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Re: [RC] Kudzu - Born CountryWhen we bought our new property, I was so infatuated with the waist-high grass that I overlooked the kudzu in the back of the pasture. After all the signing was done, and we owned the property, I found KUDZU!!! I panicked and rushed to the internet to see what I could find. Research told me that kudzu can grow up to a foot a day. The neighbor has goats, but you wouldn't know it in the summer. The goats are completely covered by her kudzu. Lo and behold, Kudzu is safe for horses! We had 4 at the time. From everthing I could find out, kudzu is kind of bitter. I believe horses, like people, have different tastes. We had one horse, a paint mare, that absolutely loved kudzu and would leave the grass alone to attack the kudzu. The other 3 saw her eating the kudzu and developed a taste for it, too. We are now down to two horses (I should have kept the paint mare; we couldn't have rented her out to kudzu-infested property owners), and they keep the kudzu away. I see them in the back pasture where our property adjoins the lady with the kudzu and all growth stops at our fence. Check out http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/horse/recover.htm Look at item # 8 specifically. Should help a bit. Esther and Chagalle, who checks every day for new kudzu shoots and tries to beat Mieka to it --- Anne Heilgeist <anneheilgeist@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: I well remember the prolific kudzu when I lived in California. According to this article, sheep will eat kudzu: http://www.kudzuworld.com/Kudzu/Archive/HungrySheep.pdf And, according to this page of the same site http://www.kudzuworld.com/FAQS/Kudzu/index.EN.aspx, cows and goats eat it too. This more official site (the National Park Service) also states "livestock" will eat it. http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pumo1.htm But I haven't found any links with specific details regarding the nutritional content of kudzu...but, forage is forage. During World War II the British were reduced to feeding their horses shredded paper for forage. That and the necessary supplements kept the horses well fed. Offer some to your horse...see if they'll eat it. And please let me know. I'm in Maryland and hay is only about $5.00 a bale but information about other sources of forage for my horses would be helpful...especially when I travel south. Thanks...Anne Beth Bennett <endurance4me@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: I'm just curious why we can't use Kudzoo? Heck, the southeast has enough of that to fule the world for 20 years. I was also on top of Windrock Mountain yesterday, where TVA has installed about 20 windmills - none of which were turning. Now, I am by no means scientifically minded, but why can't they make the windmill blades out of solar panels so that even when the wind is not blowing those things can be producing energy? Oh yeah - - I need hay NOW! I thought I would be okay until November because I am leasing about 15 acres for my 3, but with no rain, those 15 acres are not producing, and the horses have picked it down to the dirt. Can horses eat kudzoo??? Beth _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail to go? Get your Hotmail, news, sports and much more! http://mobile.msn.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Life is a canvas, throw a lot of paint on it" Danny Kaye (January 18, 1913 ? March 3, 1987) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Finding fabulous fares is fun. Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains. http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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