prevatt, PhD" <truman.prevatt@netsrq.com>]

Several years ago before we moved where we are now we did not have sufficient
pasture to move the animals and allow a pasture to completely rest. I fertilized
right before a rain so it would remove the chemicals. I kept them off a couple
days so it could soak in. At that time we routinely pulled blood on all our
horses (four at that time ) to keep a baseline. We did that about two weeks
after we had fertilized and the vet called back and wanted to know what the hell
we were doing. All four of the horse's blood work was screwed up.

I told her that the only thing we did was fertilize and she hit the roof. She
said the new shoots right after fertilizing are absolutely sky high in its
Nitrogen content and horses should not be put out on newly fertilized fields.
The grass should first be cut - preferably twice before horses are let back on.
Cows have no problem with newly fertilized fields but horses do not.

My experience of have my butt royally chewed by my vet.

T

Susan Garlinghouse wrote:

> Jim, I agree with you.  Unless the fertilizer is nothing more than manure
> tea, my preference is to err on the side of caution until, as you say, the
> pasture has gotten a good soaking to move the chemicals down into the soil.
> I do know of one horse that got some pretty severe chemicals burns to his
> mouth and esophagus after eating a clump of fertilizer pellets that
> accidentally made it onto the field.  Just not a real big deal in my book to
> put 'em into a corral or stall for a day or two, and an ounce of prevention
> is worth a pound of cure, dontcha know.
>
> Susan G