Sorrel & Goats & Removal

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We believe we have Sorrel and if it is we have a lot of it. In My Storey's Guide to raising goats it says these are bad for goats but not why. The goats have been ignoring them so far. Are they actually poisonous? Does any one know of good weed identification books? I would love to be able to go to the county extension agency, but really don't have the time (at least not every time we see something).

-- Lynn (johnnypfc@yahoo.com), June 13, 2001

Answers

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/croplive/cropprot/weedguid/sheepsor.htm I eat sorrel but I don't know how toxic it is.It's used in salads by others. Here is a web site with a picture.I've also heard comfrey can be toxic.But read on the CS forum of people growing it.I don't know if they use it externaly or drink it in tea.

-- OO (Falsee@aol.com), June 13, 2001.

Sorrel contains oxalic acid - a fair amount of it, but not nearly as bad as rhubarb leaves. A small amount won't hurt you, but if it was all or most of what a grazing animal had to eat it would be ungood in the extreme.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), June 13, 2001.

If the sorrel you have is "sheep sorrel" goats love it and it does them no harm.Sheep sorrel grows on acid land,often has a reddish color and puts up a seed stalk similar to some species of pigweed or amaranth.Taste it,sorrel is sour and is often called sourgrass here.I would guess that the salad type of sorrel would be similar.

-- JT (gone2seed@hotmail.com), June 13, 2001.

I think what people mean by "bad for goats" is that sorrel is one of the herbs that may be used to dry up milk and so it could possibly cut your herd's milk production.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), June 14, 2001.

Our goats and sheep love Comfrey

-- hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), June 14, 2001.


It does look very simialar to the picture you show OO, just less vibrant. I think it must be it. I guess it's time to start pulling!

-- Lynn (johnnypfc@yahoo.com), June 14, 2001.

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