The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: shygirl on July 15, 2013, 11:40:45 pm

Title: Foxgloves
Post by: shygirl on July 15, 2013, 11:40:45 pm

are foxgloves anything to worry about? we have a fair few but as yet havent been touched at all.
should i remove them?

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: ballingall on July 15, 2013, 11:42:15 pm

Yes, quite badly poisonous. Remove completely. Will be a shame if they are white!


Beth

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: NetherBrae on July 15, 2013, 11:43:45 pm

We're the same. Fox gloves in field and goats just ignore them. I keep thinking I should do 'something' but if they're leaving them be, would trying to remove them just attract the girls' interest ?

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: shygirl on July 15, 2013, 11:46:03 pm

they are so beautiful so its a shame to dig them up. they are purple ones.
its the only thing i have seen that my goats havent tried. they must smell bad or taste terrible.

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: ballingall on July 15, 2013, 11:48:41 pm

Maybe they smell bad or taste funny- never seen ours actually near a foxglove, so I have nothing to measure against. I just know they are poisonous.


Beth

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: Fleecewife on July 16, 2013, 12:27:25 am

They haven't touched them YET.                                                                                                                     
 
Foxgloves are the source of Digitalis which is given as Digoxin, a cardio-active drug, known to be lethal in quantity.  The therapeutic dose is small, so the lethal dose will not be many times that.   Beautiful though they are, the only place I let foxgloves grow here is in my garden, which is inaccessible to livestock.    I don't think it's worth taking the risk

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: shygirl on July 16, 2013, 12:30:37 am

thanks. i will try and replant them elsewhere.

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: Penninehillbilly on July 16, 2013, 12:37:52 am

My girls never touched them, there are some down the field sides, outside the electric fence, and there were quite a few in a small area, near a spring, I was digging these up giving them to some friends.
Then one day a goat was off her food and obviously not well, a bit green and slimy/frothy round mouth, she did come round, but when I went down the field (Near the spring) the remaining foxgloves had been eaten down.
Co-incidence? Well the rest were rapidly pulledup and disposed of,
but this reminds me, kids were under the elctric fence today, they can get to the ones I left, thinking they would be safe, must sort that tomorrow!

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: cumbriandan on July 16, 2013, 07:34:41 am

Hi, we have had bad problems with goats eating foxgloves in the past, some recover some don't, you have to drench with tea and liquid charcoal, and they are very poorly!
Definitely get rid of them if you can !!

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: plumseverywhere on July 16, 2013, 08:19:45 am

Our old house was called foxgloves - shame really, we dug them all up as they are so very poisonous. Used in human medication to slow, steady and strengthen the irratic heartbeat - in a healthy heart they will kill and certainly in large amounts. Risk not worth taking.

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: HelenVF on July 16, 2013, 09:59:20 am

We were having this conversation last week as I noticed some growing on the other side of the fence.  Will definitely go and pull them out!

Helen

Title: Re: Foxgloves
Post by: NetherBrae on July 17, 2013, 05:20:40 pm

That's it. They're going!