The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: moprabbit on November 30, 2012, 09:49:07 am

Title: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: moprabbit on November 30, 2012, 09:49:07 am

Just wondered about this the other day when I turned my sheep out into another field. As usual I walked the field first & found some privet trimmings in the field. Cleared them up as best I could - let the sheep in & low and behold within minutes they were up where the trimmings had been & were eating bits that were left! One of my books says they are poisonous... my sheep are all fine but I just wondered if anyone had any experience of privet causing a problem. The hedge where the trimmings had come from obviously is on the boundary of the field.
Thanks. 

Title: Re: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: in the hills on November 30, 2012, 01:33:48 pm

Don't know about sheep, but I thought that privet was poisonous to most creatures, except stick insects  :D

Title: Re: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: goosepimple on November 30, 2012, 02:23:52 pm

Yes its poisonous but they would have been sick or be looking ill by now if they'd eaten enough to make them so.  I'd make sure they can't stand up and get to it, they can become very ill, sounds like you're ok though.

Title: Re: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: SallyintNorth on December 01, 2012, 02:29:09 pm

I honestly don't know about privet, but both sheep and cattle eat small amounts of some poisonous plants as a tonic it seems.  Ivy is well-known as an appetite stimulant when a ruminant is off its food, and yet in quantity is poisonous.  Sheep in Wales eat laburnum - all the hedges are made of it - and yet it too is poisonous.  Our sheep here keep some overhanging yews trimmed, but they never seem to be ill of it.

However some poisonous plants really are poisonous to some sheep - take rhododendron and Ronaldsays, for instance  :(

I hadn't responded initially, hoping someone with firsthand experience would come along....

Title: Re: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: in the hills on December 01, 2012, 03:14:38 pm

Maybe it's to do with quantity eaten/time of year eaten. My hens once consumed all the new rhubarb leaves and I really thought that it might kill them but they were fine ..... and they consumed a lot!!!!! Read afterwards that they maybe able to eat some poisonous plants at some points during the year and were able to use this as self-medication against internal parasites etc. Could be true of sheep too, I suppose  ???

Title: Re: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: moprabbit on December 01, 2012, 03:59:41 pm

Thanks for all the replies - fortunately my sheep are fine so maybe they can eat small amounts without it doing them any harm.

Title: Re: Is privet poisonous?
Post by: in the hills on December 01, 2012, 05:26:06 pm

 :thumbsup:  Glad they are okay