Posted by GoatWorld on May 12, 2001 at 07:59:22:
In Reply to: Black Walnut posted by Barry Kernodle on May 05, 2001 at 04:37:50:
Hi Barry,
Black Walnuts (the walnut hulls) contain an ingredient called "juglone" and this ingredient was once believed to be responsible for killing worms. However, that has been proven untrue and more research is being done on this.
While I personally have used fresh Black Walnut hulls on our goats from time to time, from the research I have done, one should never give Black Walnut hulls to dogs, cats or horses as they are extremely susceptible to poisoning. Goats are susceptible as well for that matter as well as other animals (ruminants included).
I have had more success with feeding black walnut tree leaves to the goats than the hulls. The hulls are extremely bitter and staining. The amount given has yet to be measured by myself but a few leaves in my opinion will not hurt them and will drastically reduce fecal counts.
There are also some opinions that state that black walnuts are not effective whatsoever and the results have been death or sickness to the animal. But at the same time there is also a line of products being sold (as you mentioned) that are made into a powder from black walnut hulls. These are sold from the holistic approach.
I still think that the most effective method is by letting your goats have "fresh" walnut leaves or a freshly ground hull - never more than one because again, all parts of the black walnut tree are considered poisonous.
Best regards,
Gary Pfalzbot