[montanadolphin]

Ok, so I know there are poisonous plants that are not good for goats, a lot which can be deadly.

I have NO IDEA what some of them are! Or how to recognize them! We just bought this house and have only been here since January, and I discover new plants every day! The previous owners were plant addicts! I have some sort of Asian honeyscuckle bush, vining honeysuckle, blackberries, raspberries, wild blueberries, persimmon trees, yuccas, butterfly bush, daylilies, other lilies, blue fescue, milkweed, hostas, azaleas, creeping phlox, salvia, astilbe, roses, irises, crocus, tulips, daisies, plum tree, weeds like buttercups, clover, wood sorrel, dandelions, chamomile, and tons of weeds I haven't a clue on! We have 8.6 mostly wooded acres, so there's tons of trees too! Chestnut oaks, other oaks, tree of heaven, empress trees, tulip poplars, dogwood, sassafras, and a whole bunch more that I don't know what they are!

I'm afraid to let the babies play in the yard! What if they eat something that they aren't supposed to???

 

[elchivito]

You've probably got a County Ag Extension agent close by who can look your place over for toxic plants. In general, well fed goats won't overeat on a toxic plant and for lots of those plants listed as toxic to goats, it takes more than just a taste to make them sick.

 

[goathiker]

I have some sort of Asian honeyscuckle bush, toxic in large amounts
vining honeysuckle, berries are toxic rest of plant fine
blackberries, fine
raspberries, fine
wild blueberries, fine
persimmon trees, unripe fruit toxic rest of plant fine
yuccas, toxic, contain cyanide
butterfly bush, several plants are called butterfly bush. Asian types poisonous
daylilies, fine
other lilies, not recommended
blue fescue, not recommended
milkweed, toxic
hostas, toxic
azaleas, very toxic burn them, I won't even have them on the place
creeping phlox, fine
salvia, toxic
astilbe, fine
roses, fine
irises, toxic
crocus, toxic
tulips, toxic
daisies, real daisies toxic, the native weed type (asters) fine
plum tree, wilted leaves and spring growth toxic
weeds like buttercups, toxic in large amounts. They never bother my boys though.
clover, fine
wood sorrel,fine
dandelions, fine
chamomile, fine
and tons of weeds I haven't a clue on! We have 8.6 mostly wooded acres, so there's tons of trees too!
Chestnut oaks, toxic
other oaks, white oaks okay others more toxic
tree of heaven, fine
empress trees, very fine, grown for fodder
tulip poplars, fine
dogwood, fine
sassafras, fine, they will eat them up though.

 

[montanadolphin]

Wow, I have like 30 yuccas growing in my yard, and at least 15 hostas. Our woods are PREDOMINANTLY chestnut oaks! Fescue is most of the grass in the yard, two azalea bushes, irises EVERYWHERE...

Maybe I shouldn't have goats?????

 

[goathiker]

Are they Horse Chestnut/Buckeye trees or Swamp Chestnut oaks?

 

[montanadolphin]

Are they Horse Chestnut/Buckeye trees or Swamp Chestnut oaks?

I have no idea! I just know they are chestnut oaks...really big acorns, dark green leaves...I can take a picture of one and post it!

 

[Stacykins]

You've probably got a County Ag Extension agent close by who can look your place over for toxic plants. In general, well fed goats won't overeat on a toxic plant and for lots of those plants listed as toxic to goats, it takes more than just a taste to make them sick.

Despite being well fed, my crew tries to snarf down milkweed at every opprotunity then can. I can stop them as soon as they grab a single leaf. I've yanked up every single milkweed I can find, and keep on it. But the seeds blew in from a neighbor's field...it is a never ending battle.

 

[goathiker]

I have no idea! I just know they are chestnut oaks...really big acorns, dark green leaves...I can take a picture of one and post it!

Nope, that told me what I needed. The only time they would get poisoned by them is if they are really hungry and eating huge amounts of acorns. It takes a lot to poison them.

 

[montanadolphin]

Here are some pics of the tree I'm talking about. I also am including some areas that haven't been mowed or weedeat yet to give you an idea of what I'm up against! Also, my garden pond...I have a feeling, that to my goats, I should name it Poisoned Garden Pond. Some others I forgot to mention...vetch, yarrow, wild carrots, wild onions, daffodils (dozens!) and violets.

I think I'm in a lot of trouble!!!

 

[montanadolphin]

Ooops! Sorry, I must have been typing my post when you said I didn't need to take pictures!

 

[goathiker]

That's fine. Let me go milk real quick and I'll go over some of this with you in about 1/2 an hour. Be right back.

 

[montanadolphin]

Ok, thank you!

 

[goathiker]

You're biggest problem is going to be the ornamentals. Your ground cover is fine, that type of weedy stuff is what they like best. The lawn grass may or may not have endorphins. If it does they shouldn't eat it while pregnant. Your woods are going to be fine within the native tree areas.
The thing is that with your dog, they are not going to able to just run loose anyway. I would pick them a spot for about a 60 by 60 foot pen where they would have some shade and some sun. Then that spot could be cleared and made safe for them. There are people that would buy some of those plants off you to give you fencing money.
Then just as soon as they are strong enough, take them out and teach them to follow you on a leash. That's easy with bottle babies, just start working with them about an hour before bottle time while they are hungry. They will run right after you looking for their bottle as long as you never pull on the leash. Daily walks in the woods to browse are easy and fun.
That gives you time to work on fencing off a safe section of woods for pasture.
Boer does are not normally high energy goats. They tend to be easier on fences and content as long as they have a manger of hay.
Everything has a solution. Give your dog the yard and let the goats have part of the woods.

 

[montanadolphin]

hmm...there is an area that has fencing already. I can't take a picture now to show you cuz it's dark outside, but I will tomorrow cuz I'd really like your opinion on it.

It is about 5 feet or so (i could be way off...i'm terrible at judging distances) from the yard in the treeline. It's kinda shaped like a rectangle, but not straight. It's a big area. There is no gate, just an opening where a gate may have been but is no longer there. There are trees inside the area, a lot of dead fall and carpet of dead leaves. There are some wild blueberry plants growing, but that's the only shrubbery/plants I can recall. I was considering fixing it up for my chickens when they get full grown and I can feel confident leaving them in an area that size that was not protected from above, so I could let them forage during the day instead of being stuck in their run until an hour before dark. Do chickens and goats get along? If not, then i will find another alternative for my chickens since I have time. The area I'm speaking of can be for my baby girls. IF you think it will work for them. I do know there are a couple of spots in the fence that need to be repaired...or something could get in after them...the spots are little holes in the fencing. Oh boy, I just read over what I wrote so far and it looks like I'm rambling. LOL, sorry. I'm not very good with wording anything.

I'll take a pic tomorrow morning and see what you think!

 

[goathiker]

My chickens 4 minutes ago

 

[jennnaragsdale]

My chickens roost in the goat pen at night the have an old cabinet without a top they sleep there in the middle of the pen

Sent from my iPhone using GoatSpot

 

[montanadolphin]

Oh good! So they could be in there together, that's great!!

I did find two pictures of the area I'm talking about...I took them during one of our snow storms. It's not the greatest way to show you how big the area is, but it will give you an idea of where it's located...it's in the woods, with trees inside the fencing.

 

[goathiker]

Yeah, that could be fixed up really good to start with. The nice thing about that fencing is the goats can't get their heads through but the chickens can. So you can put your chicken food in a trough on the outside and not have to worry about the goats eating it and bloating.

 

[montanadolphin]

I just used a walking wheel to determine an approximate measurement on the dimensions of the fenced in area. It's actually not shaped like a rectangle...it's almost like a gourd. skinny at the front, wider at the back. The longest (front to back) measures 75 feet. The width is about 47 feet. that's at the back end. The "skinny" part is right at the front, and stays skinny for 5 feet or so then widens drastically.

I took pics. Some of plants and saplings inside the fence. What do you think?

 

[goathiker]

That looks great. They will love living in there and the trees will keep the hawks from diving on your chickens.