# poisonious plants



## Georgia Girl (May 25, 2019)

Anyone know if beauty berry plants and elderberry plants are poisonious to goats?  I have looked on some of the lists but did not see those.


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## Baymule (May 25, 2019)

I have beauty berry plants on our place, my sheep have snacked on them. None have gotten ill or died as a result. You can even use the berries to make a lovely deep purple jelly. It is good.


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## GLENMAR (May 25, 2019)

I have a buck who ate some Elderberry with no issues, although I read that the plant is poisonous.


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## Baymule (May 25, 2019)

This is poison plants of Oregon, but useful information. Even though some of the plants don't grow where I live, some of them do. 

file:///C:/Users/Dana%20Jones/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/LIVESTOCKPOISONINGPLANTS%20(1).pdf

another one with good pictures

https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/pest-management/weed/poisonous_weeds.pdf

This one lists elderberry as poisonous. I see elderberry growing everywhere, livestock doesn't seem to eat it. I have seen my horses eat black nightshade with no ill effects. There are many plants with toxins that animals eat. I think for the most part they know when to quit or to stay away all together. Poke grows on our place, the animals don't touch it.

http://poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu/goatlist.html


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## Georgia Girl (May 26, 2019)

Thanks for all the replys.


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## Georgia Girl (May 26, 2019)

Baymule said:


> This is poison plants of Oregon, but useful information. Even though some of the plants don't grow where I live, some of them do.
> 
> file:///C:/Users/Dana%20Jones/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/LIVESTOCKPOISONINGPLANTS%20(1).pdf
> 
> ...


You know this list pine and clover, I thought both of these were ok for goats.


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## Baymule (May 26, 2019)

I have also seen apples on the poison list because the seeds have cyanide in them, but I think it would take a couple pounds of apple seeds to do any harm. Who's going to eat that much? Have also seen alfalfa on the poison list. Why? Clover? Gheesh. Lamb's quarters also makes the list and my sheep LOVE lambs quarters. Bottom line, use your own judgement.


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## Mini Horses (Jun 14, 2019)

With SOME plants the poison is more prominent in different stages of growth, or time of year, or certain parts of the plant.  i.e. seeds.   Nightshade can kill a horse.  MOST will avoid it.   Apparently it is, like many poisonous, bitter.  They don't want to eat it.  Just as a fresh leaf, wilted leaf and dried leaf can contain different amounts of toxins, sugars, etc.

elderberry is said to be poisonous to humans RAW.  The cooked berry not.

My goats will eat beauty berry leaves in Spring.  At that time they have high protein.   As they bloom, that changes as does taste.  They smell & walk.  Those leaves were used in years back on the harnesses of draft animals to ward of flies, mosquitoes. etc.  Apparently the chemicals produced taste badly. Testing proves the bug chemicals are there!

IF there are other feed options, most of the time an animal will taste & leave the offender.

I have never tried the beauty berry jelly -- pictures show a lovely color -- but I have a bumper crop of berries working here!  @Baymule,      HOW does it taste?  Worth my time?  

Also, elderberry has pretty much finished blooming and has set fruit.  Probably 6 wks out to be ripe.   Then I will make some syrup.  Have a couple recipes for syrup & tincture.  I believe Bay & Devonviolet use it...sure Devon does -- she even has her own bushes!   My source is wild and just beyond the RR track    But FREE.  May cut  couple shoots and root them for the yard.   I'm not a sick person but, know those who are!  Lots of vit C in there, not mention 3X the antioxidants of blueberries!!!!!  Immune builder.


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## Baymule (Jun 14, 2019)

@Devonviolet made beautyberry jelly last year and gave me a jar of it. It was delicious. Her husband just cut the branches off and they sat in the comfort of Air conditioning to pick the berries off. Smart! LOL

I picked a pint jar's worth of elder blooms and have them soaking in vodka. The blooms are supposed to packed full of immunity boosters. I think I will make a cordial.

I found and pulled up another nightshade plant today. I wrapped it in poke leaves so I didn't get any of the nightshade juice on my hands. I pulled a plant ONE time without gloves and my lips swelled up, my face tingled and I felt sick. That was just from pulling up the plant.


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## greybeard (Jun 14, 2019)

Like humans, some individual animals can have an adverse or deadly reaction to eating a plant or plant product while other individuals of the same species can eat the same thing all day long with no apparent problem.

Plants, their fruits, leaves and roots are listed by scientists as toxic (or not), due to the known naturally occurring chemical compounds found in them, and NOT as a result of anecdotal reports or illness, death, or no effects.


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## Devonviolet (Jun 15, 2019)

Baymule said:


> @Devonviolet made beautyberry jelly last year and gave me a jar of it. It was delicious. Her husband just cut the branches off and they sat in the comfort of Air conditioning to pick the berries off. Smart! LOL
> 
> I picked a pint jar's worth of elder blooms and have them soaking in vodka. The blooms are supposed to packed full of immunity boosters. I think I will make a cordial.
> 
> I found and pulled up another nightshade plant today. I wrapped it in poke leaves so I didn't get any of the nightshade juice on my hands. I pulled a plant ONE time without gloves and my lips swelled up, my face tingled and I felt sick. That was just from pulling up the plant.


I’m sorry you have such a bad reaction to nightshade juice on your hands. If I eat soy products, I have a similar reaction. My face and lips swell up and get numb when I eat soy products. NASTY!!!

Last year, I read that the leaves*** can be tinctured (in alcohol). I was just too busy, at the time, to try it. I then totally forgot to try it, and it didn’t get done.  I definitely want to try it this year. 
ETA: *** BEAUTYBERRY leaves. 

Here is a good article that talks about beautyberries.

https://thegrownetwork.com/natural-bug-repellent-beautyberry/


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## Baymule (Jun 15, 2019)

Devonviolet said:


> Last year, I read that the leaves can be tinctured (in alcohol). I was just too busy, at the time, to try it. I then totally forgot to try it, and it didn’t get done.  I definitely want to try it this year.


Why would you tincture nightshade leaves? Or are you talking about beautyberry leaves?

ETA I read the article, about making a tincture with_ beautyberry_ leaves! Ooooohhhhh…..I get it now.


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## Mini Horses (Jun 16, 2019)

I like just pulling a beautyberry leaf or two, crushing & rubbing.  LOL if you are out there already & no time for rest of it.

I will try jelly this year.  Now I'm curious as to taste.  The berries are so bland raw, hard to imagine more than pretty colored sugar water jelly 

You can make a tincture of Elderberries, also.  If you don't want the syrup.  I'd think the syrup to taste better. My tincture recipe says brandy -- might be a little better taste than vodka as no flavor in that.  In fact the syrup recipe uses brandy -- preservative.  I might really like this stuff.   There is a lot of it there on those trees/bushes and I plan to harvest a bunch.   Will dehydrate some berries for use, too.   In case I want more of the syrup later -- or, for tea?  Never tried that.


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## Baymule (Jun 16, 2019)

@Mini Horses make an elderberry pie. I made one last year and it was so good. I'm going to freeze berries this year, just for pie!


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