Horse Tail Weed/ Mare’s Tail weed

[Kelseycita]

We recently moved to a house on a river and have just found there is horse tail everywhere, including now sprouted in the ducks run we just built. Does anyone know if this is toxic to them, or if they’ll be okay and leave it be? I know I’ve read geese are sometimes used in pastures to eat it, but I hadn’t been able to find anything about ducks. I know it’s nearly impossible to get rid of, so I’m stressing. Our babies are just over a week old so they’re not in there for a while yet.

 

[DuckyDonna]

We recently moved to a house on a river and have just found there is horse tail everywhere, including now sprouted in the ducks run we just built. Does anyone know if this is toxic to them, or if they’ll be okay and leave it be? I know I’ve read geese are sometimes used in pastures to eat it, but I hadn’t been able to find anything about ducks. I know it’s nearly impossible to get rid of, so I’m stressing. Our babies are just over a week old so they’re not in there for a while yet.

It is in the fern family and is poison. I do know that ferns are on the list of poison plants to ducks.

The article I just read says that most animals will avoid it but may not avoid it as it's dying. It sounds like a pretty nasty deep-rooted perennial plant that is invasive.

 

[Isaac 0]

I posted in your other thread, it's all around my pond, and haven't had any problems with the duck eating it. 5 years.