Food for concern over maize as horse fodder

I was horrified by a comment made by a local farmer who feeds it to his dairy herd and claims it has improved his cows' feet. He puts this down to the feed containing "less acid". The article continues: "As horse owners will confirm this isn't as mad as it seems. The energy levels in feed can inflame the membranes in hooves of all kinds, so perhaps someone somewhere will think of horses and try it out."

Most "experienced" horse owners are aware that high energy feed can and often does trigger laminitis.

This is a very serious, painful and distressing condition which can affect the horse or pony for the rest of its life and often results in euthanasia on humane grounds. Vets and feed manufacturers, all over the world, are trying to find ways of preventing this distressing condition.

Lactating dairy cattle and equines have very different dietary needs. By all means feed this maize to your cattle, but don't advocate its use for horses.

From: Judith Alexander, Brighton Street, Westgate, Wakefield.

From: Keith L Rawling, Somerville Terrace, Otley.

I WAS interested to read the letter last week by Linton Gaunt (Country Week, January 23). There has been a similar experience in our garden over the last month, the culprit being a fieldfare.

We had up to eight blackbirds, plus two dunnocks, a robin and a song thrush who regularly came to feed on apples, seed, porridge oats and raisins.

However, when the fieldfare arrived it has shifted them all, not allowing any other bird to feed. It has now moved on but the other birds have not returned yet. Is this a common occurrence? I cannot remember it happening before and we have cared for our local birds over many years.

From: Val Tromans, Ivy Bank House, Wheatcroft, near Matlock, Derbyshire.

I have followed with interest the comments from Sarah Todd and the debate on your letters page regarding the BBC's Countryfile programme and magazine because I have long suspected that it is marketed at a readership who see the countryside as some kind of huge theme park full of quaint people and customs with lots to see and do in one's leisure time but not a serious place to live and work.

"You're judging it too harshly" said the Husband but my mind was made up this month when the results of their Big Question were published.

They reported in the November issue that NFU Mutual was seeing a significant increase in injuries to farmers and animals from collisions on country roads and asked readers: "Should speed limits on country roads be cut and enforced more strictly?"

The answer from these country loving people? 85 per cent of their readers who responded gave a resounding "no". Enough said. Mind made up, subscription cancelled.