# Are Radishes/tops safe for goats to eat



## Cotton Eyed Does

I have a ton of radishes in our garden and since I don't have my pigs any longer I was wondering if I could feed the radish tops to my goats? One of them grabbed a radish out of my basket and ran with it. I had to chase her down to get it away from her because I wasn't sure if it would hurt her or not.


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## Sondra

Q: Is shepherdspurse (wild radish) toxic to livestock?
A: Kingsbury's book on toxic plants lists hundreds of species and says nothing about shepherdspurse. This does not absolutely prove that it is non-toxic, but I think the chances are very small that it is a hazard. However, he indicates that wild radish has been reported to be toxic to livestock. Data from the literature is limited, so the dosages and the poisonous principle are not discussed. Other mustards are known to contain isothiocyanates. Reports from the U.S. , France, Australia, and other countries implicate wild radish in poisoning of cattle and lambs, though I get the impression that the gastric symptoms are seldom lethal.

I have checked with our herbarium curator, who knows poisonous plants pretty well. His sources indicate that a) both plants CAN cause toxicity, but large amounts are required over extended periods, and b) ensiling reduces the toxicity considerably. I believe all this means that occasional plants will not be a problem; if they constitute 20-30% of the forage, some gastric problems might occur.

Information provided by: Arnold Appleby


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## Guest

Something that I learned from Kaye. Radishes are in the goitrogen family so to much can be a bad thing. Be very careful feeding to pregnant does.


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## LMonty

Fodder radish is a common sheep and goat food in Europe among poeple who grow for their goats (which is think is going to get more common here the way feed prices are going!) , and its recommended in Goat Husbandry IIRC.


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