# Bracken fern poisoning



## Rosesgoats (Apr 22, 2011)

To anyone who lives where bracken fern grows, please watch out for it! It is poisonous to ruminants by inhibiting thiamine production in the rumen. The goat will exhibit signs of goat polio by going blind first and then progressing to paralysis. I just had a friend with a goat who ate some bracken fern go blind. He caught it early and gave her B vitamin shots for 3 days straight and she made a full recovery. She was blind for a while until she got better.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

We have quite a bit of it on our property but thankfully, the goats never eat any. I think one of the best ways to prevent consumption of poisonous plants is to keep good quality hay/ available at all times. Most of the time they won't eat poisonous stuff if they have other options. Not fool proof though.


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## Rosesgoats (Apr 22, 2011)

I didn't think goats would eat bracken fern either. Apparently this goat got loose for the day before the owner found her. He has lots of fern outside of the goat pen and she must have eaten enough to get sick. It's like most poisonous plants, some goats get immediately sick from just a little bit and some can eat a lot of it and not get sick at all.


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## NWgoats (Jul 17, 2008)

We have it everywhere in the Pacific NW. I am surprised that there aren't more
goats poisoned by it. MY blasted goats have good hay 24/7 and still head straight
for the ONE single bracken fern in the pasture that I missed on my weekly walk
through/pull out! Same with the little bit of tansy I have in my pasture. I swear
they read my mind and think "Oh, it must be good, she doesn't want us to eat it.
Let's get there before she does!"


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