Skip to main content

Is Your Pasture Safe?

Is the grass starting to come up in your area? We finally got some rain and now our animals have something to eat in the pasture. Every morning, our horses, miniature donkeys, llamas and sheep all wait anxiously to run, play and graze. With the high hay prices, it's essential to have a safe and healthy pasture for grazing. Before the grass gets too high, it's a good time to do a safety check.


If you have horses, be sure to be on the look out for Yellow Starthistle. It doesn't take much for it to take over a field and it is very poisonous to horses. Starthistle causes nigropallidal encephalomalacia, also known as chewing disease. Only horses are known to be affected by this fatal nervous disorder, so make sure your pasture is free of Yellow Starthistle. For more information visit UC Davis' IPM site:

While you are out there checking on what's starting to grow in your pasture, be sure to watch out for ground squirrel holes. There's nothing like the beauty of horses galloping across a field. The last thing anyone wants to see is them falling and injuring their leg because of a ground squirrel hole.
 
 
You can get rid of the ground squirrels in many different ways. Baits work, but you run the risk of your dog or cat eating the poisoned ground squirrel. Also, the bait could kill other wildlife and birds of prey. Trapping is a good idea, but you are still left with the hazardous holes. The Burrow Blocker (www.burrowblocker.com) fills the holes, controls ground squirrels and prevents re-infestation at the same time.

After you make sure the grass is safe for grazing and the ground squirrel holes are filled, don't forget to check your fencing. Then it will be time to sit back, relax with a glass of wine or a beer and look out at your lovely view.

Comments

  1. also you can get rid/even scare away the population of the squirrels with a PELLET GUN or also a BB GUN you can pick up in the nearest sport store for a fair price and are so easy to use.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To Get Rid of Ground Squirrel Holes

It looks simple. There is a ground squirrel hole. Just start shoveling dirt in it and soon the hole will be gone.  Some athletic fields are so riddled with dangerous holes, they bring in tons of dirt and use bobcats to fill the holes.  Surprise! Before the next day, most of the holes reappear! Fill it again and the same thing happens.  Those ground squirrels are persistent little diggers. Why doesn't filling in ground squirrel holes using a shovel work? Shoveling in the holes is often unsuccessful, because the hole is topped off with dirt. The ground squirrel is hiding in a lower portion of the tunnel system and they dig their way out as soon as you leave the area. What is the best way to fill ground squirrel holes? The  Burrow Blocker  machine is a fast, easy, and effective way of filling in ground squirrel holes.The patented machine pumps a slurry of sand and water into the hole. The water is absorbed into the soil and all that remains is the sand. The burrows and tunnels a

Is it a Ground Squirrel or a Gopher?

Do you know the difference between a Gr ound Squirrel and a Gopher ? If you are battling burrowing rodents on your property, after awhile you might just start channeling Carl Spackler, Bill Murray's character in the movie, Caddyshack. Remember when Sandy McFiddish, the head groundskeeper of the golf course told Carl, in his rich Scottish accent, "Carl, I want you to kill all the golfers on the golf course."? Carl replied, " Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers they'll lock me up and throw away the key." Sandy yelled, " Not golfers, you great fool! Gophers, rodents! THE LITTLE BROWN, FURRY THINGS!" Carl replied, "We can do that. We don't even need a reason." Remember that destructive dancing gopher in Caddyshack? (Be patient...it has a long intro.)     Most of the people that visit this blog, do have a reason. They want those destructive diggers to just stop destroying

The Best Way to Fill a Ground Squirrel Hole

Ground squirrel holes! They can destroy beautiful landscaping and make athletic fields and pastures hazardous. Ground squirrel holes are much more than an unsightly nuisance, they can cause serious injuries. How do you get rid of ground squirrel holes?  Often people grab a shovel and start pushing the dirt surrounding the hole back in. That's usually not enough dirt on the outside, so they get more dirt and keep shoveling it in until it looks full. Surprise! The next day the hole is back. After trying dirt, rocks are often the next choice. Again, the next day, the hole is often back.  Why doesn't filling in ground squirrel holes using a shovel work? Shoveling in the holes is often unsuccessful, because the ground squirrel is hiding in a lower portion of the tunnel system and they dig their way out. What is the best way to fill ground squirrel holes? The Burrow Blocker machine is a fast, easy, and effective way of filling in ground squirrel holes.The patented mac