# Will goats eat bindweed?



## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

I know goats have a reputation for eating ANYTHING, but does anyone know *for sure* if they'll eat bindweed? 

I have been at war with the stuff since we moved in. I rotate the chickens and horses around the yard and pasture to mow, but they don't touch the blasted bindweed. Wondering if I had a goat to follow the horses if it would clean up the bindweed the other animals leave behind?

If it would, there is a VERY good liklihood you will see me on this forum more in the near future, as I think I will be looking into getting or borrowing a goat!


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

What is bindweed? Just not familiar with the name, can you post a picture for those of us who don't know?

OK looked it up and it is in the morning glory faimly and all I can say is that I have no morning glories in the field with my goats.


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## apirlawz (Dec 26, 2003)

In my neck of the woods, they call it "creeping jenny". I do have it on my farm, but not in the goat pens, so hopefully, they will.


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## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

Bindweed is pure evil. If someone told me that if I went and rolled naked in a bed of poison ivy and all the bindweed would vanish from my property forever, I think I'd do it. 

http://www.co.shawnee.ks.us/nw/bindweed.shtm

I don't think it's called creeping jenny anywhere - what I know as creeping jenny is a different thing altogether. Bindweed *climbs* by twining (no tendrils) and will smother everything in it's path - fences, shrubs, pastures, gardens, children and small vehicles... and it will just sprawl all over if there's nothing to climb.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Hmm, I did find these. 

http://mtwow.org/field-bindweed-ID.html


> Biological control: The insect Aceria malherbae nuzzaci helps control field bindweed by, attacking the leaves to make them fold inwards along the mid vein and they develop a fuzzy texture. Heavily invested shoots became stunted and distorted from this insect. (5) Also, goats and sheep will eat this plant. (6) The insect Tyta luctuosa (a dark brown moth) larvae will defoliate field bindweed



http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2003/09/02/getting/


> Photo: Hillary Rosner.The first plants to get chomped were the leafy shoots of my big elm tree, some of which were several feet high and covered with delectable, bright green leaves. One goat even climbed into the tree to munch. Meanwhile, others busied themselves on a big patch of thistle, as still more went to work on a tangle of shrubbery and bindweed that had grown a foot high and more than a foot thick over our chain-link fence. "Am I dreaming, or are those goats in your yard?" asked my neighbor to the west.


 I do have a little of this growing on my property, I've seen it before. Is it usually up this time of year? I could see if my goats would eat it. I know I've seen it in one place in the field. Mine doesn't ever grow out of control or anything though. I think they're pretty. :lookout:


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## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

It's just now coming up here in N. IL, so I'd imagine it should be up down your way. I've found some plants already several inches long. The year we moved in (2006) I thought it was pretty, too and let it be. And then I saw what it can do! It killed a while section of my pasture, smothered a bunch of perennials, made the gardens impassible, etc. Everything I tried last year only seemed to make it worse! I did learn that if you rip it up before it goes to seed, it makes pretty good mulch - an *endless* supply of mulch...

It'd be awesome if you wouldn't mind asking your goats to prove that they'll eat it! Thank you!

I had found this: 
Cultural Control of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Grazing Methods: Sheep and cattle will eat the leaves and the stems of bindweed. Chickens and hogs eat the leaves, stems, and also exposed roots and crowns. (Breitenfeldt, Todd.)

I guess I need to have a chat with my chickens, because they don't eat it. Though they're spoiled chickens and not the best foragers... Even if they were, it'd take a LOT of chickens to keep this stuff under control!

I guess I could try a sheep, too - it'd be easier to contain than a goat... Anyone here have sheep?


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## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

April, I'm sorry - I stand corrected! I just found this:
Common names: wild mourning glory, creeping Jenny, and European bindweed.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

It may be that if the chickens were fed it when young, they would eat it. Perhaps if you offered some to the chickens they might figure out it's food.
I can't seem to find any of it. I remember it growing in two places and don't see any. I will look when we take the goats for a walk later, in the woods, and see if I can find some.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

bindweed is the equivalant of Kudzu in the north lol, it gets into everything, and goats is about all you can do for it lol


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## apirlawz (Dec 26, 2003)

Phantomfyre said:


> April, I'm sorry - I stand corrected! I just found this:
> Common names: wild mourning glory, creeping Jenny, and European bindweed.


lol! I was just going to post here to say "but, we really do!"

And about rolling naked in poison ivy if it would rid the farm of it, yep, I'd do it too. I've spent hours upon hours weeding that garbage out of my garden!


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

Bindweed is one of the most evil plants I've encountered in my many years of gardening. We have an infestation of it in parts of our garden and yard. 

Goats may eat it (which would be awesome for pastures), but in my case I wouldn't have goats wandering in the areas that I have the problem (up against my house near the rose bushes.

It ABSOLUTELY chokes out anything is comes in contact with. Its like a boa constrictor plant. The best way to deal with it is to pull it out of the ground early and often. Don't allow it to flower and go to seed, since that only makes the problem worse. Don't "chop it" out of the garden, because this plant will only re-root from any root pieces left in the ground (hence the need to pull it from the ground early and often!).

I don't put this stuff in my compost pile, I dump it on my burn pile and light it up in flames! :flame::flame::flame:

It grows quickly and isn't too picky about the amount of water it gets. 

My chickens haven't touched it, either. But I may offer it to them to see if they're interested in a different type of snack.


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