Duckweed

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Bunnylady

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Hopefully, this is a silly question, but is duckweed harmful to horses? A summer thunderstorm overfilled my duckpond, depositing a thick layer of duckweed on the ground as the water receded. My two minis were vacuuming it up. They had wide green moustaches, like the "Got milk?" ads. (Sorry, no pics, but they did look funny!) Should I be concerned? They get some grass every day, but I imagine grass is higher in fiber and much lower in moisture than this stuff!
 
I can't imagine it is... it is a staple food source for so many animals!

Andrea
 
Recommend that you Google the word, "Duckweed". I just did. In short, it is not toxic, it is high in protein, and tends to grow in still or slow moving water.
 
We've had it nearly every year for the last 8 yrs.

We still don't know how it got started in our pond, (no one around us had any) but we've learned to love it!

It makes your pond crystal clear underneath the duckweed.

The horse, llama, goats and ducks all eat it. I read somewhere that there are places that raise the stuff and process for additives to feed.

We enjoy or "green" pond.
 
Recommend that you Google the word, "Duckweed". I just did. In short, it is not toxic, it is high in protein, and tends to grow in still or slow moving water.
Wow, fascinating stuff, once you get past the "how to kill this pest" entries! Evidently, duckweed is the aquatic equivalent of alfalfa, no wonder the minis love it. Do you suppose they could actually eat enough that I would need to add it into the feed calculation?

Slinkky, my guess is that you got a visit from a heron or some other water bird with some duckweed clinging to its legs or feathers. Since this stuff clones itself rapidly, that's all it would take!

I knew the duck pond was a bit - shall we say - nutrient dense (pond in the low part of a pasture, no surprise there.) I'd rather have duckweed than algae any day!
 
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