Keeping cows is a lot of work, even if you have just a small
farm with a herd of a few cattle. One of the potential pitfalls is letting your
cows into pasture where they could access and eat something toxic. There are
plenty of plants cows shouldn’t eat, and if you are going to have any amount of
cattle, you need to know what some of these are. Keep reading to learn more
about identifying plants poisonous to cattle.
Signs of Plant Poisoning in Cows
Not all plants poisonous to cattle will be lethal or make
animals severely ill. It’s important to be on the lookout for any signs that
your cows may have gotten into some toxic plants. Some are subtle, while others
may be obvious:
- Not eating at all or as much as usual
- Losing weight
- An overall unhealthy appearance
- Muscle weakness
- Failure to grow or develop normally
If your animals have any of these signs, there are also
important indicators that the culprit is one or more poisonous plants. If your cows
have been in a new pasture area, where the forage has been recently fertilized
with nitrogen, or it is early spring and grasses haven’t come in yet, they
could have gotten into some toxic plants.
What Plants are Toxic to Cows?
There are a number of toxic plants for cows, so it’s always
a good idea to find out which grow in your area and to regularly check for
their presence in your pasture. Here are some common plants toxic for cows, so
you’ll need to remove these from pastures or anywhere they could have access
them:
- Any plants that have been over-fertilized with nitrogen
In addition to checking grazing areas
for bad plants for cattle, some other management steps can reduce poisoning
risk. Avoid letting cows overgraze areas, never turn cows into a new pasture
when they are very hungry, provide plenty of clean water for cows, and fence
off any areas that you know contain poisonous plants so cows can’t get to them.
Keeping cows is a lot of work, even if you have just a small
farm with a herd of a few cattle. One of the potential pitfalls is letting your
cows into pasture where they could access and eat something toxic. There are
plenty of plants cows shouldn’t eat, and if you are going to have any amount of
cattle, you need to know what some of these are. Keep reading to learn more
about identifying plants poisonous to cattle.
Signs of Plant Poisoning in Cows
Not all plants poisonous to cattle will be lethal or make
animals severely ill. It’s important to be on the lookout for any signs that
your cows may have gotten into some toxic plants. Some are subtle, while others
may be obvious:
- Not eating at all or as much as usual
- Losing weight
- An overall unhealthy appearance
- Muscle weakness
- Failure to grow or develop normally
If your animals have any of these signs, there are also
important indicators that the culprit is one or more poisonous plants. If your cows
have been in a new pasture area, where the forage has been recently fertilized
with nitrogen, or it is early spring and grasses haven’t come in yet, they
could have gotten into some toxic plants.
What Plants are Toxic to Cows?
There are a number of toxic plants for cows, so it’s always
a good idea to find out which grow in your area and to regularly check for
their presence in your pasture. Here are some common plants toxic for cows, so
you’ll need to remove these from pastures or anywhere they could have access
them:
- Any plants that have been over-fertilized with nitrogen
In addition to checking grazing areas
for bad plants for cattle, some other management steps can reduce poisoning
risk. Avoid letting cows overgraze areas, never turn cows into a new pasture
when they are very hungry, provide plenty of clean water for cows, and fence
off any areas that you know contain poisonous plants so cows can’t get to them.