Author Topic: Yellow flag iris (Read 5450 times)

Polyanya · « **on:** August 16, 2017, 12:44:08 pm »

Does anyone know if this plant is poisonous to goats? I can't find any info applicable to the uk online. I've written to the BGS and they seem just as confused as I am.

Reason for asking is we've extended the goat park for more grazing and there is rather a large stand of the irises in there. Well cows and sheep don't eat them but of course my goats started devouring the leaves. I've had issues with my goats and daffodils before (not a pleasant sight) but there wasn't any obvious diarrhea and they seemed well in themselves, I just dont want to take the risk so their new grazing area was cut off again. This plant is all over Shetland and we have a lot of it on our land so not an easy task to remove it. Would love to hear any views?

Talana · « **Reply #1 on:** August 16, 2017, 02:48:50 pm »

I would say poisonous. Just looked online and says poisonous, sap irritant can cause burns, rhisomes underground highly poisonous (death if ingested) I suppose a small amount of leaves may not do harm but a large amount would.

Polyanya · « **Reply #2 on:** August 16, 2017, 07:11:06 pm »

Thanks Talana, was that relevant to the uk? I have asked the vet but not heard anything from them.

landroverroy · « **Reply #3 on:** August 16, 2017, 10:07:18 pm »

Some years ago I grazed sheep on a stretch of river bank which had masses of yellow iris. The sheep cleared the lot to the extent that by the next year there were none left, but the sheep suffered no ill effects at all. So if the irises are classed as poisonous, I would say that they are not in the most toxic category.

Talana · « **Reply #4 on:** August 16, 2017, 10:53:32 pm »

mixture of various countrys sites: http://www.gardenguides.com/77655-yellow-iris-poisonous.html
http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/yellowiris.shtml
Uk sites more plant for your garden etc.

Polyanya · « **Reply #5 on:** August 18, 2017, 02:31:20 pm »

Hmmm well I'd better start making plans to dig up all the rhizomes this winter, thanks for the input

landroverroy · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2017, 10:44:04 pm »

Quote from: Talana on August 16, 2017, 10:53:32 pm

mixture of various countrys sites: http://www.gardenguides.com/77655-yellow-iris-poisonous.html
http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/yellowiris.shtml
Uk sites more plant for your garden etc.

Hmm that article clearly states several times that yellow Iris is deadly to humans and animals. And yet I distinctly remember my sheep clearing well over an acre of it, because I thought at the time how pretty it all was before they ate it all. But the sheep fattened really well that year as it was clean pasture and had no visible ill effects at all.
Very strange.

landroverroy · « **Reply #7 on:** August 19, 2017, 01:07:54 pm »

If you google "Yellow Iris" in the Farming Forum (I can't do links) you'll see that someone has said that reports of it being deadly poisonous are wildly exaggerated. Also that sheep and cattle have been seen to eat small amounts of it quite commonly with no ill effects. Which would tie up with my own experience.

Polyanya · « **Reply #8 on:** August 19, 2017, 06:19:06 pm »

I know this is why I'm confused -in fact I remember my sheep eating the leaves down in the late autumn/early winter when they had started dying down (the leaves not the sheep

) and they never had any problems, but like I said I just can't take the risk with the goats.