In article ,
David Hill wrote:
On 09/04/2015 19:53, Christina Websell wrote:

The toxicity of the foliage increases as it wilts. Cattle and horses can
eat it fresh without to serious effect

No.

but when it's wilted and mixed in
with Hay that's when it gets really toxic.

That's ragwort.

It's also Yew.
Ragwort has a yellow flower quite different

Sigh. There are so many things wrong here that it's hard to know
where to start. Yes, ragwort and yew are very different. Yes,
they are both poisonous, especially to horses. No, not even those
thick animals (horses) will eat them when they are fresh, if
anything better is available, because they are very bitter. No,
they do not become more toxic when wilted. However, wilting does
make them less bitter, and getting them mixed up with hay will
get them eaten by accident so, yes, that is the main danger.

So the keys to safety are (a) to ensure that there is enough good
grazing in the field, (b) to not cut yew branches or cut down
ragwort and leave them in the field, and (c) to remove ragwort
before making hay. That's all.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.