[smee2012]

I know, it's a bit of an odd question!

I have lots of raspberry canes going great guns in the garden at the moment and my 2 yr old son loves to toddle out and help himself. Today he picked himself a large bowlful, ate about half and then wandered out of the garden. I thought he'd gone to see the neighbours but instead found him at the field gate, feeding raspberries to the pony and sheep. All of them were delighted by this unexpected treat but I've never heard of giving soft fruit to horses or other grazing animals. I was just hoping that they were ok?

[Buttermilk]

Not harmful at all and they love them.

[smee2012]

It would appear they do! Although you can't tell on my sheep (as they have black faces) - my pony is a piebald with a white/pink muzzle and so now is looking somewhat like a drag-queen! He has black rimmed eyes and bright pink lips. Hopefully I won't come down in the morning to finding him sporting two pairs of glittery 8-inch heels 

[Rosemary]

It would appear they do! Although you can't tell on my sheep (as they have black faces) - my pony is a piebald with a white/pink muzzle and so now is looking somewhat like a drag-queen! He has black rimmed eyes and bright pink lips. Hopefully I won't come down in the morning to finding him sporting two pairs of glittery 8-inch heels 

  Ponies love the leaves to so when you cut the summer fruitiing canes back, give them to the pony. Ours strip the canes in minutes 

[shygirl]

my ponies like blackberries too.

[in the hills]

Yep, sheep love the leaves too. 

[devonlady]

When I'm picking blackberrries my dogs and my old sows follow me around the fields, the pigs with their mouths open and more goes into them than in my bowl!

[ellied]

Ponies do browse brambles and wild rasps.  Just keep rasp leaves away from infoal mares in early pregnancy as they can stimulate contractions and cause slipping oof the foetus.  Just prior to birth they assist the same way.  Same for people incidentally.

[Anke]

Ponies do browse brambles and wild rasps.  Just keep rasp leaves away from infoal mares in early pregnancy as they can stimulate contractions and cause slipping oof the foetus.  Just prior to birth they assist the same way.  Same for people incidentally.

Same for goats and sheep - they love raspberry branches, but not in autumn once they have been put into kid/lamb.

[ellied]

Sorry, I meant to say I assume same for sheep, I'm a bit distracted at the mo and forgot to make the point I was going to make entirely!

[SallyintNorth]

Ditto for cows too - they love raspberry leaves in the day or two before calving.

[smee2012]

I was on the raspberry leaf tea for the final 6 weeks during my first pregnancy. Didn't bother with the next two and there was absolutely no difference - all three were super quick!

I don't think there's any danger of Toffee being pregnant...unless there's something he hasn't told me 

[Treud na Mara]

Our Pygmies love raspberry leaves but always spit out the berries if they accidentally get them! We gather wild canes for them to browse on, having stripped them of the berries for ourselves first of course!