# Poke Weed - is it poisonous?



## nappint (Apr 5, 2008)

We Have lots of Poke Weed (Poke Salet) on our property - is it poisonous to goats?

TIA!


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

We have it all around the woods and my goats don't touch it. When it berries the birds do eat the very fake purple berries, but that is about it. It is also not ever touched by the wild rabbits or pests...beautiful leaves with narry a insect hole. I did cook some for my FIL one time and it was awful, I mean really really acidic and awful. Even after draining it at least 5 times and cooking it with bacon like his "mother used to make in Biloxi". Blech! It will be hard times indeed before I use this stuff for us...and anything my goats won't eat? Scarry! vicki


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Some folks will say yes, but here in my part of the world my goats love the poke, no belly aches or deaths. In fact today I took a break and walked with the herd, poke was on todays menu, no problems. I guess if that's all they had to eat they probably would get sick. My girls are hit and run experts, try this, try that, and keep moving in search of the sweetest weed in the pasture.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

I will agree with Vickie that I've never seen them eat the poke while it held berries. But younger plants like we in TN currently have will be eaten with no ill effects.


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

Poke doesn't last long here.. there are thrown-down fights over it.. EVERYONE loves it...( nubians & jerseys alike)... never had a problem..not even a burp..BUT..with so many of them trying to grab some, when they find a plant.. no one gets very much of it at a time.
susie, mo ozarks


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## nappint (Apr 5, 2008)

LOL! Thanks for the replies - if they start eating lots of it I'll just go hack it down - I wanted to avoid that at all costs because it's so darn hot right now 

We moved the goat pen yesterday - there are a few poke weed plants in the pen - I glanced out to check on them and one of the new goats was nibbling on it. She didn't nibble for long though - I guess she didn't like it LOL!

I've heard of people eating it  ...doesn't look that appetizing to me. We actually had a man come out to pump the septic tanks and he went crazy when he saw it growing out under the trees - asked if he could have some - I told him to take as much as he wanted! And don't even get me started on the nasty purple bird poop it creates BLECH!

Thanks again!


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians said:


> We have it all around the woods and my goats don't touch it. When it berries the birds do eat the very fake purple berries, but that is about it. It is also not ever touched by the wild rabbits or pests...beautiful leaves with narry a insect hole. I did cook some for my FIL one time and it was awful, I mean really really acidic and awful. Even after draining it at least 5 times and cooking it with bacon like his "mother used to make in Biloxi". Blech! It will be hard times indeed before I use this stuff for us...and anything my goats won't eat? Scarry! vicki


My goats wouldn't eat it either, until they saw me picking it and suddenly they seemed to realize it was food and started eating it too! 

Poke salat is good, not much different than cooked spinach in flavor. Maybe the plants were too big that you picked? You are supposed to pick them small.


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## Nancy_in_GA (Oct 20, 2004)

topside1 said:


> ...I've never seen them eat the poke while it held berries...


You mean no one'e ever had their goats come in with purple faces?  Ours used to the first year, but they don't let it ever get that big now. Not sure if they ate the actual berries, but they got close enough to get stained real good.


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

Mine will eat the young plants but don't touch the older plants.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

my goats would leave it alone untill it had berrys then they ate the berrys and waited till fall to eat the rest, they wouldnt touch it while it was growing


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Mine eat it at all times of the year. When its young they eat it to the ground. The older plants get berries and my does come in with purple faces, purple tongues and red pee! It even turns their berries a deep shade of purple/black at times.


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## Leo (Feb 7, 2006)

The new shoots of pokeweed, before they get that flash of red are edible. My goats love pokeweed! They are cute with purple faces.
Megan


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## Gailann Schrader (May 10, 2002)

unless your goats are starving to death? They won't usually eat poisonous stuff. Of course there are exceptions - rhododendrons, azaleas, etc. They avoid the bleh stuff...

But Poke? I think you are fine...


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Yeah, poke is supposed to be cooked and eaten when young. I don't have goats, but i'll tell ya- from a distance those purple smears on a mare's leg dang sure look like blood!


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## Jaclynne (May 14, 2002)

I had a scare this week, when I saw red pee in the barn one morning after everyone had gone to the woods. That evening when they started wandering back in I noticed everyone had purple freckles on their noses and small blackish spots on their legs. 

Next morning in the barn someone had left clumpy poo and more red pee. I just about panicked. That evening they all came in with big purple black splotches all over them. I knew it was some kind of berry.

MamaJohnson is my closest HT neighbor, so I talked to her and she directed me to this post. Thanks!

The one wether that had clumpy poo is the one goat out of all of them that will always eat poke weed. The rest just nibble the new leaves or ignore it, but this little fellow really likes it. I guess he had a bit too much. 

Everyone else - I think from the looks of them, have just been wallowing in it!

Halo


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