# Rhody, Laurel and Japonica



## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Here in the Mountains of Idaho we are pretty fortunate not to have too many plants to worry about. Most of the things that they eat here would take a pretty large amount to have an adverse affect. We have lots of Bracken Fern and Lupins which I read somewhere were supposed to be toxic but my goats eat it all the time and I've never seen a reaction from it. (Probably why Carolyn didn't include it in the first aid book.) Of course, I don't stake them out in patches of it either. We also have choke cherries which I carefully keep the goats away from. Especially in the fall or any other time I see wilted leaves around. I see the corn plants in swampy areas occasionally but the goats don't seem to be attracted to it. I know you guys on the coast have it a lot tougher with Rhodys and Laurels.


----------



## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*

They have to eat bracken for two months staight for it to affect them and with Lupine the seeds are toxic but very unpalatable. Rhody and Japonica, which is an ornamental yard plant which is extremely poisonous, are the worst.

Mountain Laurel is a bad one here as is poison hemlock, a very small plant what grows around creeks and ponds and is small enough in the spring that goats can eat it and not even realize it.


----------



## steve morgan (Dec 13, 2008)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*

We have lots of rodies here on the olympic peninsula. They are our state plant also. The north east lower elevations are the worst. Do any of you use muzzels? I really don't want to but probably will have to if the Olympic National Park ever lets us use the trails. Steve


----------



## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*

Some of my older goats have decided rhodie is candy. I use muzzles all the time for problem goats. I keep them attached to the bars on the saddles so they are there when I need them. It's really funny to see them walk up to a plant and theen try to bite it. They look so confused.
Festus used to run down the trail ripping rhodie blossoms off the plants and dare me to try to catch him.
I would muzzle him at certain spots on the trails where I knew they were going to be bad before he could get going. THat goat ate more rhodie than I've ever seen a goat eat. He died of lung cancer at the age of 9 so I guess he had no bad effects from it.


----------



## Black_Flame (May 17, 2009)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*

my goats are pretty good about watching what they eat. we've only had problems once, when my moms goat ate too much bracken. but one of my friends, her goats ate EVERYTHING, they stripped a couple rhodie bushes, ate a bunch of laurel, ate bracken ferns, yet they were healthy. I'm just surprised they didn't touch the fox-gloves.all i can say is those were some lucky goats.


----------



## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*

Mountain Laurel here in the Mid-Atlantic ... it's abundant and grows close enough to trails typically to allow goats to easily grab it as they walk ... we'll be trying out muzzles this season.


----------



## Sbell (Dec 13, 2008)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*

I have a bunch of rhodys in the yard, for some reason the goats think they are desert if they get out. Its the 1st thing they run for.


----------



## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

*Re: What plants do you worry about?*



cryptobrian said:


> Mountain Laurel here in the Mid-Atlantic ... it's abundant and grows close enough to trails typically to allow goats to easily grab it as they walk ... we'll be trying out muzzles this season.


Our group just went hiking yesterday in an area very thick with Mountain Laurel ... so was a good hike to try out some muzzles. We just used some very inexpensive muzzles to see how they would work before investing in something nicer.

[attachment=0:1bedm375]goatmuzzles.jpg[/attachment:1bedm375]

I was really suprised to see how well all of the goats took to them. I really expected a bit more agitation, but they barely seemed to even notice. Considering that some of our most beatiful trails are so *because* of the Mountain Laurel and Rhodedendrom, I'm really pleased these worked so well!


----------



## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

*Really?*

These are all plants that WE worry about, but are they actually poisonous to the goats for casual browsing.. I.e. just in passing?

What do the people with weeding contracts do when they turn a herd loose on a mountainside?

We've had people here say their goat got into rat poison. It is not something I let them do intentionally, but it says something about the resistance of goats to lots of stuff that are poisonous to us and other animals.

I'd almost guess we've had more people who have lost goats to grain than to poisonous plants.


----------



## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

*Re: Really?*



Bob Jones said:


> These are all plants that WE worry about, but are they actually poisonous to the goats for casual browsing.. I.e. just in passing? .


Lots of toxic plants you needn't worry about for the occasional grab of a leaf in passing while on the trail. Bracken Fern, for example takes weeks of continual exposure. The Rhododendren and Mountain Laurel though are quite a bit more toxic ... minimum toxicities are from .2 to .4 % of body weight, respectively, which doesn't really amount to much (a handful of leaves in some cases). Not so little I would panic if the goat happened to grab a leaf, but it's little enough that I want to take precaution and ensure they can't get to it easily ... and that's critical for my group where some of these goats are being handled by people that are half their weight!


----------



## Coyotl Viejo (May 22, 2010)

What is mountain laurel? Does anyone have a taxonomical name for it, or other common names? Here in my area (So. Oregon) what we call laurel is either madrone or California bay.

Thanks for any clarification you can give!

Dan


----------



## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

Coyotl Viejo said:


> What is mountain laurel? Does anyone have a taxonomical name for it, or other common names? Here in my area (So. Oregon) what we call laurel is either madrone or California bay.


Kalmia latifolia

The toxin in the mountain laurel (and rhododendron, and azalea) is Andromedotoxin


----------



## Coyotl Viejo (May 22, 2010)

Thanks! Looks like I don't need to worry about Mtn. Laurel since it doesn't grow in the Western states. Whew!

Dan


----------

