# Nettles



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

I just wanted to share something that is going on at my farm and see if anyone had had any similar or dissimilar experiences. 

I have (what I call) stinging nettles in several places on my farm. They grow to great heights and are generally a nuisance. The other day I had some goat buyers come out and the husband made a general comment that "it doesn't look like goats eat nettles". I had to agree based on the evidence standing right there before us.  

I swear it wasn't three days later, my good ol' Saanen, Blanch, started working on the nettles. My wife claims Blanch would take out the tops, then the Boers would come in and take out the rest of the plant. I'm not sure about all that, but it is a fact they have taken out one complete obnoxious patch of the things and are currently working on another. When I say "taking them out", I mean they have completely eradicated any trace of them. All the way to the ground and they then even dig up and eat the roots. I'm serious. 

I have seen no ill effects of the nettle eating. If they are eating them now, why didn't they eat them before? Was it a certain maturity they were waiting for? Is it because the rest of my pasture is drying up to an extent so they have turned to the nettles now that their preferred graze/browse is going away? (I'm thinking this is probably it)


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Beats me, but it sounds like all they needed was Blanch to set an example. Interesting theory about everything else pretty much dried up.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

HUMMM....interesting..we have Bull Nettle here...vicious plants...its not growing where we have our goats, so I have no wisdom to offer lol...but Im tempted to walk a handful of goats out back and see if they will eat it lol.......


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

The photo I posted earlier is a stock nettle pic from the internet.
This first new pic is the patch they are currently working on.
The second pic is what's left of what was once a huge nasty patch of nettles.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Another reason why Blanch is high on my "keep list", even though she is the wrong breed.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Well.. just looking at that plant gives me the shivers. Is that indeed the 'stinging' type of nettle? If you aren't sure.. touch it. You will find out. The stinging nettles I have been exposed to leave welts on the skin and painful stings. I have fallen into a patch of nettles- ahh.. and was welted all over my skin. If indeed these goats like these and are not bothered at all by the toxins from the stings- that is so interesting but I also find it quite interesting that goats love poison oak and don't get it. Is there any more toxic oil than urushi oil from the poison oak? Amazed at goats ability to eat things like this and then die easily over eating a rhodedendrum. Goats are odd.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

packhillboers said:


> Well.. just looking at that plant gives me the shivers. Is that indeed the 'stinging' type of nettle? If you aren't sure.. touch it. You will find out. .


Yep. They do sting. This is one of the first plants I learned to recognize since childhood. (after some bad experiences) They are no fun at all. I sometimes get after them with the weed eater, but that always leaves me itchy or worse and I usually have other things that need weed eaten, like hot wire fence lines, so I often ignore the nettles. They seem to like low lying wetter areas.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

There is no bad toxins in Stinging Nettles, they are one of the most important forest foods.

The "stings" are tiny hairs that shed off the plant when you touch it. It also happens to the animals and insects that touch it, that's the way the plant defends itself.

When the first buds begin to appear and the plant is ready to be pollinated all the stinging hairs fall off so the bees can land on them. Blanche was smart enough to figure out they weren't stinging. They are very good plants and I have a patch in my yard that I keep for my own use. Here's a page that tells about them http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Medicinal.html


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## RoyalSpirit (May 27, 2014)

My goats ate everything in their pen last year but the nettles. However this year they ate them first.


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

May be because Nettles are high in minerals...it's GREAT for replacing minerals, along with being good for the gut and may others things.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

goathiker said:


> There is no bad toxins in Stinging Nettles, they are one of the most important forest foods.
> 
> The "stings" are tiny hairs that shed off the plant when you touch it. It also happens to the animals and insects that touch it, that's the way the plant defends itself.
> 
> When the first buds begin to appear and the plant is ready to be pollinated all the stinging hairs fall off so the bees can land on them. Blanche was smart enough to figure out they weren't stinging. They are very good plants and I have a patch in my yard that I keep for my own use. Here's a page that tells about them http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Medicinal.html


Thanks, Jill.
I was hoping you would comment.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Cedar Point Kikos said:


> May be because Nettles are high in minerals...it's GREAT for replacing minerals, along with being good for the gut and may others things.


Could be. My goats have been eating the heck out of their loose mineral, but that doesn't mean much. According to Wikipedia, the nettles can be up to 25% protein too. My goats seem to love the stalks. :?


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## springkids (Sep 12, 2013)

I know on my farm they tend to ignore certain weeds for weeks and then suddenly go through and wipe them out. I have often wondered if a plant gets a better taste or maybe has better nutrition at a certain growing stage???
That's just my thoughts...:thinking:


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Nettle stings are supposed to be a treatment for arthritis.


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## Tapestry (Feb 5, 2015)

Nettle tea is treatment for certain breathing problems, like asthma.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Nettle tea is also good for PMS.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

lottsagoats1 said:


> Nettle stings are supposed to be a treatment for arthritis.


I'm calling bull on that one lol my wrists have been killing me the last year and I've been got boy those jerk plants about a million times lol
We had them bad here this year. My kidding pen was like a jungle so I went and bought my first ever weed eater (I have animals I don't usually need one) so I did that then got my welding gloves on and pulled the ones up on the fence line so my babies would be safe. Got all done and a lady that I was wanting a buck from sent me a video and all her kids were playing in them with no dang issue!!! Eventually the other ones did start to dry out and that's when mine started to eat them so I'm guessing that's about when the needles fell off.
Mine are also weirdos about what they will and won't eat at different times. Tar weed they will eat when they first come up, over 2'' and no more. Fiddle neck when it's all grown up, live oak leaves only in the early spring, white oak leaves all the time lol I have some new weed growing here and so far nothing has touched those so maybe they will grow big enough to find out what they are lol


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I was told if you get stung and the white flower is in bloom..to pick it and rub the area ASAP.....kids tried it and said it works ??? Good to know they have value...


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Hmm, ours have pink flowers and don't have stings when they are blooming.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

springkids said:


> I know on my farm they tend to ignore certain weeds for weeks and then suddenly go through and wipe them out. I have often wondered if a plant gets a better taste or maybe has better nutrition at a certain growing stage???
> That's just my thoughts...:thinking:


I'm thinking that could be as well. It sounds like with these nettles there could be a time when they don't sting as much.


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## Jasmar (Mar 28, 2015)

happybleats said:


> I was told if you get stung and the white flower is in bloom..to pick it and rub the area ASAP.....kids tried it and said it works ??? Good to know they have value...


You can also use some of the root. Dig up a bit and mash it to get the juice flowing. Rub it on the area and it takes it right away.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

here are what we have here in Texas....just look at those stinging hairs!!! and boy they sting and welt and burn!!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

That one is called the Hoary Stinging Nettle Cathy, good name huh? The ones over here are common Stinging Nettles and aren't quite as nasty. Both are interchangable for medical use.


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## Tapestry (Feb 5, 2015)

We must have hoary stinging nettle then. White flowers on top and the needles stay. Once it wilts, it doesn't sting anymore, but that's the only break we get from that nasty stuff. Fortunately, the sting only bothers me for a couple minutes, unlike our fireweed, which burns like the very devil.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Okay, what are you calling Fire Weed? It doesn't sting at all. It's named that because it only grows in burned areas.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Wow!! Those suckers look mean!! Makes mine look like babies.....you stinging nettles look like the thistles we have here


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

We have Devil's Club to make up for it :lol:


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## GoatieGranny (Jul 26, 2013)

goathiker said:


> There is no bad toxins in Stinging Nettles, they are one of the most important forest foods.
> 
> The "stings" are tiny hairs that shed off the plant when you touch it. It also happens to the animals and insects that touch it, that's the way the plant defends itself.
> 
> When the first buds begin to appear and the plant is ready to be pollinated all the stinging hairs fall off so the bees can land on them. Blanche was smart enough to figure out they weren't stinging. They are very good plants and I have a patch in my yard that I keep for my own use. Here's a page that tells about them http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Medicinal.html


Yes!!

We pick nettles daily to make nettle tea. It's a powerful vitamin for us. The goats love them, too.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok I won't complain about my baby mean plants because you guys have some nasty ones!!! 
And you are still making me itch talking about teas and such lol if any of you need some nettles though you can have all mine for free


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You ought to try them Jessica, if you like cooked greens. Just use gloves to pick the young tender ones and cook them like spinach. The stings all dissolve the first 30 seconds of cooking. They are really good for you and taste really good, to me anyway.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The root of the Devil's Club will dissolve UC but, you need armor to harvest it. I'm going to plant a couple to play with for my next plant project.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I have those nettles too Tim.. It's kinda funny but my herd queen Bella started eating them first and then today I noticed the rest of them, including the sheep eat them.. 

My fields are drying up, so I most likely will have to start feeding hay/alfalfa early this year.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

goathiker said:


> You ought to try them Jessica, if you like cooked greens. Just use gloves to pick the young tender ones and cook them like spinach. The stings all dissolve the first 30 seconds of cooking. They are really good for you and taste really good, to me anyway.


You know I think I will. If anything else the kids will get a kick out of it when they find out what it is lol and if they are a hit then I won't have to buy round up by the pallet lol


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

We have a ton of nettles here too. Hopefully soon they will shed their hairs and the goats will start eating them.


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

Dried nettles are part of the "girly herbs" mix I give to pregnant and lactating goats. They go down the hatch just fine. I don't have nettles here, but wish I did, because I'm fond of cream of nettle soup.

And fireweed, Tenacross? This is what I know as fireweed. Totally harmless, young shoots edible and good, and bees like the flowers. Ever had fireweed honey? The first ones are opening today, here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamerion_angustifolium


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

I have a hard time believing that there is not some sort of painmakers toxins in those stickers. I've been stuck with all sorts of stickers and never did it feel like bee stings. We must have something different here because, these plants do leave welts for quite some time on the skin... I don't even have sensitive skin and have had welts stay for a long time. It's called stinging nettle for a reason... it has some sort of stuff in those stickers that make more pain than a sticker normally would so I am skeptical of a lot of so called herbal 'guru' articles... They probably lack true observation and go the mechanical route. I do believe that they are not harmful to goats .


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

They inject you with histamine, plus the tip of the thorn stays in your skin, your reaction depends on how allergic you are to it. Blackberry thorns are much worse for me than Nettles. They have been used for thousands of years all over the world for food and medicine.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Watch for tape worms in there poop your goats may be self medicating


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> Watch for tape worms in there poop your goats may be self medicating


Does that mean nettles are good for not having tape worms? If so I totally believe that one because my goats have NEVER had them. I've never seen them in their poop or eggs in a fecal (although I'm not claiming to be a pro on doing them lol)


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I don't use wormers I rotate pastures 
I have seen my night pen littered with tape worm after turning the herd into a new pasture
I think that sheep and goats self medicate for tape worme


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

goathiker said:


> You ought to try them Jessica, if you like cooked greens. Just use gloves to pick the young tender ones and cook them like spinach. The stings all dissolve the first 30 seconds of cooking. They are really good for you and taste really good, to me anyway.


I will vouch for this! They are one of my all-time favorite wild greens.

Another thing I remember hearing about nettles (The kind in the PNW, that is; I don't know about the others.) is that they are an indicator that you have really good soil. Apparently they are very finicky about where they grow. This is probably why I don't have any on my property.

The native soil here is hardpan, rocks, sand and a top dressing of dead leaves ... not much else.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I think you might be right about the soil. Ours grows really thick on the out side of our corral (lots of cow poop) and this year I held back one of my goat pens and where they normally sleep at night in that pen they were really thick there......as well as under the tree where the chickens roost lol. Now do these taste like Spanish? I'm actually kinda looking forward to this spring for them to grow now lol


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Spinach not Spanish


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## rebelINny (Feb 7, 2014)

Nettles are actually very good for lactating animals. Makes them produce more milk.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

They are richer than spinach, have their own taste. The best way to cook them is to steam them.


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