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lsteller
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Reged: 07/12/03
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toxic plants & goats
07/12/03 08:02 AM
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I just got three goats to clear the brush around my property, and because they're fun. I am worried about toxic plants they might come across on our property, (my sister lost a goat to a poisonious plant but she wasn't sure what it was). Can anyone give me information on what to look for before we expand their grazing area? Thanks for any help on this.
laura
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: lsteller]
07/12/03 10:16 AM
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We have lost four goats in the last three months and I suspect that it was due to poisonous plants. I don't know which ones they are or even for sure if that's what happened. But, I do know this. This happened after we turned them into the orange grove, and the ones we lost, were ones that had not been in the grove before and there is an incredible number of weeds and types of grasses in there.
The rest of the goats are fat and healthy. The ones that died were also weighty with no signs of trauma. No evidence of miscarriage or any other explanation. I can only assume that as new goats are born into the herd they will learn what to stay away from. The grove is twelve acres. There's no way to identify and remove all questionable foliage, so that's the best we can do. If your goats are from the same area you live in and have been on weeds before they should know what to stay away from, but there's no guarantee.
http://www.cjmouser.com
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Stoneheartfarm
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Reged: 10/10/02
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: lsteller]
07/12/03 10:39 AM
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You might try this website:
http://duhgoatman.tripod.com/goatkingdom.htm
You could also look for a copy of Baranger's (sp?) book "Raising Dairy goats the Modern Way." Lots of good info in both places.
Cindi has it right, goats from the area should know what to eat and what not to eat. (So, they may or may not clean out your brush.)
Steve
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Stoneheartfarm
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: itsmeCindi]
07/12/03 10:44 AM
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Cindi,
Just curious, is your Orange Grove sprayed with anything? It seems to me that some of the orchard sprays for fungus and mold contain Copper, or Copper sulfate or Copper something or other. Anyway, it's not real good for goats and sheep. One can handle more of it that the other, but I can't remember which it is right now. Just wondering if they're eating over sprayed plants.
Steve
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No, it should be, mainly herbicide, but we're hoping that the goats will replace the chemicals at some point. We haven't sprayed anything in there in a year. Not even water 
http://www.cjmouser.com
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Stoneheartfarm
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: itsmeCindi]
07/13/03 07:12 PM
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Must've got ahold of something then. The young uns should learn from the elders and leave the bad stuff alone. In the meantime, all you can do is wait.
Steve
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EJB
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Reged: 09/15/02
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: lsteller]
07/13/03 10:11 PM
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From my experience, goats are very easy to poisin with the wrong plants. On my property, rhododenrons and mountain laurel are the most deadly (since we have much of both), but also there are many, many other things that will kill them. I have brought goats back from near death 4 times, and I gotta tell you watching them nearly die is no fun. Its not a quick and painless death by any means... 
I'd recommendreadin the the info at www.goatworld.com, they have a pretty good list of what is deadly for goats, and also some home-spun antitdotes. I've used one of them and like I said was able to bring back 4 goats from almost certain death after they munched on rhodendrons. (my vet said he had never heard of a goat living after eating one, so either I got lucky, or the stuff works, or both).
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McKee
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Reged: 10/02/02
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: lsteller]
08/09/03 09:17 PM
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We are from Northern California and just acquired 4 pygmy goat kids.
I am amazed at everything that could be poisonious to them.
I thought they even eat tin cans like in the old mickey mouse cartoons!
I am getting conflicting answers from the local vets and other sources.
Are buckeyes bad?
I know the rhododendrons and oleanders are.
Now I'm afraid to let them go anywhere.
And I thought this was going to be easier than a dog....
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McKee
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: McKee]
09/23/03 11:06 PM
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Actually as we have let the ladies out and carefully watched them, they have seemed indifferent to the bad plants. WE have relaxed alittle bit and let them roam a little more.
A few ?:
Whats up with the scrapping the hoof on the ground before they sit down (is this like a dog that circles several times before it lies down?)
How do goats react to bringing a new goat into the herd?
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Stoneheartfarm
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Re: toxic plants & goats
[re: McKee]
09/24/03 03:15 PM
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If your goats are from the immediate area, they may already know what plants to avoid. I would expect buckeyes would not be much good for them.
Hoof scraping? Ours scrape out little wallow areas to dust bath in. That's about all I can think of that they might be doing.
Ours have had no big problems with brining new goats into the herd. There will be some sorting out of the pecking order, but it really hasn't been a big deal.
Steve
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