I just found a web site listing all the plants toxic to goats and it sounds like our yard is a death trap to any animal. there are wild cherries, walnuts, red oaks, oleander, rhododendrons, and numerous other things that I didnt know were toxic. the realy surprising one was the red oak trees. there are hundreds of them on our land and keeping the leaves up in the yard each fall is a losing battle. the goats are in a large pen amongst the trees and I do keep it clean and the leaves raked up but keeping all the oak leaves and acorns out isnt easy. has anybody had any bad experience with goats and oak trees or am I being overcautious?

-- Dan O'Neal (oneal@innernet.net), November 24, 2001

Answers

Could you please post the url?

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), November 24, 2001.

Though I don't know about wild cherries, I do know that oleander, azaeles and rhododendrons will kill your goats, even if just a little bit has been consumed. The infomation on oaks and fruit trees usually is a warning for wilted leaves, but....my goats live in the National Forest white and red oaks, acrons, hickory and we have no control if a limb falls down and the goats eat it. We are convienced that goats are only affected by what they are not used to. My goats love small pine trees that come up in the pastures, love acorns, and eat pine tops and oak leaves by the hundreds. But a friend of mine had her prize Nubian bloat from the Christmas tree, cut from their back pasture the goats are not allowed in! Another gal friend of mine has terrible problems with china berry trees, mine don't even bother them! Well fed, well hayed goats are less likely to eat things that will hurt them if they are not starving. It is like moldy hay and grain, well fed animals would stick their noses up at it! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 24, 2001.

I agree. Well fed goats will NOT eat any6thing notgood for them. Mine are free roaming, and since I'm retired, I can roam with them. I pueposely try to feed them things they shouldn't eat to see if this is true. If I died , & no one gave yhem hay & feed. They'dnprobably eat the rhodendron & join me!

-- Elizabeth Quintana (rockshelter@webtv.com), November 24, 2001.

I do keep them well hayed and they get a little goat feed every day. they both will still eat anything in sight.I got them from a farm where they never saw trees or anything other than short grass. Maybe they just dont know any better. I will have to keep a close eye on them when they are out in the yard with me and I am gonna get rid of a lot of the really poisonous plants just to be safe. I have only had them a couple weeks now . maybe they will quit trying to eat everything when they get used to the different environment a little more.

-- Dan O'Neal (oneal@innernet.net), November 24, 2001.

Click For Red Oak

Other toxic oaks ~ black, white, western poison.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 25, 2001.

My goats also have access to both red and white oak leaves in their pastures, along with spruce, fir, hackmatack, ash, cherry, poplar, maple and apple. Unfortunately they destroyed all the dogwood and redbud :-( !! But at various times of the year they will eat a little of all of these trees (leaves and/or fruit) and I've never had a problem. Their "happiest" times are in the fall, after a good wind. Then you will find them all outside crunching on leaves and acorns (as we do peanuts!) and topping the whole snack off with wild apples. But they also have free choice mixed grass hay always available!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), November 25, 2001.

Listen to Vicki, our goat pens are all full of red and white oaks.

-- bergy (bergy@psbnewton.com), November 25, 2001.

Marcia, I live on Dogwood Road, not a Dogwood in site anymore :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 25, 2001.

Vicki...Love them goats, though :-)!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), November 25, 2001.

Several years ago, when we bought first moved to our land, I penned my goats under an oak tree (not sure what kind) that was in bloom (In March) with lots of low branches. 2 days later 2 of the 10 goats were dead and another 1 or 2 were sick with diarrhea and bloat. After researching in the Merck Veterinary Manual I found the young leaves and buds are toxic to ruminants due to their high tannic acid content. It's really hard on their kidneys. I'm sure this was the cause of the illness and death. We immediately trimmed the branches out of reach and I've never lost another. A couple of things to consider: 1) My goats had never seen an oak tree, much less nibbled on one, yet lots of my neighbors pasture cattle and goats in the oaks with no adverse effects. 2) My goats were had were penned and the oak buds were a fresh, green treat that was hard to resist. I feel like in a pasture the variety of goodies would have kept them from injesting the toxic amount of tannin-rich oak buds. 3) I've given my goats branches with mature oak leaves and ripe acorns with no problem.

Lynne

-- Lynne (boodad@us.inter.net), November 25, 2001.