# Will Oak Leaves Kill My Goats?



## LostCreek

Hello, Everyone!

We are in the process of moving to a much bigger place, and the goat pens are improving greatly (annnnd, I am proud to say, my milk room will be much better...YAY!). 

The new place is great, but there are more than several oak trees. It seems like I heard that dried oak leaves can kill goats. But, I have also seen several people in my area keep a herd in a pasture with oak trees. Can oak leaves kill (or even hurt) my goats? If so, I guess my new chain saw and I are going to get to really know each other...and soon!

Thanks, Everyone!


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## Dana

I have an oak tree in my front pasture and the goats love them! When I first got into goats I had read that the leaves will cause an abortion in goats. Neither has happened to any of my goats and they ALL eat the oak leaves.

Don't cut down any trees.


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## Angelknitter12

My goats do fine.


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## Rose

While I am in Texas six months of the year, I clean up cemeteries and bring oak branches with the leaves on them for the goats to eat. I also rake the fallen leaves and bag them for times when I can't go cut oak browse.

No, oak won't kill them.


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## Ashley

Mine would have been dead a long time ago. 

Do be careful of the acorns though. They are ok in moderation but if they get too much it can kill them.


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## SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda

Mine don't even get sick from them. I have a lot of black oak here. And they love to eat the dead leaves. Weird. But they don't get sick. I do feed them lots of alfalfa and goat food though.


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## NubianSoaps.com

Yep cut them all down, call my husband and he will pick them up from you for free....I need more oak floorboards 

Our whole property is pines, oaks (red and white), hickorys etc...I couldn't keep up with raking leaves, or worrying about limbs down or baby oaks being eaten by the goats. Enjoy the new property! Keep them full of hay with a door on your barn only letting them out for a few hours a day, at first.....new is a bad thing, they need to be introduced slowly, especially with everything greening up. vicki


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## doublebowgoats

I had heard that also about oaks but that is the only kind of tree we have and we haven't had any problem. My goats also eat lots of acorns. I just make sure they have had some hay before heading out to pasture.


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## dragonlair

Mine love oak too. I have to protect my small oak tree form them! I do import oak branches, along with other types, to feed the goats.


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## LostCreek

Whew!! YAY!!! dance:

My thanks to each of you for taking the time to reply!


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## Hollybrook

when they start slinging cud you'll know they ate something wrong, goats are browsers they dont tend to eat enough of one type of plant to cause problems but beware of cherry tree's and olianders. Oak leaves can cause colic in horses.


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## smithurmonds

We maintain our goats in mixed deciduous woodland composed mostly of oak, hickory, and pine. Like Vicki said, foods have to be introduced gradually but otherwise oak leaves and abundant acorns have not caused us an issue. In fact, our goats put on quite the layer of fat over the Fall. I saw so many references to tannic acid toxicosis when we first started out. Then I was able to find this, which suggests it is not a problem for goats:

http://www.smallruminantresearch.com/article/PII0921448895008330/abstract

I have the full text on my hard drive. It used to be available online and may still be somewhere. If anyone is interested in reading it and can't find the full study just pm me and I can email the attachment.


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