Is broken clay birds harmful to horses?

[Carroll B]

Not sure where to post this one.  My sister has several horses.  When family visits her we sometimes shoot trap from a thrower we setup in one of her fields where the horses graze.  Most of the lead shot will clear the pasture and land in the woods out of reach of the horses.   My concern is whether or not the pitch or whatever the clay birds are made from will be dangerous to her horses or if they contaminate her pasture?

[Graybeard]

I'm sure if they were dumb enough to eat them it wouldn't be good for them but they won't. There is a warning on the boxes about pigs eating them and they are harmful to them. I'd not worry about it. Plenty of them get broken in pastures where horses and cattle are each year.

[Carroll B]

Thanks Graybeard.

[Big Paulie]

I have had four horses, with lots of whole and broken clay birds around, and I never had a problem with horses eating them or getting sick.  In short, I don't believe that a horse will ever eat them.

   Pigs, however, will eat them.  Also, I've never seen anything that a goat won't at least chew on.  One time, I gave a goat some bubble gum to see how long he would chew it, but he kept spitting it out and them picking it up again.  After it got totally covered with dirt, I finally threw the gum away.  I believe that the goat would have just kept chewing on it, and spitting it out, and picking it up again all day and night.

Best Regards,

Big Paulie

[dougk]

Our horses eat the wooden barn, yellow pine fence, hay  and grass but never clay targerts.  The cows on the otherhand eat everything.

Doug