Good trees / Bad Trees

[Squirrelgirl88]

Cherry Trees are bad. I understand the dying leaves are toxic. Oak leaves in moderation are ok - acorns are bad. But I haven't found these on any list:

We have Horse Chestnut trees and Black Walnut trees. Are the leaves and nuts good/bad?

What about maple trees? Are the leaves ok?

Right now they are eating a lot of cotton wood leaves as they fall after the heavy rains and wind. It's funny, they eat the brown, dying ones first. It's sounds like they are eating potato chips.

 

[elevan]

Yep, crunchy leaves are GOAT CHIPS

Black walnut leaves are fine in moderation. They are considered a natural dewormer so they may be an aid in prevention. Your goats aren't likely to be cracking those walnut shells though.

Horse Chestnut nuts are poisonous...I'm not sure about the leaves.

eta: Maple trees are fine

 

[doxiemoxie]

According to "Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep" red maple leaves can cause kidney damage. IT doesn't say anything about other maples.

I have an olive orchard and my sheep and goats think the leaves are the best. CHIPS yum yum

 

[goodhors]

Cherry leaves contain cyanide which gets concentrated as they dry.

Black Walnut trees contain Jugalone in every part, bark, leaves, nuts, wood, roots. Totally poison for horses, takes about a teaspoon of sawdust to get them going towards founder. Also in the Jugalone,Latin name of tree family, are Butternuts, which are also toxic for horses.

Red Maple, Acer Rubrum is the Latin name, is poison, doesn't take much to kill a horse. Just a few wilting leaves. Can be hard to ID, LOOKS just like all the other Maples, not really red until fall color. Seems to be the commonest, cheapest Maples sold at the box stores, as yard trees. Reading the tree label for the Latin name is your best bet to ID if purchasing maples. Lots of common names, but the Latin name will keep you straight. Acer is the Maple family name. Other Maples don't seem to cause many problems, but don't let the animals eat leaves to excess either.

Horse Chestnut is in the Aesculus family. Again, not good for horses to eat, not sure about goats. You might also want to check out Buckeyes. They are in this Aesculus family as well.

Maybe this site with listing of plants will be helpful for your goat food choices! The chips reference was rather funny.

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/goatlist.html

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Fresh cherry leaves and completely dry leaves are ok, just not the wilty/drying ones.

 

[freemotion]

The red maples have a reddish stem even when the leaves are green. I have several in my pasture and they have not posed a problem...I also have cherries and oaks and black walnuts and one large butternut. One goat I used to have would gorge on acorns and I had to restrict her access to the pasture until the acorns were gone, but that was it.

I'd be a bit more concerned if the goats are confined and have nothing else to eat, or if someone was bringing branches of the above trees to confined goats.

 

[treegod]

This is a good thread, very useful for me. I have to take branches into my goats, since we haven't space for them to be out just yet.

What about pine trees? I have lots of those around, and if they can eat that then that would be great (I haven't given them any yet, since I wasn't sure about conifers). Not to worry if they are, because there are plenty of other options. In fact I'm still learning about them.

Also, I have a veg patch. Sometimes there are leftover plants, is there anything there good/bad for them?

 

[Roll farms]

One I keep trying to find out about, but can't find on any list, either safe or unsafe, are Rose of Sharon / Hibiscus.

We have 500 or so that I prune yearly and if the goats can have the spoils I'd be thrilled...I'm just afraid to try it.

 

[Goatherd]

Here's a site that might help you with your decisions... http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/toxic_plants.htm

I would think that if a tree is non-toxic to humans, it would be perfectly safe for a goat.

As far as pines go, they are a delicacy for my goats and are the first trees to be devoured. No dead goats here!

 

[Snowhunter]

Our goats don't have many pine tree branches to access, but they devour all the cedar stuff they can find! And privett hedge when they get let out in the yard.