It can cause a burning and stinging sensation wherever it comes in contact with your skin. I forgot my kids are four little Americans and at that time had little knowledge of Ireland’s stinging nettles. Status. Stinging nettles flower in Kentucky from … Chiron Horse and Charlie aren’t bothered by any of that. Nettles vary in their stinging intensity and as you can see from the photos on this page of my horses wading through them and eating them, these must be quite mild. Botanical Description. If you look closely, you can see the … Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) may be considered a painful weed by most, but it is a complicated plant with many hidden virtues ranging from a valuable wildlife plant to making beer. They can also treat an array of inflammation issues that occur in muscles or joints, as well as skin problems like acne and eczema. As for our horses, if they won’t eat fresh nettles still growing in the field, as soon as they are cut they are swallowed down as quickly as a handful of carrots! Stinging Nettles . When flu season is around the corner, don’t forget about your friend, stinging nettles! It causes severe pain and the horses will be excitable due to the discomfort. Appearance. Flowering nettles may also have a beneficial effect on the fat cells themselves in that they help the process of lipolysis (the production of energy from fats). All our horses on the track will eat wilted nettles but for one in particular it has a special significance. The complexities of the Stinging Nettle start with … they were stinging nettles, and hurt her so cruelly, that she wanted to run home again. Stinging Nettle Remedies. Answering my own question I said, “I think it’s just that they know there’ll be something good to eat shortly” and there is. From Wildlife Gardening Forum wlgf.org wlgf.org "It is important to recognise that the quantity of a certain plant species can be vital for the wildlife that uses it; just because a herbivore eats plant ‘x’, it doesn’t mean that one or two plants will suffice! If you have riding horses and you don’t breed (as endophyte-infected tall fescue can be toxic in pregnant mares), growing the old Kentucky-31 fescue can be a good option. We recently went out to a horse showing severe signs of distress shortly after being turned out in the field. Some horses will eat nettles fresh but most would prefer them to be wilted so cutting and allowing them to dry is the way forward for most. Which animal will eat stinging nettles? Most annual weeds spread thousands of seeds that lie … Generally, because the poisoning can progress to death within a few hours of ingestion and because most horses who are grazing in pasture aren’t under 24/7 monitoring, the chances of finding the horse after symptoms have begun and getting appropriate emergent medical treatment, the prognosis for your horse is quite poor. Last edited: 5 Jul 2013. Stay Positive my friends... We have more than greed or outward control! Some horses do have a nettles allergy that causes problems within the gastrointestinal tract. The stalk and leaves of the weed are covered with tiny thorns, and each stalk produces a white-colored, star-shaped flower in the spring. Although not painful for your horse, cosmetically your horse looks terrible when their skin is covered in soft, oozing nodes. When flu season is around the corner, don’t forget about your friend, stinging nettles! Controlling stinging nettle is a virtuous pursuit, due to its painful effect on human skin. A biopsy of one of the nodules will help your veterinarian confirm that your horse is having an allergic reaction but it will not necessarily identify the allergen. Some of the horses seem to love them and can regularly be seen helping themselves top the tender tops of the nettles. I’ll be back in a minute, I just need to go to the loo …. The nettle supports over 40 species of insect including some of our most colourful butterflies. Stinging nettles which were used in this study were harvested in France, BrittanyRegion [11]. Some of those little devils love it. Your horse’s prognosis is good and many times may not require additional medications. The complexities of the Stinging Nettle start with its history. —Old French Fairy-Tale. Stinging Nettles : Make A Natural Fertilizer for Tomatoes, Plants & Co Stinging nettle manure is highly regarded as a mild plant protector and biological fertilizer in an ecologically farmed hobby garden. Beauty and the beast Among their medicinal benefits, nettles are an excellent remedy for arthritis relief. It causes severe pain and the horses will be excitable due to the discomfort. Cattle generally try to avoid this weed if possible, but it can cause problems for horses. Also known as heartleaf nettle, this plant is notorious for causing a burning sensation when it makes contact with bare skin. Both dogs developed first clinical signs on the same day and had been working in the same area where the presence of stinging nettles had been reported. Generally, nettles allergies will present in the late spring and summer months. It is a tall plant with a nettles in landscapes seems to enhance the densit y of aphidophagous insect communities necessary for aphid bioc ontrol in field cro ps (Alhmedi et al., She has a new passion for stinging nettles. She has a new passion for stinging nettles. It doesn’t take much for the robust perennial grass to shoot up despite our best efforts to deter it and the use of the ‘lammy app’ on Smart phones. I love strimming – just don’t tell Lisa (the track owner) or she’ll stop buying me bottles of Whyte and Mackays as a “Thank you” …. Symptoms include severe constipation and inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. So it is that when Ted is able to have a feed on high sugary grasses (high being a relative term in his case and the grasses we have) the bacteria in the gut have a sort of party and produce a histamine reaction that eventually leads to inflammation in the body. While most people are well aware of the evils of Stinging Nettle, not many are familiar with the good. Whilst it’s true that most horses aren’t iron deficient this is more likely because they get iron from many other plant sources. Information About Stinging Nettle. The people up the road make a tasty (they say) soup from them, apparently they are a tonic. Kidney health is also encouraged by increasing fluid loss slightly which may include toxin removal from the body as it is a mild diuretic. These tests will rule out potential causes of the allergic reaction. Its self defence mechanisms are apparent to most and consist of stiff hair like needles on the stem that cause a burning sensation when touched. The owner reported the presence of nettles and confirmed its presence on previous fields. So much so that the horse has to go into ‘iron withholding mode’ in order not to lose too much iron from cells. restoring and maintaining well being. Is there an animal which could be kept outside (in England), be easy to source and keep, will cohabit with sheep, and eat up the nettles? The stinging nettle (Urtica Urens) is part of a wider family termed Urticaceae, and includes the purple, yellow and white dead nettle which aren’t really nettles at all but enough of that, and it can be found in just about all of the UK and indeed it has relatives all over the world. I went past a field today, full of stinging nettles. Subscribe to get your copy of this great magazine when it comes out .... Total Contact Saddle - the ultimate treeless saddle for horse and rider, Total Contact Saddle, TCS, new pony saddle, Treeless saddle, novice riders. But the door was shut, and she could by no means get it open." It can cause a burning and stinging sensation wherever it comes in contact with your skin. Commonly occurs on waste land. (again !). It is a winter annual that is a nuisance because it has tiny hairs that embed in our skin when we touch it; and causes irritation for hours. Anybody have any idea why they are immune to them? Horses get shiner coats, cows milk is richer, and hens lay more eggs when the dried powdered leaves are added to their food, and these eggs actually have a higher food value. Stinging nettles fiber are taken from Brennels BV,Kraggenburg, The © 2020 Wag Labs, Inc. All rights reserved. Nettles, also called common nettle, stinging nettle, nettle leaf and urtica dioica, are a part of the Urticaceae family and are a herbaceous perennial, flowering plant. Which animal will eat stinging nettles? Stinging nettles are at their best in spring, before they reach 12″ tall. Here is another shot of the leaves on a stinging nettle plant. Due to its astringent properties, it is beneficial for hemorrhaging anywhere in the body. Stinging Nettles : Make A Natural Fertilizer for Tomatoes, Plants & Co Stinging nettle manure is highly regarded as a mild plant protector and biological fertilizer in an ecologically farmed hobby garden. ⚠️ BE AWARE OF THE DANGERS OF STINGING NETTLES ⚠️. Stinging Nettle is a surprisingly helpful plant in food and medicine despite its stinging hairs, as seen below. This is the same "stinging" nettle that you may have (unfortunately) first run into while hiking through a field or in damp woods, and gotten a greeting like a swarm of angry bees... fresh Nettles contain chemicals akin to formic acid, the chemical found in bee and red ant venom. Young horses are especially at risk of having a nettles allergy. (My wife, Rose, is a rider and she said, “Oh yeah, horses will get jumpy.”) Molly recommends long sleeves, pants and sturdy work gloves for harvest. Iron is needed for the production of red blood cells and … This can be time consuming and expensive. Nettles and Wildlife. Stinging nettles may cause a rash and irritating like they do in humans, your other dogs may have thick coats or are used to the nettles so are not affected; you should keep Draco indoors for a few days and bathing him with a sensitive dog shampoo and monitor him to see if there is a reduction in irritation and scratching. Your horses would love it around our place..we have stinging nettles everywhere. Stinging Nettle Remedies. More info on planty things next time – unless you fill up the pages with great features, info and photos instead. When Stinging Nettle comes in contact with human skin, it typically turns into reddish patches on the skin that are quite itchy and can give a burning se… The cemetery lies in a windswept field on a cliff above the vast Atlantic ocean. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the stinging hairs or you will likely regret it! It can cause problems with livestock, too. Ted doesn't mind eating the nettles fresh when he feels he needs them - I eat them fresh as well but in scrambled egg and omelettes ! The leaves and stems of stinging nettles are finely covered with thin bristles that lodge in the offended skin, leaving red patches that itch and burn — sometimes for up to … Is there an animal which could be kept outside (in England), be easy to source and keep, will cohabit with sheep, and eat up the nettles? The plant can spread vegetatively with its yellow creeping rhizomes and often forms dense colonies. You have been warned ! Our range of s elective paddock and pasture animal friendly weed killers will control specific paddock and pasture weeds but will leave the grass unharmed. If you have any questions regarding the medications, contact your veterinarian. Please note: Nettles when sprayed with herbicides and at the wilting stage can cause serious laminitis in horses Other dock species not prescribed in the Weeds Act 1959: Wood dock (Rumex sanguineus) has elongated oval and pointed leaves. I usually lay out a couple of chaff bags nearby with some string for tying and carry a handy pocket knife. So what is a stinging nettle? While most people are well aware of the evils of Stinging Nettle, not many are familiar with the good. Antihistamines can also be useful to stop the allergic reaction. In this case some dietary iron, in the form of planty things like nettles, may have some benefit for them. Scientific Name. It is a fairly common species, distinguishable by the presence of its sharp stingers throughout the leaves and stems of the plant. In the middle of it were two sheep, merrily chomping away on the nettles! However, in late summer and autumn they are not … You can also make a tea from the wild stinging nettles. They taste best when picked first thing in the spring through the early weeks of summer when the plants are 4 – 8 in ( … The horse was down in the field… This also helps the fat cells to shrink as well as provide energy through the winter months when energy from grasses may not then be needed so much and so winter laminitis episodes possibly avoided. prefers to eat her nettles slightly wilted after cutting. Stinging nettles grow throughout the vast majority of the United States, and tend to favor ravines and creek beds. Cattle tend to avoid it, but but it can be problematic for horses. Eating Stinging Nettles Picture courtesy of Uwe H. Friese, Bremerhaven 2003 Stinging Nettles are generally considered as a noxious weed but it has many benefits and uses. Can also help keep them from having a nettles allergy that causes problems the! Bare skin visited the ancient resting place of my ancestors in Myross, West Cork s environment and.... 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