Posted by Nat on April 18, 2001 at 19:00:52:
In Reply to: Goats getting sick on first day of foraging posted by Tim on April 17, 2001 at 19:47:58:
The time on pasture couldn't have been enough to get them sick, especially with the number of goats you have versus the number that got sick. You commented that only a few parts of the pasture are green now - remember the first plants to emerge in the spring are usually the toxic ones, and to a new goat, or one not acustomed to it... it's the first to get eaten by accident. In our area (new England) I notice Nightshades comming out early, and a few other plants that shoudln't be eaten.
You may want to walk your pasture and identify what they may have gotten into to prevent a repeat. There are many good plant ID pages on the net that identify poisonous ones.
Good Luck, and with alot of care the goats should be ok. I went through a similar incident last summer when my goats got into Ruhbarb. Not pretty, but they recovered with time.
-Nat's Little Bit Farm