As a sheep owner, one of your biggest concerns should be ensuring you feed them properly. A vital aspect of this proper feeding regime is knowing what to avoid feeding your sheep. As any sheep owner will tell you, controlling everything your lovable woolly friends eat is almost impossible. Still, you can try to mitigate the problem by avoiding certain items.
Ten things that you should avoid feeding your sheep include moldy foods, onions, fruit pits, copper, blister beetles, fluorine, green potatoes, avocados, brassicas, and certain plants. The resulting symptoms can be mild or severe depending on contained toxins or mineral build-up in the system.
Having a basic knowledge of things that are deadly to sheep and what you should avoid feeding them is vital to maintaining the health of your flock. Although, sometimes, our flock does manage to snack on things they shouldn’t, and in these cases, it’s a good idea to know some of the symptoms your sheep might display if they have eaten something they should have avoided.
The Top 10 Things You Should Avoid Feeding Your Sheep
You might be surprised to hear that sheep should avoid eating numerous plants, minerals, and food items as they can cause minor to severe symptoms. However, knowing these things can help you ensure your flock stays healthy and happy.
1. Moldy Foods
Allowing your sheep to feast upon your compost heap is an absolute no-no. These foods are a no-go as rotten or moldy food could contain mycotoxins which can cause serious health issues in your sheep. Sheep are often more resistant to these toxins, but it is not worth the risk.
Symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning include:
- Lack of appetite
- Reproductive issues
- Ruminal stasis
- Diarrhea
- Convulsions
- Lack of interest in surroundings
- In severe cases, it can cause death
2. Onions
Research shows sheep are relatively resistant to onion poisoning, but you should still avoid feeding them this food. Your sheep should be fine if they eat onions in small doses, but in large quantities or frequent snacking can cause various health issues. The severity of the reaction would also depend on your sheep’s age, health, and reproductive nature.
Symptoms of onion poisoning include:
- Dark red urine
- Lack of appetite
- Weakness
- Staggering
- High respiratory rate
- Recumbency
- Pale mucus membranes
- High heart rate
- Collapse
3. Fruit Pits
The fruit’s flesh is acceptable for your sheep to snack on, but the pits can be choking hazards and toxic if consumed. Fruit such as apricots, peaches, plums, and cherries have cyanogenetic glycoside-containing pits. These glycosides cause cyanide poisoning if ingested, and this can result in relatively rapid death. A typical sign of cyanide poisoning is cherry-colored blood.
Symptoms of fruit pit poisoning include:
- Lethargy
- Muscle weakness
- Lack of coordination
- Salivation
- Jerky movements
- Labored breathing
- Convulsions
- Rapid or abnormal pulse
- Head pressing
- High body temperatures
- Collapse
- Coma
- Death
4. Copper
Research shows sheep are susceptible to copper poisoning due to their body’s ability to accumulate the mineral more readily than other animals. The tricky thing about copper is that it is an essential mineral for sheep, although you must limit their intake and avoid feeding it too often.
Symptoms of excess copper intake include:
- Anemia
- Poor wool coverage
- Appetite loss
- Bone weakness
- Extreme cases can cause death
5. Blister Beetles
The awful thing about these little critters is that they hide away in your alfalfa hay and can get eaten by mistake. Your sheep will not readily eat these beetles, but they can consume them by accident. The best way to ensure this does not happen is to buy first-cut hay, as the beetles typically only infest late-harvest hay.
The beetles contain a toxic substance called cantharidin which causes symptoms that include:
- Anorexia
- Colic
- Lethargy
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Recumbency
- Dehydration
- Increased respiratory and heart rates
- Frequent urination
- Death
6. Fluorine
One of the things that you should avoid feeding sheep in large doses is fluorine, as it can cause fluorosis. In small amounts, fluorine benefits your sheep, especially their bones and teeth, but it can become deadly if consumed excessively. Test your water supply to ensure that your sheep’s fluorine intake stays at a minimum.
Symptoms of fluorosis include:
- Chronic toxicity is when your sheep continuously ingests fluorine, resulting in a build-up in their system. The build-up shows in the softening of bones, tooth enamel defects in the young, kidney and heart damage, and osteoporosis.
- Acute toxicity is when your sheep have rapidly ingested large quantities of fluorine, which can result in death.
7. Green Potatoes
Green potatoes contain a toxin called solanine which can be poisonous to sheep. If your sheep consume raw whole green potatoes, there is the risk of choking and bloat. If eaten in large quantities, green potatoes can cause serious illness, and in severe cases, they might even cause death.
The level of solanine in the potato will depend on numerous environmental factors, including soil type and climate. You will find the most significant amounts of solanine under the green skin, so it is best to avoid feeding your sheep potato peels. At the same time, potatoes left out in the sun for extended periods will also have a build-up of solanine.
Symptoms of solanine poisoning include:
- Diarrhea
- Weakness
- Dilated pupils
- Lack of coordination
- Staggering
- Gastric distress
- Vomiting
- Recumbency
- Trembling
- Depression
- Salivation
- Respiratory distress
- Death from suffocation
- Coma
8. Avocado
Avocado skin, bark, pit, leaves, and to a small degree, the fruit contain a chemical called persin, which is toxic to sheep. For this reason, you should avoid feeding your sheep any part of the avocado.
Symptoms of avocado poisoning include:
- Swelling under the jaw
- Mastitis
- Open-mouthed breathing
- Salivation
- Arrhythmias
- Heart failure
- Abnormal or rapid breathing
- Death
9. Brassicas
Brassicas are funny as some of them, such as cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, cabbage, rape, and mustard, are fine to eat in small doses. On the other hand, turnip roots and leaves can cause central nervous system problems and kidney damage if consumed in large amounts.
There have also been cases of sheep developing photosensitivity from eating kale or rape, a problem termed “rape scald,” this is particularly true with white-headed and faced sheep. These two brassicas can also result in poor growth, red urine, anemia, and even death.
Some sheep that eat large amounts of brassicas have developed a neurological disease called polioencephalomalacia (EPM) which has symptoms that include:
- Convulsions
- Head pressing
- Recumbency
- Blindness
- Loass of coordination
- Involuntary eye movement
- Circling
10. Certain Plants
Numerous plants fall under the category of things that are deadly or dangerous for sheep to eat. Knowing what these plants are and what symptoms you might expect from poisoning is vital. There are too many plants to list, but the table below comprises a few of the most common that you might come across, should be wary of, and should avoid feeding or allowing your sheep to eat.
PLANT | HABITAT | POISONOUS PART | SYMPTOMS |
|---|---|---|---|
Iris | Found along the edges of fences. | The leaves and root stalks contain the irritant. |
|
Rhubarb | Found all across the United States in gardens, farms, homes, and landscapes. | The leaves are toxic when eaten raw, and the leaf blades will remain toxic even after you cook them. |
|
Bracken Fern | Found in open woods, sandy ridges, dry, poor soils, and pastures. | All parts of the plant contain the toxin, and it is poisonous year-round and when found dried in hay. |
|
Nightshades | They grow in crop fields, fence rows, gardens, yards, open woods, and waste places. | Unripe berries. Fall and summer are dangerous months. |
|
Oak | They grow in most deciduous wooded areas. | Green/ unripe acorns are poisonous, and new leaves of mature plants, young oaks and sprouts, and buds. |
|
Milkweed | Found in open woods, fields, rights-of-way, and waste grounds. | The roots, stems, and leaves contain toxins, and the sap is also toxic. |
|
Dogbane | They are scattered across the United States, in pastures, along streams and roadsides, and in open fields. | Both dried and green dogbane is toxic to sheep. |
|
Wild Cherry | You can find this plant along streams and in lowland and upland woods. | The pits and leaves of cherries can cause cyanide poisoning. Wilted and fresh leaves are poisonous, although the wilted leaves, especially those eaten after a frost, should be considered highly toxic. |
|
White Snakeroot | Found in shaded wooded areas, hardwood pastures, clearings, and waste places. | Poisonous year-round and when found dried in hay. |
|
Euphorbia | Found in hot, dry, clayey soils, pastures, fields, and rights-of-way. | The stems, leaves, and sap are poisonous. | |
Pokeweed | Found in fencerows, borders of woods, farm lots, thickets, and waste areas. | This plant, in its entirety, is poisonous, especially the seeds and roots. |
|
Buttercups | Found in meadows, along streams, in wastelands, and pastures. | Most poisonous in spring and early summer. Leaves cause the most damage. It is not toxic when dried in hay. |
|
Chokecherry | Found along streams, in waste areas, woods, fence rows, prairies, open forests, dry slopes, and orchards. | Seeds, bark, and leaves are poisonous during all seasons. |
|
Table 1: Description of plants toxic to sheep
Conclusion
There are numerous things out there that you should avoid feeding your sheep. Some of them, such as avocados, onions, and moldy foods, require prevention and a refrain from allowing your sheep to eat them. Others, such as plants that you might find growing in your pasture fields, will require a bit more effort on your part to ensure they do not get eaten by your sheep.
The effort will include ensuring that your sheep are well fed on good food so they do not become too hungry, forcing them to forage on pants that would not typically tickle their fancy. Also, keeping an eye on what is growing in your field is always beneficial. Remove any unwanted plants as soon as they grow.
Sources:
Cantharidin toxicosis in 2 alpacas - PMC
Avoiding sheep poisoning | Business Queensland
What Plants Are Poisonous To Sheep
Common Hazards Associated with Sheep and Goat Feed
Common Poisonous Plants | OSU Sheep Team
Plants Poisonous to Livestock in the Western States
Department of Animal Science - Plants Poisonous to Livestock
Plants poisonous to livestock | UMN Extension
Plants Poisonous to Livestock | MU Extension
J-M - Plants Toxic to Animals - LibGuides at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign