Author Topic: Is elder poisonous to sheep (Read 9121 times)

Notasausage · « **on:** February 17, 2013, 07:51:00 am »

We're keen to plant some elder for the berries but the area we had in mind is in the corner of our field currently grazed by sheep and likely to be used for horses and maybe pigs and goats in the future. I've looked online but get conflicting views of whether this will be ok? Does anyone have elder and what animals have access to it? Do they eat it or tend to leave it alone?

colliewoman · « **Reply #1 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:10:56 am »

Mine eat it, and the goats do too and they are all fine

in the hills · « **Reply #2 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:19:25 am »

I don't know if it's on the list of poisonous plants to stock but it grows in our hedges and no problems so far with the sheep. Thinking about it, it is in most hedges around here and all the fields have sheep in them.

kumquat · « **Reply #3 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:40:44 am »

we've got some bits in a couple of the fields and they get nibbled occasionally - doesn't seem to be any ill effects from it...

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #4 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:49:06 am »

We have some in one of our grazing areas, can't say I've ever seen them at it.

It grows all over West Somerset, which is a big sheep area, and no-one seems to think it does any harm.

Maybe best not to plant only elder, but provided it forms a part of a mixed hedgerow, I'd have thought you'd be fine. And it makes beautiful champagne, cordial and wine

kanisha · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2013, 10:10:41 am »

No problem with the elder thats here in the sheeps paddock

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:05:25 am »

I too had read that it's poisonous but our love it. I guess that because it's a small tree they can't actually eat a lot of it in one go.

Anke · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:46:57 am »

However if you want to get it established you would have to make sure that it is out of bounds of any livestock for a good few years... goats will kill any young bushes very quickly.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2013, 12:30:50 pm »

I think it is worth keeping an eye on ESP in autumn, it may not be relevant to sheep but growing number of deaths in horses from a disease called equine atypical myopathy have now in overseas studies been linked to a subspecies of elders when the leaves are dead and dying on the ground in autumn. Mortality is about 70% of cases so pretty horrid. Uk research will now take place. as I say it may not be relevant to sheep but worth keeping an eye on the research in case they learn that some previously unexplained sheep deaths turn out to be linked to this.

Article about cases of EAMhttp://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare/1370/303438.html