Kudzoo, Give me Kudzoo, so say the goats!

Mike CHS

Herd Master
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
10,407
Reaction score
37,368
Points
793
Location
Southern Middle TN
Kudzu has an interesting history depending on your perspective. It was actually planted intentionally back in the Dust Bowl years by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930's. Many of my older (now mostly deceased) family members found that to be the only employment during those years.
 

greybeard

Herd Master
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
5,940
Reaction score
10,803
Points
553
Location
East Texas
Ok, so I've heard over and over that no grazing animal likes kudzoo.
I'm curious where you heard that, as everything I've ever heard (going back to early 70s and ever since) said it was great protein and was highly palatable to almost all livestock.

All you ever wanted to know about kudzu, The Plant That Ate the South:
https://file.scirp.org/pdf/AJPS_2016033015243339.pdf
Abstract

The nutritional value of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was evaluated as a potential animal feed. Randomly selected samples from natural habitats with Jacksonville area (Alabama, USA) were utilized in the study. Kudzu leaves showed significantly higher dry matter and crude protein content than the stems; whereas, ADF fiber was significantly lower in the leaves. However, NDF and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were similar in the leaves and the stems. The leaf part of kudzu was especially rich in CP (24.46%) and met the requirements and recommendations for most ruminants. The TDN value for kudzu stem is 55.99%, which falls below but within the recommended range. Macronutrients concentration between the stem and leaf of kudzu, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium showed a significantly higher in the leaf than the stem. However, phosphorous was similar in concentration in the stem and the leaf, and potassium was higher in the stem. In regard to the micronutrients, the only significant difference between the leaf and the stem was iron. However, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper were all above the recommended concentrations by the National Research Council. In general, kudzu can be considered a good source for animal feed, especially the leaf, which shows a higher value in most of the determined criteria in comparison to what was recommended by the National Research Council. This should provide a new outlook to kudzu, which has been considered a noxious weed and help in the utilization of kudzu in a positive way in the southern region of the US.



kudzufig1.jpg
 
Last edited:

MatthewsHomestead

True BYH Addict
Joined
May 23, 2018
Messages
542
Reaction score
1,214
Points
233
Location
Foothills of NC
I'm curious where you heard that, as everything I've ever heard (going back to early 70s and ever since) said it was great protein and was highly palatable to almost all livestock.

All you ever wanted to know about kudzu, The Plant That Ate the South:
https://file.scirp.org/pdf/AJPS_2016033015243339.pdf
Abstract

The nutritional value of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was evaluated as a potential animal feed. Randomly selected samples from natural habitats with Jacksonville area (Alabama, USA) were utilized in the study. Kudzu leaves showed significantly higher dry matter and crude protein content than the stems; whereas, ADF fiber was significantly lower in the leaves. However, NDF and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were similar in the leaves and the stems. The leaf part of kudzu was especially rich in CP (24.46%) and met the requirements and recommendations for most ruminants. The TDN value for kudzu stem is 55.99%, which falls below but within the recommended range. Macronutrients concentration between the stem and leaf of kudzu, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium showed a significantly higher in the leaf than the stem. However, phosphorous was similar in concentration in the stem and the leaf, and potassium was higher in the stem. In regard to the micronutrients, the only significant difference between the leaf and the stem was iron. However, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper were all above the recommended concentrations by the National Research Council. In general, kudzu can be considered a good source for animal feed, especially the leaf, which shows a higher value in most of the determined criteria in comparison to what was recommended by the National Research Council. This should provide a new outlook to kudzu, which has been considered a noxious weed and help in the utilization of kudzu in a positive way in the southern region of the US.



View attachment 50791
From someone who is not a farmer before I became a hobby farmer! :lol:
I am quickly learning the opposite though! That stuff is seriously like crack to my goats. Lots of beautiful tall grass, weeds, and other forage IN their pasture, even turned them loose into the garden...... Nope! They figure out how to get out and go for the neighbors kudzu since they ate all that spilled over into our yard. (Really it's a farmers land, fields surround our piece and in the back of our land is a section of thicket that is overgrown with the kudzu)…...
 

greybeard

Herd Master
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
5,940
Reaction score
10,803
Points
553
Location
East Texas
Just make sure you understand any possible ramifications of this:

However, phosphorous was similar in concentration in the stem and the leaf, and potassium was higher in the stem. In regard to the micronutrients, the only significant difference between the leaf and the stem was iron. However, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper were all above the recommended concentrations by the National Research Council.
 

MiniSilkys

Loving the herd life
Joined
Feb 15, 2018
Messages
547
Reaction score
483
Points
193
Location
West Tennessee
I know this is old, but the highway department rents out goats just so they can clear the kudzoo and other plants that grow in places they can't get mow along the highways.
 
Top