What Plant is This??

[Genipher]

Anyone ready for a round of, "Name That Plant"?

This is driving me crazy. My goats love to munch on it and it doesn't appear to be hurting them, but I'm still concerned.

Tried reverse-googling it and one answer said it was persimmon, but there's no fruit on it and it's not a tree. It's a long bush. Tried reverse searching a different picture of the same plant and the suggestion was that it's "Sapotaceae" and, honestly, I have no idea what that means. Tried googling, again, and I have no idea.

Does anyone recognize this bush?
Is it poisonous to goats?

Thank you!

 

[Grant]

looks like Cherry Laurel

 

[Genipher]

looks like Cherry Laurel

Will it eventually have berries on it? Haven't been here long enough to see what grows on it.
The goats had been fenced far away from this bush but we had to do some livestock switching and now they're wandering the yard while we (slowly) get another area ready.

They've been munching it, off and on, for over a week now with no ill effects. Would Cherry Laurel make them sick?

 

[Grant]

It will have berries that the birds will eat. It is toxic and contains cyanide in the leaves and stems.

 

[Genipher]

It will have berries that the birds will eat. It is toxic and contains cyanide in the leaves and stems.

How long would it take to affect them?
Eek. I've been borrowing a buck and just sent him back home today. He was munching on it, too, the last week.

 

[Genipher]

My gut instinct was to cut the stupid thing down. I don't like plants that don't have a good purpose, anyway.
But they had left it alone, at first, so I didn't think it was an issue.
They have plenty of other browse, hay, and grains. I thought goats only ate this kind of thing when they had no other options available?

 

[Mrs.Gray1211]

I agree, it is Cherry Laurel. I have an app on my phone that I use all the time to identify things like this. Glad you got rid of it. In my experience with goats, they will eat anything. Especially anything that you don't want them to eat

 

[Stephine]

Even my sheep will eat anything (all the bad stuff) while plenty of good stuff is growing right under their noses. While in a pasture of lovely grass and clover they will dig through the horse manure pile and eat the last years tough dry weeds I layered in there. And the insulation on the water tap.
Definitely get rid of that bush if you can’t keep them away (they are goats - you can’t keep them away…). Hope the buck is fine. Usually toxicity in livestock is measured by feeding them huge amounts of the questionable plant, so they can often eat some of it and be just fine… Not always though.

 

[Genipher]

I ended up chainsawing the bushes down and my boys drug the pieces to the front yard. Between the goats and my young children who have no clue that not all berries are safe to eat, it was just wise to take it out. Makes the yard look so much bigger with it gone, which I like!

Buck ended up going back to his original farm and I haven't heard that he's sick or anything, so the bit he ate must have been okay? And my two pregnant does had some weird poop...kinda clumpy. But otherwise showed no sign that the bush was hurting them. Still, glad to have it gone.