15 Plants That Are Poisonous for Your Goats

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “goats can eat absolutely anything”. That’s the popular belief, but anyone who has owned goats for any length of time knows that that isn’t the case.

Goats are surprisingly picky, delicate eaters, and there are lots of things that can make them sick, sometimes terribly so. This includes, naturally, many different kinds of plants, including some common ones.

Now, part of being a responsible goat owner is learning to identify and eliminate these harmful plants from the areas where your herd stays or browses. Keep reading, and I’ll give you an overview of 15 common plants that are poisonous for your goats…

Don’t be scared, just be prepared!

Bloodroot

Bloodroot is one of many dangerously toxic plants that goats are likely to encounter. Low-growing, with appealing-looking lobed leaves, pale white star-shaped flowers, and appetizing roots, it is a common source of sickness in domestic goats.

Ingestion causes severe diarrhea, loss of motor control, seizures, and occasional vomiting. This one is especially troublesome because it spreads quickly and readily in pastures.

Make sure you remove the root, bulbs, and all when eliminating it, or else it will regrow. If you suspect your goats have eaten any amount, contact your vet right away.

Blue Cohosh

Another appealing-looking plant and one that is especially insidious because ingesting even small amounts can cause fatal organ and cardiovascular damage in goats. The toxic alkaloids and glycosides that blue cohosh has are difficult to treat, even by a vet.

You can learn to spot the plant by its distinctive blue-green leaves and dense clusters of deep purple to blue-black berries growing on spike-like stems.

Blue cohosh is especially common in forests and at the edges of woodlands. Total removal from infested areas is difficult, so consider fencing it off to help keep your goats safe.

Death Camas

An infamous goat killer, death camas toxin has no antidote, and there’s little that can be done to treat it effectively in any case. If goats eat even a tiny amount, it will likely prove fatal! Common throughout the Midwest and Southwest, goat owners are advised to identify this deadly impostor in pastures at all stages of growth.

This one is especially insidious because it grows readily in the springtime when choice browse is abundant, and accidental poisoning is easy because of its thin, grass-like leaves when young.

Dicentra

Also known as bleeding heart, this plant bears abundant alkaloid toxins and causes tremors, stumbling, collapse, and eventually convulsions in goats. The outcome is highly dependent on the dose, and prompt veterinary care in the form of intravenous fluids and other treatments can help.

There’s a clue to spotting this plant in the common name. The leaves are heart-shaped and distinctive. Another cause for concern is that dicentra is fairly common in landscaping and ornamental gardens, so keep an eye out for it, even if you don’t live in the deep country.

False Hellebore

This elegant plant sprouts clusters of small, pale green-white flowers and is dense with broad, pleated leaves.

It’s fine if you admire it, but if your goats grow curious and take a nibble, it could be the last thing they do: false hellebore contains lethal amounts of alkaloid toxins that cause profuse salivation, severe muscle weakness, heart arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest.

It is a common fixture in wet and perpetually moist areas like dewy meadows, stream banks, and similar places. It can regrow if not uprooted entirely, so be thorough in your eradication efforts.

Be especially vigilant if you clear it in the summer or fall; it proves surprisingly persistent and can spread vigorously in the following spring. If you can’t eliminate it entirely, you’ve got to keep your goats fenced in and away from it.

Horse Nettle

A historically significant toxic plant for goats and other domestic livestock, horse nettle contains large quantities of solanine, a toxin we will see again on our list. Ingestion causes significant gastrointestinal distress, weakness, loss of muscle control, and significant neurological issues.

Dangerous but typically not deadly, larger quantities and repeated consumption can be fatal. Horse nettle is easily spotted by its bright white star-shaped flowers and pale green, spiny berries. You can keep this one under control by keeping it mowed down, and it will eventually die back.

Deadly Nightshade

Nightshades are a class of plant, and in the case of this one, a particularly devastating and deadly one. The distinctive toxin it contains, solanine, is found in great abundance, especially in the tasty-looking red to black berries. As usual, it causes excess salivation, severe diarrhea, and a battery of neurological problems.

Thorough removal and disposal efforts are a must. Pull individual plants or sparse patches, or mow stands of it down completely and dispose of clippings securely.

Jimson Weed

Regrettably, the pretty white or purple trumpet-shaped flowers of jimson weed can be a bane for your goats. Tropane alkaloid compounds cause grand mal seizures, heart arrhythmia, and total delirium. This is an especially significant threat for goat keepers because it thrives in regularly disturbed soils like barnyards, pastures, and more.

Even small amounts can have severe effects, and large doses are lethal. If you suspect your goats may have eaten it, call your vet immediately. Comprehensive support and care can reduce severity and improve the prognosis. When removing jimson weed, make sure you get every piece of the root, or it might regrow!

Larkspur

Extremely colorful, extremely appealing, and extremely deadly. Goats often instinctively avoid dangerous plants, but I’ve heard too many stories about this one to trust it. It’s yet another alkaloid killer, and even very small amounts can prove deadly.

If you spot the pretty spires of white, purple, indigo, or blue flowers growing anywhere on or near your property, uproot it in its entirety and dispose of it securely. Larkspur is extremely abundant in the summertime, so double your caution if it grows in your area.

Lupines

This plant is a special risk for pregnant does. Quinolizidine can cause tremors and seizures like so many of the other alkaloid plants on this list, but worse than that, it can cause permanent liver damage and severe birth defects, including miscarriage.

The only good thing about it is that it is easy to identify these plants by their foliage and distinctive flowers.

Control can be difficult but is attainable by regular mowing or by pulling individual plants before they go to seed. If not established, lupines can be outcompeted by palatable grasses, so use that to your advantage when improving pasture.

Poison Hemlock

A truly infamous poisonous plant, and not just for livestock. Hemlock is profoundly lethal, causing sudden paralysis and death by respiratory failure. This is another common culprit in areas that stay moist or damp.

Goats might confuse hemlock with edible forage despite the musty, unappealing smell. If they ingest any amount, the prognosis is extremely poor: their only chance is immediate intensive care seen to by a veterinarian, and even then, the odds of survival are very small.

Eliminate completely and with extreme prejudice: look for tall plants sporting delicate, inverted dome bundles of white flowers with sickly-looking, splotchy stems.

St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort is a particular danger to your goats because the toxic compound hypericin is a photosensitizing agent: basically, it makes goats vulnerable to direct sunlight! The result is severe burns, spreading lesions, and eventual fever as the cells become unable to tolerate UV light and repair subsequent damage.

Rarely deadly, but it will make your goats miserable, and that stress can lead to a vicious cycle of poor health and bigger problems. Look for a low-growing plant with oval leaves and distinctive, cheery yellow flowers with five petals. Pull and dispose of all plant matter safely!

Spotted Water

Hemlock The slightly less deadly cousin to poison hemlock, for practical purposes, it might as well be the same thing because it is still extremely dangerous for goats. Also, like its cousin, goats tend to be attracted to its leaves and roots.

This one is no joke: even a single small nibble can easily kill a mature adult! It looks similar to poison hemlock: the stems are thick, hollow, and splotchy with purple patches, and it sports clusters of small, lacy flowers.

White Snakeroot

Quite common in woodlands throughout North America, and somewhat less common in fields and pastures, white snakeroot is another plant with a historical record of harming livestock. The toxic compound, tremetol, causes severe muscle weakness, tremors, and eventual heart failure.

Of particular note, the toxins will be absorbed by lactating does and passed on to kids through their milk.

Spot this bad actor by its spearhead-shaped leaves and small clusters of white flowers.

Wild Black Cherry

Black cherries are tasty, but your goats aren’t smart enough to eat the flesh of the berries and leave the rest of the plant alone: wilted leaves are shockingly deadly, as when they are digested, they release huge quantities of hydrogen cyanide.

Only prompt veterinary care and the administration of an antidote can save goats that eat it.

Worst of all, this plant seems to have special appeal to many goats: you can never trust them to stay away from it! You must fence off cherry trees and take care to protect goats against falling leaves and broken branches that could give them access to it.