What kind of weeds are poisonous to goats?

[Church Girl]

Hello BYH! We are new to having goats, we have 2 pregnant Nigerian dwarf goats. We were told that some plants/weeds are poisonous to goats, but we have no idea which plants they are. We have 3 acres and a lot of different kinds of plants. What are the plants that are poisonous to Nigerian dwarf goats?

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

Wild cherry leaves are poisonous to goats especially when wilted, as well as peach leaves. As far as weeds, dock and curly dock have high amounts of oxalates, so it's best to keep them away from large patches of that. Rhubarb has extreme amounts of oxalates, so definitely no rhubarb. Also watch out for milkweed, hemlock, horse nettle and boneset. And that's not an exhaustive list. Maybe someone else can chime in who knows more about weeds than I do.

 

[SageHill]

You can take pics of what you have and search online too. Some phones will identify things. The iPhone is like this …..

It’s not always correct but it’s a start

 

[rachels.haven]

Plants Poisonous to Livestock - Cornell University Department of Animal Science

Department of Animal Science at Cornell University; This site contains information about plants which are poisonous to or adversely affect animal health.

poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu

Fias Co Farm: Goats- Edible & Poisonous for Goats

fiascofarm.com

I'm going to leave these here. Common internet consensus on poisonous plants.

Good luck!

 

[Ridgetop]

One thing about goats, they rarely eat enough of the poisonous plant to kill them. In the wild a herd of goats follows the herd queen. She is the oldest dominant female. The herd eats what she eats and avoids what she avoids. Because goats are browsers instead of grazers they routinely nibble some here and some there.. They will eat to the ground your great grandmothers' prize antique rosebush that she nurtured and brought with her on a covered wagon, while leaving other stuff readily available at the nursery. LOL This nibble-and-walk-on browsing style normally keeps them from gorging in poisonous plants. However, there are plants that you won't want in your pastures.

 

[Baymule]

I have an Apple I phone. It has a plant ID on the pictures I take. It’s not always right, but mostly hits the mark. I started a thread on the plants I find on my property.

Grass, Weeds and Forbs-Picture I.D.

Wandering around the pastures, I’m finding a wide variety of plants. I’m taking pictures then using google plant ID to see what they are. I thought it would make a good reference for others. Please add your own pictures and ID so we all can learn. I was excited to see these. There’s not a...

www.backyardherds.com

ID the plants that grow on your land, then check to see if they are toxic. Some toxic plants, they can eat a little of with no ill effects. Some are toxic at certain stages of growth. Some will make livestock ill or even die. It’s a crapshoot.

Soon you will be able to contain your goats and it will get a little easier.

 

[Mini Horses]

On my android it's called "lens".

Also -- Shepard's used dogs to protect and help move the herds. Mine like to return to their barns at night. By taking yours out late day, the graze time will shorten, as they return to bed!

 

[SageHill]

So you have no fences and you’re grazing? Are you using a dog to be the “fence”? My dogs are my ‘fences’ and graze our sheep.
As @Baymule and @Mini Horses have said there are apps on the phones to identify plants when you take a picture. With the iPhone it’s automatic. Last fall, winter and spring I took photos of everything and notes on what my sheep did. You might want to check out “Sheep On The Wild Graze” here - it’s where I put the photos and notes. Once I identified a plant (the apps are not perfect so it can take a little checking and comparing to pics online the I did a search on the plant.
Granted I’ve got sheep not goats.

 

[rachels.haven]

I forgot to mention, I don't have a phone let alone an "app". I've sworn off providing the eternal and entitled "profits" demanded by the phone company as their fair share of the worlds abundance. This internet is my last "vice" but soon I'll be getting rid of it as well.
Have a great day!

You might want to start a journal if you haven't already.

 

[Leo Vance]

Yeah, a few things can hurt goats. Azaleas, rhododendrons, yew, wilted cherry leaves, nightshade… those are the main ones.
Most goats won’t touch them, but if I see them in the pasture I just fence or pull them to be safe.