Can Horses Eat Thistles?

For the most part, members of the thistle family—those with blue, pink, or purple flowers—are harmless and safe for horses to nibble. However, a few species of thistle are toxic to horses. The most widespread toxic thistle is the yellow star thistle, which is found in the western United States, especially California.

Can thistles be poisonous?

Milk thistle, a regulated Class A noxious weed, is a toxic, branching winter annual or biennial that grows 2-6 feet tall in disturbed areas, such as pastures, roadsides, ditches, and fencerows. Ingestion can cause nitrate poisoning in cattle and sheep.

What is the most toxic plant to horses?

Nine poisonous plants horses should avoid

• Ragwort. While ragwort has a bitter taste and is rarely eaten by horses when it is growing, when it is wilted or dried it becomes more palatable.
• Foxglove.
• Deadly nightshade.
• Buttercups.
• Acorns.
• Yew.
• Privet.
• Rhododendron.

What animals can eat thistle?

The goldfinch is the bird most commonly associated with thistles, the seeds of which make up one third of its diet. Within the same genera are greenfinch, siskin, linnet, twite and redpoll, which eat thistle seeds and use thistledown in the nest. Butterflies including painted lady larvae feed on the leaves.

Is milk thistle good for horses?

Veterinarians can recommend milk thistle for the treatment of equine liver disease and laminitis.

How do you get rid of thistles in pastures?

Herbicides are often the most flexible and affordable option for thistle control in pastures. However, like mowing, timing is an important factor for many herbicides. Several commonly used pasture herbicides are highly effective on thistles if applied early in the growing season (Table 2).

Are all thistles safe to eat?

Rub the “wool” off and enjoy, raw or cooked. All thistles in the genus Cirsium, and the genus Carduus, are edible. Or said another way, there is no poisonous true thistle, but not all of them are palatable. In the second year plant the inner core of the flower stalks is quite tasty and not that much work.

Are thistle weeds poisonous to horses?

Yellow starthistle is toxic to horses and causes “chewing disease”. In most cases, horses die from starvation or dehydration because chewing disease results in permanent, untreatable brain damage to the fine motor control area. Yellow starthistle is not toxic to other grazing animals, including mules and burros.

What livestock eats thistles?

Thistles are very good feed with 22-24 percent protein, and cattle will readily eat it once they start. We pour molasses on our thistles to encourage our cattle to eat them, and it works.

Are thistles good for anything?

Like many plants in the thistle clade of the botanical family Asteraceae, bull thistles provide ample pollen and nectar resources for butterflies, honeybees, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects like green lacewings. Birds like goldfinches and juncos love their seeds, as do white-tailed deer and rabbits.

What is the difference between thistle and milk thistle?

While all thistles share similarities, only milk thistle has green and white marbled leaves. Both bull thistle and milk thistle have sharp, spiny bracts surrounding the flower head, but those found on bull thistle are smaller and denser.

Can horses eat thistle leaves?

For the most part, members of the thistle family—those with blue, pink, or purple flowers—are harmless and safe for horses to nibble. However, a few species of thistle are toxic to horses. The most widespread toxic thistle is the yellow star thistle, which is found in the western United States, especially California.

What weeds are good for horses?

Whilst not an exhaustive list, horses may enjoy a variety of items including cow parsley, cleavers (sticky weed), hawthorn, hazel, blackberry, rosehips, thistles, nettles, dandelion and willow.

How can you tell if thistle is edible?

Edible Thistle, or Cirsium edule, is native to western North America, from southeastern Alaska south through British Columbia to Washington and Oregon. The leaves are very spiny and flower heads are pink. Plants frequently grow to five feet tall and prefer plenty of sun.

Are lawn thistles poisonous?

Health Risks: Entire plant is highly toxic to humans and livestock, causing vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory issues, and spasms.

What is the difference between a thorn and a thistle?

Thistles are non-woody plants that are outfitted with prickles, one of the three different kinds of plant armor recognized by botanists. Thorns are modified branches.

Why is my horse eating thistle?

Being high in vitamins and minerals makes an excellent tonic. So this is a good weed enjoyed by horses. The plant is known as St Marys Thistle, Milk Thistle and Variegated Thistle (Silybum marianum) are one of the most valuable liver herbs in the herbalist’s dispensary.

What weeds should horses not eat?

Weeds: Onions/garlic, ground ivy, milkweed, bracken fern, cocklebur, horsetail, white snakeroot, St. Johns wort, star-of-Bethlehem, sorghum/sudangrass, yellow sweet clover, blue-green algae, bouncing bet, larkspur, mayapple, skunk cabbage. Trees: Black locust, oak (green acorns), horse chestnut, boxwood, holly.

What are three plants that are poisonous to horses?

Poisonous Plants for Horses

• Bracken Fern. Bracken fern is a plant that’s found throughout North America, but most toxicities occur in the north western states.
• Buttercups and Pokeweed.
• Yew Plants.
• Nightshades.
• Alsike Clover.
• Ragwort.
• Red Maple Trees.
• Poison Hemlock and Water Hemlock.

What are three plants that are poisonous to horses?

Poisonous Plants for Horses

• Bracken Fern. Bracken fern is a plant that’s found throughout North America, but most toxicities occur in the north western states.
• Buttercups and Pokeweed.
• Yew Plants.
• Nightshades.
• Alsike Clover.
• Ragwort.
• Red Maple Trees.
• Poison Hemlock and Water Hemlock.

What is the number one killer in horses?

colic
The number one killer of horses is colic.
Colic is not a disease, but rather a combination of signs that alert us to abdominal pain in the horse. Colic can range from mild to severe, but it should never be ignored. Many of the conditions that cause colic can become life threatening in a relatively short period of time.