Subject: Horses or Sheep in an Orchard?

From: Francis Greenslade <[email-masked]>
Date: 27 Aug 1996 04:23:06 GMT

Gidday,

About this time last year I bought a property which has a small apricot 
orchard on it. There are about 65 trees on about 1/2 an acre on a 30 
degree slope. The trees are only about 3 years old and range in size from 
3 to 6 feet high.

When I arrived the weeds were as high as my shoulders. I purchased a 
scrubcutter and set to clearing the land so I could at least see the 
trees. This was exhausting work but eventually I suceeded.
Now the weeds are starting to grow again (Its spring in New Zealand) and 
I'm looking for an easier way to manage the situation.

I have decided to fence it off and a friend has 2 horses that she will put 
in the orchard. BUT I'm worried that they will damage the trees. 

Have any of you out there had previous experience of horses in an orchid?

I could try sheep.

Any other suggestions?

I really don't want to have to fence of each tree.

Kind Regards
Francis
Christchurch
New Zealand

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From: [email-masked] (Mary Knox)
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 23:41:43 +1200

> in the orchard. BUT I'm worried that they will damage the trees. 

Horses will almost certainly enjoy a chew on tasty apricot leaves.  They
may also nibble twigs and bark, to say nothing of flowers and fruit in
season.

Sheep are also partial to such things.  But since they are smaller with
shorter necks it's easier to keep them away from the trees.  Once the
trees get a bit taller, you might get away with just wrapping wire netting
around the trunks.

Local members of the Tree Crops Association may be able to advise (contact
the Association at PO Box 14 053, Hamilton).  So might your Regional
Authority.  Or you could consider buying some sort of tractor-mower. 

Good luck,
Mary

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From: [email-masked] (Mike Hart)
Date: 27 Aug 1996 16:17:21 GMT

Francis Greenslade ([email-masked]) wrote:

: I have decided to fence it off and a friend has 2 horses that she will put 
: in the orchard. BUT I'm worried that they will damage the trees. 

: Have any of you out there had previous experience of horses in an orchid?

I can say from experience that horses will eat leaves off apple, pear and
prune trees, even when there is plenty of grass available.  I have some
non-bearing prune trees in a pasture that have a distinctive flat-bottomed
shape from the horses eating all the branches within reach.  The horse look like
giraffes as they eat the trees.

Mike Hart

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From: [email-masked] (alien spydr)
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 02:17:50 GMT

Francis Greenslade <[email-masked]> wrote:
->Gidday,
->I have decided to fence it off and a friend has 2 horses that she
will put 
->in the orchard. BUT I'm worried that they will damage the trees. 
Francis
->Christchurch
->New Zealand
 
   It was a problem, but also a solution.  We had 3 cows on 2 
 arcers, and to keep them from damaging the trees, we put
 each on a lead rope that did not allow them access.   Each
  day we had to change the rope position and length.
	:)

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From: [email-masked] (Edward Tucker)
Date: 29 Aug 1996 00:41:05 GMT

: 
: 
: I could try sheep.
: 
: Any other suggestions?
: 
:

Horses may eat twigs and leaves, but I can tell you from experience that
sheep will not only eat twigs and leaves, but will on occasion eat the bark
on the trunks right down to the cambium layer. I got so frustrated at my
wife's sheep that I installed stove-pipes on all the tree trunks.

Ed Tucker
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Paul A Stephenson)
Date: 30 Aug 1996 14:47:05 +1000

>[email-masked]

I can tell you horses and cattle will get a taste for the fruit in time.

Paul Stephenson.
[email-masked]

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From: "M. Counides" <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Sep 1996 13:16:02 -0700

I have had some experience with geese and fruit trees.  The geese are 
great grass munchers but are not interested in most broadleaf weeds.  They 
will also girdle young trees but are okay with older ones.  Do you 
irrigate? Geese might chew a micro sprinkler.  What chemicals are you 
planning to use.  Will you have to pull the animals off for spraying?

WE raise beefalo but live in a commercial fruit area.  Beefalo are not a 
good choice for an orchard.  They are agressive browsers and love a good 
scratch.

Naomi Counides
Associated Beefalo of Idaho

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From: [email-masked] (Deborah Warcken)
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 1996 08:08:44 -0800

In an old horsey book I once read said to keep horses out of cherry
orchards due to cyanide in the cherry pits. I suspect the same would be
true of the apricot (maybe more so?). Anyway, I would not allow *my*
horses to visit an orchard during the time the fruit was ripe. Larger
animals would also have the tendancy to scratch themselves on the lower
branches and break them.

In article <q9323169.841380337@helios>, [email-masked] (Paul A

-- 
Deborah Warcken
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Bart Barton)
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 1996 19:44:18 -0600

> Associated Beefalo of Idaho

I have an orchard of peach, pear, apricots,apples,plums and cherries,about 300
trees.I have not as yet found any animal that will not eat off the bark,and the 
leaves and destroy new growth ,we also raise Beefmaster and our bulls love
the orchard when they can get in.

Faye Barton
[email-masked]

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From: Francis Greenslade <[email-masked]>
Date: 4 Sep 1996 21:27:55 GMT

Hi All

Thanks for the replies to my original post.

I think I am convinced its not a good idea to put animals in the orchard 
at this stage.

Maybee when the trees get bigger.

In the meanwhile I will continue to cut the grass with my scrubcutter.

Kind regards
Francis Greenslade
Christchurch
new zealand