[Steph Hen]

I have read four books on goat care/feeding and bits on the web. I have come across a few contradictions that I would like to put past goat keepers please?

Goats like long grass once it's gone to seed. Vs. No longer than 6-8" and should be topped repeatedly to encourage new growth.

Potatoes are good food as part of ration (tubers not plants).

Harmful plants such as mayweed, ragwort, rhubarb leaves, honeysuckle, daffodils and all bulb species and their leaves must not be available to goats. Vs. Goats are quite tolerant of ragwort, and learn to avoid plants that are harmful to them providing they have other foods available.

Has anyone known goats get sick after grazing on some plant? - so far friend told me of goats that died after eating rhododendron

[Buttermilk]

Goats like to nip off the seed heads of grass but the feed value is not as good as in shorter younger growth.  Never feed green potatoes but they can be a reasonable source of feed, toasted potato peelings can be given as a treat.  It is wise not to have poisonous plants about for any livestock as one will always have a nibble.

[ballingall]

I wouldn't say goats are clever enough to avoid poisonous plants, so they need to be removed. Ragwort is poisonous, but it is an acculmination (sp) poison. Basically that means that over a period of time- years, they get more and more of the poison and will eventually become sick. Horses are most susceptible to ragwort poisoning simply because they live for a long time- 30 years?
Goats and sheep therefore are less susceptible to it as they live for less time.


However, I would still recommend getting rid of ragwort, because at the end of the day it is a risk.


Beth

[shygirl]

I didn't know you could feed goats potatoes, in what form??

[Steph Hen]

Book says fresh potatoes as part of winter root ration. But its only mentioned in one of the four books.

I realise that in an ideal situation there wouldn't be any suspected questionable plants  available to livestock but everyone and all books say that goats thrive when working away free range at overgrown scrub or undergrowth in open woodland. I have this available, as well as fields, but It would not be practible to remove everything I've found on the harmful to goats lists, and to be honest I don't want to (snowdrops, bluebells, foxgloves, honeysuckle).

Had anyone ever known a goat to get ill after eating any plant growing In it's field?

I've always been taught that ragwort is lethal, spent weeks pulling it up and I did read on here the other day that it is accumulative in the liver, but to be honest I've  also known plenty of ponies in their 30's in fields with all the  listed  harmful goat plants, and ragwort and find myself questioning the evidence behind their inclusion. Plus some books saying goats are more tolerant of ragwort, others saying goats learn what to avoid, makes me wonder if live stock really do get sick from all the listed plants in real life.

Edited to add:
Read on ragwort.org.uk that iragwort toxins does not accumulate in the liver over years, rather the damage to liver cells does if eaten often.
I've also read that confrey contains the same toxins, purrolizidine alkaloids, and comfrey is listed as good goat food. (Not found out how much is in each plant yet.)
I have read a reference to, but not the original paper, Goeger et al., 1982 - goats are much less susceptible to ragwort poisoning than horses. Needing to eat over 125% their body weight. I will dig out this original paper.

[clydesdaleclopper]

It's also tricky as some places list things like honeysuckle as okay. I have often used the fiasco farm list as a starting point.


in respect of them avoiding poisonous plants I know Sepp Holzer relies on this in his management regime but I think most domestic goats do not have the knowledge. I remember reading about how in feral goat herds the matriarch would teach the kids which plants were poisonous by pretending to eat them and them spitting them out and stamping on them. If they aren't taught what to avoid then it is always a risk. Some people work on the  basis that if they have an abundance of safe forage that they won't be tempted to try the poisonous stuff but personally I wouldn't be happy with this.

[Lesley Silvester]

I had a goat who became very ill and the only thing I could find that she had tried that was poisonous was laurel. She only appeared to have taken a small amount but it was touch and go for a while.

[Steph Hen]

That's cool that the matriarch teaches thr kids!
I've seen


Thank you mad GoatWoman of Madeley - I don't think we have any laurel anywhere, glad she pulled through after eating.

it seems that if there is an odd rosette of ragwort hiding under a bramble or gorse bush, it is very unlikely to do any harm. Some of the woodland ground cover in early spring is made up of bulbs, but later other things green up, wild raspberry, gooseberry, brambles, grasses, etc, so I think I'll just graze these areas later in the year once the bulb leaves are rotted away, rather than exclude altogether.

[Hellybee]

I'd be getting shot of the ragwort regardless, a laborious but necessary job.  As for the comfrey love having it around, would love to have a bank of it one day, but not in a field, love it for preparations and tea but not as a browse.


St johns wort can cause facial reactions, ivy good to have but that won't last long lol, no young trees, as they will be reduced to sticks.     Anything really sugary should be fed in moderation as laminitis can happen ..

[Melmarsh]

I lost a goat who ate privet that I thought was out of reach !! And one who projectile vomited 3feet after eating the tips off rhododendron, as that was all she could reach, but did survive. Not pretty sights either of them. Not worth the risk, assume the worst and get rid of anything that someone has said is poisonous and ignore the ones that say the goats will ignore . By the way they love jacket spuds   

[Steph Hen]

As for the comfrey love having it around, would love to have a bank of it one day, but not in a field, love it for preparations and tea but not as a browse.

Why would you not use comfrey as browse Hellybee? I'm reading an article in the british boer goat society September publication and quote "comfrey is a fabulous food". It was definitely listed in at least one of the books I read as a good plant to cut and feed to goats, and to dry for winter food. Can it be harmful?

Rhododendron is the one that has cropped up twice; my vet friend told me about some goats that ate some
Privet, think I would assume it would be bad. Is it just stick insects that eat it?! We had it round the garden where I grew up and it kept neighbours mares-tail weeds on their side. When we cut the hedge down and replaced with a fence, the weeds crept through!

[Hellybee]

Like I said I only use it for its properties for tea and mulch for knocks on ponies. 


I just think that some animals do gorge themselves on some things and just would worry about that.  I appreciate feed as part of a balanced diet it's good but too much of anything, especially such a plant couldcause trouble fed fresh on the field.  When I use it for knocks if I bottle it up with water it ferments pretty quickly, and let's of lots of gas. Poisonous in excess I would think.  Using it dried out surely alters the properties of it, ie less likely to ferment in the gut, etc etc. I know our goats would get stuck right in they ll have a go at anything lol xx