If you live in the SouthEastern US... and unless your herd lives on a dry lot -- and I mean ZERO pasture or browse available, and you aren't actively managing your accessible pasture, you have toxic plants growing in your pasture. I promise you do.
I see you shaking your head right now... "nope, I know cause I check". Do you though? Do you check every day? Every season that things grow? If yes (horray!) you are managing your pasture! If not, then how would you know? I can't tell you how many times in the dozen years I've raised goats that I've heard a buyer with a sick goat say "but they only have access to pasture.. and it's all fescue"... then I have them literally go check and voila! Pigweed. Nightshade. Pokeweed. The list goes on. Or, even worse..."Oh, I know I have Pokeweed (or Pigweed, or whatever), but the goats don't eat it." Every Year, sometimes multiple times a year, I hear this story. You may think your herd isn't eating the thing, but they are.. you might never have a goat die from ingesting toxic plants, it could manifest in untraceable ways... lower kid count, smaller kids, weaker kids, more prone to parasites, unthrifty adults and kids, "hard" keepers, etc. If you live in my region (Eastern TN and surrounding states), there are dozens of toxic plants that thrive here... and ONE bite of *any part* (leaf, stem, flower, or fruit) of that plant can kill. Just ONE bite. When we chose to raise living animals, and we keep them fenced in, we are responsible for every bite that they eat... whether we chose it for them or not. Ignorance is not bliss. Manage their pasture!! How? Ah, it's really super easy... go to your local Co-Op, and speak to the people at the help/information desk. Ask them about the most common toxic plants growing in your area, and what you need to purchase to eliminate it. Most of us don't have hundreds of acres to treat, so it won't be super expensive. You'll need the recommended herbicide and the surfectant that makes it stick to the plants to kill the roots. You'll also need a sprayer of some sort... a 2 gallon hand sprayer works well for smaller pastures... but they make super sized sprayers that you can use while driving a 4 wheeler or whatever too. Read the directions, mix your herbicide according to the directions, and spray your pastures as often as is indicated. Voila! You've saved your herd from toxicity and death. Pat yourself on the back and get yourself a treat, you've earned it! Note about identifying toxic plants: If it has a purple or red stem, it's toxic.
Pitted Fruit Tree (cherry, peach, etc) bark is toxic. Many varieties of ornamental flowers are toxic. Some toxic plants are fairly easy to eradicate, Pokeweed is a good example, as it grows as a single plant with a large taproot. Just dig those puppies up (including the root) & that plant won't grow back. BUT, many toxic plant varieties have interlacing root systems, so digging out individual plants won't fix the problem. It'll just pop right back up in a spot a few feet away. NC Horsenettle - a member of the nightshade family- is a good example of this type of root system. If your pasture contains plants with this type of root system, be prepared to have to treat your pastures multiple times a year to keep these nasties under control. Tara Tickel
written 2023 |