Toxic plants for goats
Plants that can poison goats, for ranchers, landowners and crews getting a site ready for goats. Crews walk every site at the site visit and check for these plants before the goats go in.
Printable site-walk checklist for grazing staff.
Search and filters: Planned. The full list below works without them. Photos: Planned.
Rangeland
- Bracken fern
Pteridium aquilinum
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Broom and threadleaf snakeweed (broomweed)
Gutierrezia sarothrae, G. microcephala
Moderate risk Rangeland, Disturbed ground
Keep pregnant does off dense stands during fast growth.
- Buckeye and horse chestnut
Aesculus spp.
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental, Rangeland
Limit time.
- Chokecherry and wild cherry
Prunus virginiana, P. serotina, other wild Prunus spp.
High risk Riparian and wet ground, Rangeland
Remove downed or cut branches before move-in.
- Death camas
Zigadenus spp.
High risk Rangeland
Avoid unit in early spring or wait until it dies back.
- Greasewood
Sarcobatus vermiculatus
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Halogeton
Halogeton glomeratus
High risk Disturbed ground, Rangeland
Avoid unit if dense.
- Horsebrush
Tetradymia glabrata, T. canescens
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Larkspur (tall and low)
Delphinium spp.
High risk Rangeland
Avoid unit or limit time from flowering through pod stage.
- Locoweed
Astragalus spp. and Oxytropis spp. (certain species)
High risk Rangeland
Avoid unit or fence off.
- Lupine
Lupinus spp.
High risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Milkvetch (nitro-toxin types)
Astragalus spp. (nitro-toxin species)
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Milkweed
Asclepias spp.
High risk Disturbed ground, Rangeland
Fence off or remove from pens and bed grounds.
- Oak (young leaves and acorns)
Quercus spp.
Moderate risk Rangeland, Landscaped and ornamental
Limit time.
- Orange sneezeweed
Helenium hoopesii (Hymenoxys hoopesii)
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Rayless goldenrod
Isocoma pluriflora (Haplopappus heterophyllus)
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- Selenium accumulators (prince's plume, woody aster, some milkvetches)
Stanleya spp., Xylorhiza spp. (Machaeranthera), Astragalus spp. (indicator species)
Moderate risk Rangeland
Limit time.
- St. John's wort (klamathweed)
Hypericum perforatum
Moderate risk Rangeland, Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- Tansy ragwort and groundsels
Senecio jacobaea (Jacobaea vulgaris), Senecio spp.
Moderate risk Disturbed ground, Rangeland
Limit time and rotate.
Riparian and wet ground
- Arrowgrass
Triglochin maritima, T. palustris
High risk Riparian and wet ground
Avoid wet alkaline meadows after drought or frost.
- Chokecherry and wild cherry
Prunus virginiana, P. serotina, other wild Prunus spp.
High risk Riparian and wet ground, Rangeland
Remove downed or cut branches before move-in.
- Cocklebur
Xanthium strumarium
Moderate risk Disturbed ground, Riparian and wet ground
Avoid units with fresh seedlings.
- Curly dock and other docks
Rumex crispus, Rumex spp.
Low risk Disturbed ground, Riparian and wet ground
Limit time.
- False hellebore (corn lily)
Veratrum californicum
High risk Riparian and wet ground
Fence off or keep bred does off moist meadows during early gestation.
- Hemp dogbane
Apocynum cannabinum
High risk Riparian and wet ground, Disturbed ground
Fence off or remove patches.
- Leucothoe
Leucothoe spp.
High risk Landscaped and ornamental, Riparian and wet ground
Fence off.
- Poison hemlock
Conium maculatum
High risk Riparian and wet ground, Disturbed ground
Remove or fence off before move-in.
- Red maple (wilted leaves)
Acer rubrum
Low risk Landscaped and ornamental, Riparian and wet ground
Remove downed branches as a precaution.
- Water hemlock
Cicuta spp. (incl. C. douglasii, C. maculata)
High risk Riparian and wet ground
Fence off wet areas.
Landscaped and ornamental
- Avocado
Persea americana
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Fence off trees.
- Black locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- Buckeye and horse chestnut
Aesculus spp.
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental, Rangeland
Limit time.
- Castor bean
Ricinus communis
High risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Remove (gloves) before move-in.
- Cherry laurel and laurel cherry
Prunus laurocerasus, P. caroliniana
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Remove trimmings and storm debris.
- Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
High risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Remove.
- Japanese pieris (andromeda)
Pieris japonica
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Fence off.
- Lantana
Lantana camara
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental
Remove or fence off.
- Leucothoe
Leucothoe spp.
High risk Landscaped and ornamental, Riparian and wet ground
Fence off.
- Lily of the valley
Convallaria majalis
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Remove.
- Mountain laurel
Kalmia latifolia, Kalmia spp.
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Fence off.
- Nandina (heavenly bamboo)
Nandina domestica
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental
Remove or fence off.
- Oak (young leaves and acorns)
Quercus spp.
Moderate risk Rangeland, Landscaped and ornamental
Limit time.
- Oleander
Nerium oleander
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Fence off.
- Privet
Ligustrum spp.
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Remove trimmings.
- Red maple (wilted leaves)
Acer rubrum
Low risk Landscaped and ornamental, Riparian and wet ground
Remove downed branches as a precaution.
- Red-tip photinia
Photinia x fraseri, Photinia spp.
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental
Remove trimmings.
- Rhododendron and azalea
Rhododendron spp.
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Fence off.
- Yew
Taxus spp.
High risk Landscaped and ornamental
Remove all trimmings.
Disturbed ground
- Black locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- Broom and threadleaf snakeweed (broomweed)
Gutierrezia sarothrae, G. microcephala
Moderate risk Rangeland, Disturbed ground
Keep pregnant does off dense stands during fast growth.
- Castor bean
Ricinus communis
High risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Remove (gloves) before move-in.
- Cocklebur
Xanthium strumarium
Moderate risk Disturbed ground, Riparian and wet ground
Avoid units with fresh seedlings.
- Curly dock and other docks
Rumex crispus, Rumex spp.
Low risk Disturbed ground, Riparian and wet ground
Limit time.
- Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
High risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Remove.
- Halogeton
Halogeton glomeratus
High risk Disturbed ground, Rangeland
Avoid unit if dense.
- Hemp dogbane
Apocynum cannabinum
High risk Riparian and wet ground, Disturbed ground
Fence off or remove patches.
- Jimsonweed
Datura stramonium, Datura spp.
High risk Disturbed ground
Remove (gloves) before move-in.
- Johnsongrass and sorghum
Sorghum halepense, Sorghum spp.
High risk Disturbed ground
Avoid unit after frost or drought.
- Kochia
Bassia scoparia (Kochia scoparia)
Moderate risk Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- Lambsquarters
Chenopodium album
Low risk Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- Milkweed
Asclepias spp.
High risk Disturbed ground, Rangeland
Fence off or remove from pens and bed grounds.
- Nightshades (black nightshade, bittersweet, horsenettle)
Solanum spp.
Moderate risk Disturbed ground
Remove patches along fence lines.
- Poison hemlock
Conium maculatum
High risk Riparian and wet ground, Disturbed ground
Remove or fence off before move-in.
- Privet
Ligustrum spp.
Moderate risk Landscaped and ornamental, Disturbed ground
Remove trimmings.
- Redroot pigweed
Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus spp.
Moderate risk Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- St. John's wort (klamathweed)
Hypericum perforatum
Moderate risk Rangeland, Disturbed ground
Limit time.
- Tansy ragwort and groundsels
Senecio jacobaea (Jacobaea vulgaris), Senecio spp.
Moderate risk Disturbed ground, Rangeland
Limit time and rotate.