> You could ask your vet about it too. I doubt that the horses could > pick up any disease from bats, it seems that *most* diseases tend to > be species-specific. In any case, the toll that they take on the bug > population outweighs any risk from having poo on the ground.
Actually, Robyn, from the research I did it seems that they have connected the foal stillbirths and spontaneous abortions that happened in KY in the 90's that were so awful, to a virus that was carried by ticks with bats being the original host. So there is always a possibility of cross contamination between species. My big concern was anything they could get from the droppings if they were to graze under the houses. The Ag Ext. agent I talked to suggested we put a tray under the houses above where the horses could reach to catch any droppings and that would probably also catch any dead/sick bats that might drop out of the houses. I'm glad you mentioned that because my dogs also run in that area so that's another concern - they would definitely be interested in any animal lying on the ground. I think you are right - the benefits outweigh the inconvenience Laree
