FlockWorks

Frequently asked questions - Poison Ivy
Also see our page dedicated to Poison Ivy.  

• Do goats really like poison ivy? 
  Yes.  Although it is one plant that they seem to avoid at times and adore at other times.... And it's not always obvious why. 
• Don't goat get poison ivy?
  No.  Basically only humans get poison ivy. 
• I have just a small patch of poison ivy, does it make sense to use goats? 
  Well, that mostly depends on you, where you are located and your budget.  
• I have a very large yard that is almost entirely covered in poison ivy, can the goats deal with that much poison ivy?
  When there is basically all of ANY one plant, it's less than ideal because goats love variety.  Depending on how large the area is and how much of it is poison ivy, we can run the goats a few different ways and usually still deal with it fairly well.  
  
  Sometimes we will also fence adjacent areas to give the herd some variety.  Sometimes it can make sense to supplement the herd with hay.  The most common way is (when possible) to match the herd size to the area and volume and simply graze it down quickly so they can get to their next project and more variety.  
• Can too much poison ivy make the goats sick? 
  Not in the way you may be thinking.  The variety of vegetation the goats eat helps with balanced nutrition.  Any time there is just mostly one plant, we try to keep it to a small window of time to help balance things out. 
• When a goat eats poison ivy with berries, will new plants be started from the goat's droppings?
  No.  Basically no seeds pass through a goats digestive system as viable. 
• Will the goats eating my poison ivy eliminate my problem?  
  It is always a process.  This is also true of cutting, pulling and spraying.  But goats are one of the most effective ways, especially if combined with human labor pulling the roots as the plant tries to recover after the goats have done their job.