norseofcourse
Herd Master
Yes, goats can eat poison ivy, and it's ok to let them have at it even when they're young. Make sure there's no toxic plants they can get to. The only thing I see people warning about overeating on is grain/pellets/chicken feed etc...
Yes, you can get poison ivy from your goats. I have a *major* poison ivy problem here that my sheep have been helping me get rid of. I simply make sure that anytime I touch the sheep, I don't touch anything else, and I get inside and wash within 20 minutes. And I try to only touch them with one hand, so I can use the other (uncontaminated) hand to open gate latches and doors to get inside, and the faucet handle to wash up.
If anyone else is going to handle your goats, have them follow the same rule. Otherwise they'll touch the goats - touch a rake handle, gate latch, ect... - and the next time you touch that rake or gate latch, you can get poison ivy from it.
If I'm doing something more involved with the sheep, like trimming feet, I'll wear disposable gloves and toss them. Nitrile, not latex. The PI oil comes through latex (been there, done that, ouch). I don't worry about special clothes unless I'm wading in the stuff.
Washing your goats isn't a bad idea, I can't really do that with my sheep, they have too much wool, and besides they're still helping me clear the poison ivy. But honestly, I'm mostly just careful about washing up after I've been out there, and I very seldom get poison ivy.
Yes, you can get poison ivy from your goats. I have a *major* poison ivy problem here that my sheep have been helping me get rid of. I simply make sure that anytime I touch the sheep, I don't touch anything else, and I get inside and wash within 20 minutes. And I try to only touch them with one hand, so I can use the other (uncontaminated) hand to open gate latches and doors to get inside, and the faucet handle to wash up.
If anyone else is going to handle your goats, have them follow the same rule. Otherwise they'll touch the goats - touch a rake handle, gate latch, ect... - and the next time you touch that rake or gate latch, you can get poison ivy from it.
If I'm doing something more involved with the sheep, like trimming feet, I'll wear disposable gloves and toss them. Nitrile, not latex. The PI oil comes through latex (been there, done that, ouch). I don't worry about special clothes unless I'm wading in the stuff.
Washing your goats isn't a bad idea, I can't really do that with my sheep, they have too much wool, and besides they're still helping me clear the poison ivy. But honestly, I'm mostly just careful about washing up after I've been out there, and I very seldom get poison ivy.
