# Sheep and cherry trees



## Maria (Apr 24, 2003)

A couple of trees in my yard are dying and I'm considering replacing them with cherry trees, but my sheep are my lawn mowers, and I'm concerned that they'll eat fallen cherries and poison themselves with the pits.

Do you think that would happen?


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## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

I've heard that it isn't the cherry fruit or pits that's the problem it's the leaves, once they leave the tree they become poisonious.


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

Sheep will inevitably nibble on everything. I don't know how palatable cherries or cherry leaves are but your sheep will munch on them. You can opt to rake the area under the cherry trees before you let them mow, or fence the area off etc.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

It's the leaves that come off green, not dry in the fall. We lost several nice ewes two summers ago and suspected it was from the cherry tree that blew down out in the woods from a big storm. Not from the tree itself, the leaves that hadn't matured.

Peg


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

It depends on the type of cheery tree. I researched this as I had a tree in one of my pastures and it turns out sour cherry trees aren't posionous- their leaves aren't. So just plant sour cherry trees and you will be alright. I have 3 years of alright with mine.


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

I have at least 100 wild chokecherry trees in the pasture. The donkey pulls the trees down and the sheep cows and goats all join in. I havent lost an animal yet to this. Ive lost animals in the winter only, when the leaves are long gone. They eat them green, dried, all ways. I hate that the trees are there but theres just too many to do anything about. I was hoping the animals would have killed em all by now. I wouldnt plant one on purpose where they go.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

The young green shoots are extremely toxic and easily nibbled/consumed by younger stock. Certain conditions can cause them to vary in toxicity.
The toxicity is relative to the percentage consumed compared to their body weight.

Sadly learned about this years ago, after I lost a dear lamb to a terrible death, in addition to sickly lactating yearling ewes.
Chokecherry trees during a drought year, were the suspect.

Deb


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## Maria (Apr 24, 2003)

A big chokecherry limb fell into our pasture a couple of weeks back, and our cows stripped it and seemed fine. I guess that's because they have more mass than a sheep?


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