protecting trees from cows

I read something about painting something on trees to protect them from cattle rubbing the bark off. Well, I don't know if this is exactly what was used, but it sounds like Dippel's oil is similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dippel%27s_oil

K Nelfson wrote:
I read something about painting something on trees to protect them from cattle rubbing the bark off. Well, I don't know if this is exactly what was used, but it sounds like Dippel's oil is similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dippel%27s_oil

Tree protection is a quite commonly discussed topic here, and if you search for it you can see lots of references to Dippel's oil.

Roger Taylor wrote:

K Nelfson wrote:
I read something about painting something on trees to protect them from cattle rubbing the bark off. Well, I don't know if this is exactly what was used, but it sounds like Dippel's oil is similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dippel%27s_oil

Tree protection is a quite commonly discussed topic here, and if you search for it you can see lots of references to Dippel's oil.

Oh. Thanks for letting me know.

I had saw a post a while back about something Sep Holzer did involving a iron kettle, bones, and building a fire over it. A few years back. I always wondered about that and it all came back when I stumbled on the wikipedia page for Dippel's oil. Suddenly it all made sense... Sounds like you people have had it figured out the whole time!

Does anyone know of a commercial source for Dippel's Oil?

Alternatively, anyone want to go in with me on a 5 ton purchase of the stuff?
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cattle-bone-oil-Dippel-s-oil-_119798841.html

What about just putting an electric fence around them?

Kevin MacBearach wrote:What about just putting an electric fence around them?

Well, you need fence posts, which cost time or money. You also need a fencer or an engineering degree---again, time or money. Electric fences need to be maintained. If you're a proper dairy farmer, "walking the fence" is a real thing that takes up a lot of time. Also, fences around trees would take a lot of time and effort. It'd be a lot easier to smear some gooy bad-smelling stuff on the bark every year.

K Nelfson wrote:

Kevin MacBearach wrote:What about just putting an electric fence around them?

Well, you need fence posts, which cost time or money. You also need a fencer or an engineering degree---again, time or money. Electric fences need to be maintained. If you're a proper dairy farmer, "walking the fence" is a real thing that takes up a lot of time. Also, fences around trees would take a lot of time and effort. It'd be a lot easier to smear some gooy bad-smelling stuff on the bark every year.

I look at the trees around me, and the cows will strip the leaves from low-hanging branches and also rub the bark off the trunk by rubbing against them. I can see the oil or equivalent stop them eating from the branches, but I've yet to see anyone say it will stop them rubbing against them. Sheep are much the same, I have damage to two younger apricot trees from rams scratching up against them. Sure they've eaten the low branches and leaves from my plum trees, but the scratching/rubbing damage is worse.

There's two fir trees which cows have practically ring barked by rubbing against it in the neighbours field.

At some level, I don't think that dippel's oil can ever be an acceptable solution for cattle for me, unless it were proven to prevent rubbing. Deer or something that does no rubbing damage, perhaps.

Roger Taylor wrote:

K Nelfson wrote:

Kevin MacBearach wrote:What about just putting an electric fence around them?

Well, you need fence posts, which cost time or money. You also need a fencer or an engineering degree---again, time or money. Electric fences need to be maintained. If you're a proper dairy farmer, "walking the fence" is a real thing that takes up a lot of time. Also, fences around trees would take a lot of time and effort. It'd be a lot easier to smear some gooy bad-smelling stuff on the bark every year.

I look at the trees around me, and the cows will strip the leaves from low-hanging branches and also rub the bark off the trunk by rubbing against them. I can see the oil or equivalent stop them eating from the branches, but I've yet to see anyone say it will stop them rubbing against them. Sheep are much the same, I have damage to two younger apricot trees from rams scratching up against them. Sure they've eaten the low branches and leaves from my plum trees, but the scratching/rubbing damage is worse.

There's two fir trees which cows have practically ring barked by rubbing against it in the neighbours field.

At some level, I don't think that dippel's oil can ever be an acceptable solution for cattle for me, unless it were proven to prevent rubbing. Deer or something that does no rubbing damage, perhaps.

I understand it's a repellent and it works for some people. Haven't tried it myself.... Don't have many trees on the acreage that could be rubbed---they're still in danger of trampling and deer damage. I also don't have any cows, either, which is a sad state of affairs.