Posted by GoatWorld on April 04, 2001 at 20:20:55:
In Reply to: New goat yard posted by Mary on April 04, 2001 at 09:50:20:
Hi Mary,
I too agree with everyone else on this subject. Goats love to browse just about everything in their path but you do want to make sure that you correctly identify all of the plants and brush you have in the area they will be in. Early spring can be a particularly dangerous time of the year in some regions because plants such as hemlock sprout up.
What I've found in our area (Missouri) is that most of the poisonous vegetation is very low to the ground and the goats will often times get a nibble of something they should while browsing something they should.
Not only do poisonous plants pose a risk - plants that cause mechanical injury are also a problem. For example, we have Gooseberry plants here and if you have ever seen a Gooseberry plant, you'll know that it has extremely sharp thorns about an inch or two long. Same thing with Thorny Locust trees. Fortunately I've gotten just about every one of these pests out of the area. Not only do they risk trying to rip the bark off a locust tree, they also risk a puncture wound from the thorns or a thorn in the hoof.
As Nat pointed out, Cornell University has an excellent section on poisonous plants. We have one here on GoatWorld as well that contains some pictures. This section also contains several links as well. Here'sthe direct url for you and I will also add it below:
http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/
Best regards,
Gary Pfalzbot