Minis eating trees!!

[WSR's_Judy]

My minis are eating the trees bark I have tried No chew on the trees, but they still want to chew on bark.

They have been in around these trees for the last 5 years and have not chewed on them once now in the last week or two they have decided to chew on them.

These are there big shade trees the only two in the pasture.

Anyone have suggestions on what I can put on the trees to protect them and keep the minis from eating them.

 

[DebiM]

What kind of trees are they? Do they still have pasture grass or hay? Strange that they would just start it.

 

[littleone]

Its funny that you mention it because my riding horses are doing the same thing. They too have been around these trees in their pasture for several years and have just recently within the past few weeks decided to chew them down!! What is causing them to do this anyways? They have plenty of hay and get fed grain twice daily but still want to chew the trees as well.

 

[wildoak]

If it's like our part of the country, grass is grazed down this time of year and it's been so dry there's not much forage out there. They may just want something to chew on or may be looking for something missing in their diet. At any rate, they will kill your trees - been there done that. I'd probably look at putting more hay out for them, a mineral block or something else to occupy their teeth and time lol. You can wrap the trees with chicken wire, or put up a fence around them for protection.

Jan

 

[Hosscrazy]

I also have beavers for horses...I know exactly how frustrating it can be! I ended up wrapping all of my trees tightly in chicken wire - that was about 8 years ago? It's the only thing I found that worked!

Best,

Liz R.

 

[Marty]

Sounds like they are hungry.

I'd be checking out your feeding program first.

Don't know your location but they probably are hungry for roughage.

Are you putting out adequate hay? You probably have to increase it. OR, if you are, it may not be good quality hay and they are lacking in that department.

As Wildoak has pointed out, do provide a white salt block and a red one.

Put out some Purina 12 12 minerals too.

I think that will solve the problem.

 

[tuffsmom]

Our horses lick certain trees around here...but they're licking the sweet sap. You can see the sap running down the trees.

 

[Marty]

I was also going to suggest that the sap is down in the trees from October until spring in most areas.

 

[justaboutgeese]

As soon as the ground was covered with snow my horses started on the trees. Pine trees, maple trees, birch trees it did not matter. I ended up wrapping all of the trees in the pasture with four foot woven fencing wire just to keep them from acting like beavers. It made little difference that they had hay 24/7. They were doing it in my opinion just out of boredom.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

I would agree with the boredom if they're being adequately fed. Our weanlings took down two trees (removing bark) and a redwood bench one year. Wrap them with wire or cage them is the best. Some people have luck with the wide wrap used for deer, but I'd be afraid they'd chew that too.

 

[Margaret]

We have 9 citrus trees in in my back pasture.. And after a couple of years with minis, we realized that this time of year they will chew the bark for whatever reason.. One of the trees started showing severe stress, as it was missing half of its bark, on one side, and we realized that we needed to get something around the trunk or we would start to lose them. The only thing I could come up with in a pinch was chicken wire. I wrapped it as tight as I could, and pinched under the raw edge, and secured it with hay baling twine. Since they have a good reach we went up as tall as necessary. It has been, about a year now and although they still dine on the leaves, they leave the trunks alone now.

 

[Sonya]

I agree with what Geese said, if they have adequate feed, they are bored. I've wrapped my trees with 4ft woven wire fencing (the same that the pasture is)...I didn't use t-posts or anything, just wrapped it around and zip tied the ends together.

 

[WSR's_Judy]

The trees they chew on are maple trees. They are pastured in 15 acres and it has a lot of winter rye grass, so there is green grass in their pasture, plus we put out large bales of brome hay too.

I have salt and mineral blocks, plus I feed Omelene 300, and also have a feeder in their barn with Purina 12:12 loose Mineral so they can have minerals when the weather is bad.

I have seven brood mares and one stallion that I have pastured in this field and they just started doing this.

I will try wrapping fence around it that's a good idea.

Is there something that I can put on the trees, like tar, to protect the area that they have already chewed the bark off?

I hate to see the trees die, because this is the only Shade trees they have in the summer in this large field.

Thank you for all your suggestion I will do the fence around the trees.

Judy

 

[Margaret]

The bared areas on the trunk, and limbs can be sprayed with a diluted form of bleach/water..(to kill off any viruses, or parasites that may enter the tree that way. After it dries,- the nursury stores in your area should have a recommended sealer for this purpose if you ask them.

 

[Loess Hills]

Ours went after a 8 year old maple tree they have NEVER bothered before. Even though they are out in the pasture, have adequate hay, complete feed, and some alfalfa, it just seems like they reach a point that they just want something green and alive! That's when the damage to trees occurs. So all our small trees have chicken wire and stakes around them, and now this large maple has it's own four foot panel on all sides.

 

[HGFarm]

What kind of feed are they getting?? If just pellets, they are probably not getting enough roughage?? I would put wire or fencing around the trees so they cant eat the bark- it will kill the trees.

 

[Jean_B]

Horse boredom has killed more trees than you can shake a stick at. Bad pun.

You could try putting chicken wire around the trunks - but you would have to make it loose enough so that the bark doesn't grow around it... or loosen it every once in a while. Or put little square fences around each tree-- far enough away that they can't reach the trunk. Chewing trees is a bad habit and they won't stop once they've started unless you make it impossible for them to do it.