# Poisonous Plants



## reggalce

One of the reasons I'm getting goats is to clear out brush on hills. I'm really scared that they'll get into something they shouldn't and I've scoured the poisonous plants list and looked up pictures so I can identify them but the pictures for every plant have different varieties that look different, making them hard to identify. Do goats mostly stay away from these plants by instinct? What is the best way to identify potentially dangerous plants. Seems like I would need an experience goat person or a vet that's also a botanist to walk thru the area!?! What to do?


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## PiccoloGoat

Well firstly the main thing is to remember no trees of pitted fruits - cherry, peach etc
and if there's plenty of other things for them to each, they most likely won't go chowing down on things that are poisonous.
other users might be able to help tell you the most dangerous ones to look out for


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## ThreeHavens

Older goats will probably be wiser, but goats who are not used to pasture will go "OH BOY!" and chow down on everything :laugh: 

I would have some activated charcoal on hand -- it saved my horses once from nightshade poisoning.


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## nchen7

I read somewhere that goats being browsers will kind of pick a little here and there, so if you have someone that is on the poisonous list, they may eat a little and not eat enough to get sick. 

From experience, that list is only a guideline. avocado and nightshades is on the poisonous list for goats, and I can tell you one of my girls LOVES young avocado leaves and I've seen her mow down eggplant and pepper plants (they were small) without issue. It seems like some goats in some areas get immune to certain plants in their area. The Min of Ag here says it's ok to feed cassava leaves to goats, also on poison list (I don't)....

But ThreeHavens is right, keep activated charcoal around in case you get one that gets poisoned.

Maybe see if there's someone on this forum who's near you who can help you identify the poisonous ones?


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## reggalce

nchen7 said:


> I read somewhere that goats being browsers will kind of pick a little here and there, so if you have someone that is on the poisonous list, they may eat a little and not eat enough to get sick.
> 
> From experience, that list is only a guideline. avocado and nightshades is on the poisonous list for goats, and I can tell you one of my girls LOVES young avocado leaves and I've seen her mow down eggplant and pepper plants (they were small) without issue. It seems like some goats in some areas get immune to certain plants in their area. The Min of Ag here says it's ok to feed cassava leaves to goats, also on poison list (I don't)....
> 
> But ThreeHavens is right, keep activated charcoal around in case you get one that gets poisoned.
> 
> Maybe see if there's someone on this forum who's near you who can help you identify the poisonous ones?


Thanks everybody. This is the most personable forum I've ever joined.

I don't think I have any avacado or nightshades, although I do have holly (to cut down) and a plum, peach and pear trees which I intend to keep the goats away from so I can eat the fruit myself. I also keep activated charcoal around for myself so yeah, you guys put my mind at ease a bit and I appreciate it.


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## nchen7

i'm in Barbados...wouldn't think you'd have avocados in WNC, so you don't have to worry about those!

curious, are the fruits and leaves from pitted plants that are poisonous, or just the pit itself b/c it can choke the goat?

and yes, this forum and its members are absolutely amazing. I got goats last year and lost one around Christmas. I joined the forum shortly after that. i'm sure I would have given up on having goats if it weren't for the wonderful people here.


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## MsScamp

I don't know about plum, peach, and pear, but the leaves from cherry trees are poisonous - especially when wilted.


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## PiccoloGoat

Pitted fruit trees are poisonous when they are wilted and I think young shoots, because they release something when the tree is stressed that makes the leaves very poisonous to goats. Fresh leaves are fine, but any that have fallen or a broken branch or whatever is very dangerous and I wouldn't risk having one in their area.


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## Curious

PiccoloGoat said:


> Pitted fruit trees are poisonous when they are wilted and I think young shoots, because they release something when the tree is stressed that makes the leaves very poisonous to goats. Fresh leaves are fine, but any that have fallen or a broken branch or whatever is very dangerous and I wouldn't risk having one in their area.


You answered my question before I even asked it!


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## FarmerJen

Rhodedendron and azalea are two other very popular plants (though probably not on a hillside, unless it was domesticated at some point) that are big no-no's. As for holly... my girls wont touch it. They wont touch my oregon grape either, which has similar spikey leaves. I dont know if they'd eat the berries or not... they haven't had the chance. I know when mine are browsing, they'll often get a piece of something in their mouth that they dont like and spit it out. It's pretty funny to watch. My biggest battle is buttercup. Though from the research I've done... it seems that its more toxic once it's flowered - and many say that goats wont touch it after that point. My girls, however, seem to love it PRIOR to that. And it grows in the grass just about EVERYWHERE here. I try to keep them out of it as best I can... but I would have to dry lot them to completely prevent them from eating it. Luckily, it seems a little bit here and there doesn't (or hasn't?) done any damage. My girls think wilted cherry leaves are like candy though... so the "instinct" thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. We have wild cherry trees everywhere... so it's a daily chore, raking up leaves, in the fall. I may experiment with netting this year to attempt to keep more of them out of the pen, since unfortunately, removing trees from neighboring lots is not an option.


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## goathiker

Mountain Laurel is a bad one. Every part of the tree is poisonous.


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## Bleyfarm

We had 2 goats about 2 years ago. We are just now starting over. There is a very poisonous plant called white snake root. It grows in rocky hillsides here in missouri. It can get to about 5 ft tall. It almost looks like baby's breath. But once your goat or any other animal eats it. It causes all of their organs to shut down and the go into respiratory shock. It can be passed through the meat or milk too. Needless to say it was one of my worst days ever! This plant is usually ignored by cows, goat, horses...etc. but that was all that was in their pin. So we have pulled every plant out by the root and burned it. So far I have not seen any more. But it starts blooming in June.

Sent from my iPhone using GoatSpot


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## reggalce

Thanks everybody. Just got in so I have to read thru the thread but during the day I took a pic of the 5 plants (for the most part) that are occupying the kennel I'm planning to keep the goats in. I thought all 5 were poisonous at first from vague memories of looking thru a bajillion pictures, but after my muddy cat jumped up on my desk and started rolling around in the one on the left, I think I've identified it as catnip. I wiped off the desk and he jumped up again while I was throwing the paper towel out. Bad kitty! ...I planted some years ago and thought it would have died out by now. In any case, I got some ortho killer and nuked the joint so it doesn't grow back. After it dies down I'll go in and turn the ground over, but the pasture, for lack of a better word, is covered with these same plants and more. I thought I'd post the pic for others that might search thru the site. Why do none of these poisonous plant lists have reference pictures? That would be a popular resource. I also wish LGD breeders would recognized that there IS a market for mid sized livestock guard dog.


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## goathiker

Starting from the right. The first one is fine, cat mint is not poisonous. The second is Galium or bedstraw plant, my goats love it. The third, how big is the plant? There are a couple safe wild carrot plants and their look a like cousins the poison hemlocks, a picture of the whole plant would help me. The fourth I don't know. The fifth is vetch. Very good for the goats and your ground. Sorry. best I can do.


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## reggalce

goathiker said:


> Starting from the right. The first one is fine, cat mint is not poisonous. The second is Galium or bedstraw plant, my goats love it. The third, how big is the plant? There are a couple safe wild carrot plants and their look a like cousins the poison hemlocks, a picture of the whole plant would help me. The fourth I don't know. The fifth is vetch. Very good for the goats and your ground. Sorry. best I can do.


Thanks. I thought the maple looking one was red maple. I wish I could ID plants like you. Also having trouble connecting so I'm goping to try to post this and call it quits for the night. I've been getting timeouts and DB errors.


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## goathiker

Duh, I was thinking weeds not trees. Red Maple is dangerous during certain seasons. Spring and fall mainly.


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## ILuvGoats123

I have scotch broom in my yard, and it is poisonous to goats; we had to pull it out last summer and now this summer. It is kind of bush-like with yellow flowers; sorry, that's pretty much all I can tell you other than cherries and azalea.


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## FarmerJen

My goats wont touch anything in the mint family. So while it wont hurt them... I wouldn't be surprised if they stay away from it. Even the milder flavored stuff like lemon balm doesn't get touched. Which I find funny... cuz they love citrus. I was thinking the first looked like a nettle... same family I believe... which would also be fine. But cats dont normally go crazy over that... so my ID was off.  Most of the lists I've seen say that red maple/japanese maple is a no-no. Seems weird since regular maples seem to be ok.


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