Feeding trees to sheep

[norseofcourse]

I've been reading about pollarding, which is a method of trimming trees to encourage top growth, and one reason it was done (in years past) was to feed the branches to livestock.

I have two sheep (and their two young lambs) on a little over a quarter acre of mixed field and brushy area - wild rosebush, blackberry, poison ivy, grapevine, etc..., and some trees, including two overgrown apple trees. They are eating it down and loving it, and my goal is to have it eventually be pasture and not all brushy. I have several more acres for my ponies that I'm slowly clearing and turning into pasture also.

They really love the variety of things they're eating, and I think it's good for them, too. I really don't want to keep growing wild rosebush and poison ivy for them, but there's crabapple trees on the property, so I'm thinking about pollarding some so I can feed branches to the sheep.

What other tree or shrub leaves are good for sheep? They eat the honeysuckle bush but not as much as they love the apple leaves. I know wild cherry is bad for them. I also have oak, maple, dogwood, tulip tree, sassafrass, sweet gum, mulberry, black walnut, hickory, and a few others I haven't figured out yet.

Does anyone intentionally grow trees or shrubs so you can cut the branches to feed your sheep? What kinds of tree leaves besides apple are good for sheep?

 

[SheepGirl]

I don't purposely feed trees to my sheep, but we have a dogwood (I think?) in the field with them as well as willow. Plus there's a maple and I think also an oak right outside the fence line. The sheep don't actually eat the branches, but they love to eat the leaves. Especially yellow maple leaves. That's their favorite.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

My sheep won't eat anything but their hay...

But I am an arboriculture student if you have any questions on pollarding.

And actually, (maybe they did use them as feed), but pollarding came about because of laws that it was illegal to cut any limbs larger than an inch. The kings and rulers didn't want their trees cut, but the poor depended on the trees for heat, so they developed pollarding so they could harvest firewood legally every year.

 

[CritterZone]

When we prune our orchard we throw the branches to the sheep, and they don't eat the sticks, but they do like the bark. Last fall the sheep got into the orchard and had their way with the trees. They showed a preference for the peach trees - in fact they, they tore several small branches off and girdled the trees by eating most of the bark off the trunks. They killed three of them, but didn't seem to like the pear, cherry, apricot, apple or plum trees enough to linger... So, I guess I can say our sheep show a preference to peach trees.

 

[secuono]

I prune my trees to feed my rabbits during winter, no reason you can't do the same for other animals as long as the wood is safe.

 

[norseofcourse]

Thanks for the replies!

CritterZone - there's two large old apple trees in the sheep's pasture, so far they haven't bothered the bark. I do want to plant a few more fruit trees once that area is more cleared out, so I'll make sure to protect them from being eaten by the sheep.

secuono - what kind of trees/prunings do you feed to your rabbits? In the winter, I'm guessing they're just eating the buds, or do you have some trees with leaves on year round in your area?

WhiteMountainsRanch - if I want to try pollarding a crabapple tree, do I just start by cutting it about as high as I can comfortably reach? What age/diameter tree is good to start on?

 

[secuono]

Google safe/edible trees for X animal and a list will come up. They eat the whole branch of the thin ones, bark, buds and wood. I have a Mulberry tree and several Sycamores. Bought Willows and fruit trees, so will use those when they are big enough to trim from.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Thanks for the replies!

CritterZone - there's two large old apple trees in the sheep's pasture, so far they haven't bothered the bark. I do want to plant a few more fruit trees once that area is more cleared out, so I'll make sure to protect them from being eaten by the sheep.

secuono - what kind of trees/prunings do you feed to your rabbits? In the winter, I'm guessing they're just eating the buds, or do you have some trees with leaves on year round in your area?

WhiteMountainsRanch - if I want to try pollarding a crabapple tree, do I just start by cutting it about as high as I can comfortably reach? What age/diameter tree is good to start on?

You'll want to start pollarding it at a young age. You'll want to leave the trunk and choose several lateral branches that are well spaced apart. Depending on how big your tree is, you'll want to cut each branch at about 3/4 of the way down the limb. You'll also want to make sure you cut at the same place every time you prune. This effectively creates the "knot" on the end of each thick lateral branch that the little "water sprout" branches grow out from. Don't cut too much off the first couple years while the plant is still growing. Here is the technical explanation:

Pollarding

The head of main branches are cut back by approximately 50% to promote a more bushy growth, and to prevent them outgrowing their allotted space, casting shade and obstructing wires.

Pollards are identified by the numerous branches, originating at the same point on the tree. The "Pollard Head" or "Boll" forms where the new shoots spring up each year.

The London Plain, Common Lime, Acer, Alnus and Quercus are well know to be tolerant of pollarding.

Pollarding is best started on young trees as young wood responds and heals rapidly, reducing the risk of decay.

Here is what the tree looks like when it grows out and what you re-cut it to: