# Oak tree wood chips



## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

So I have lots of oak trees that Im chopping down...and muddy "dry lots." So I thought why not get a wood chipper and kill two birds with one stone lining the dry lots with my wood chips. I know the acorns and spring leaves are toxic for horses from oak trees...but what about dead, dried and chipped?


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I don't think the chips will be a problem except that they are not very absorbent. It make them work at least decently, you may need to triple grind them which will require a really good chipper.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Actually, all hardwood chips are toxic at different levels from what I understand. (I used to sell chips.) Walnut is the worst and Oak is right up there. I'd keep the wood chips away from the horses just to be safe.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I know that Red Oak is but that is ingested not as a bedding. Black Walnut and Wild Cherry can be harmful or fatal as a bedding.

Up in PA where I used to live there was a saw mill near me and we would regularly buy sawdust from them. They were very careful to separate the toxic trees from the rest but I used to get a mixture of pine, oak, cedar, (and another hardwood that I can't remember now).


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

There are many plants that fall into this category. One common culprit is *oak*, which contains tannins, the toxic principle. *Oak *ingestion causes hard, dark feces and colic, later turning to bloody diarrhea, oral ulcers and signs of choke. Horses that wander into shrubs or woodlands, restricted from good quality pasture or hay, may ingest *oak*. Horses with bad teeth, given only complete pelleted feed, and young curious horses may taste leaves. Horses out on the trail may experiment with leaf ingestion if tied near a source. The summertime, when leaves are plentiful, is the most likely time to see *oak* toxicity.

I think so long as they weren't eating them, you should be ok... 

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:Ecbvmn4_cWgJ:ranchandpetsupply.org/library/equine/Are%2520There%2520Dangerous%2520Plants%2520in%2520Your%2520Pasture.pdf+oak+horse+bedding+danger&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

kickshaw said:


> I think so long as they weren't eating them, you should be ok...


As iride said as well and I agree, the trouble is how do you know they won't eat them? For me, it's not worth the risk.


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

My bedding is Oak pellets. I've had no problem with it.


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## G and K's Mom (Jan 11, 2008)

I would be worried about fermenting. A place on the way to work has a chipping company and they are always bring in chips. Some mornings the fog from the chips fermenting is quite amazing.


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