Can Goats Eat Dock Leaves?

Can Goats Eat Dock Leaves? (Are They Safe?)

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The simple answer is unfortunately no. Dock leaves are somewhat toxic to goats, and while the toxicity is very low, it is not non-existent. In the case of dock leaves, many report their livestock eating them with no problem—others have the opposite result. For maximum safety, avoid it.

 

Even though your goat would have to consume a tremendous amount of dock leaf to experience any serious issue from eating it, it still makes more sense to simply cut it out of their diet entirely.

While the risk is low, it’s still a risk, and there’s no special benefit to your goats eating dock leaf.

Let’s look further into this.

Can Goats Eat Dock Leaves?

 

Is dock toxic to goats?

Yes, is the simple answer.

A number of official toxicity databases list that dock leaves are indeed toxic to goats and other livestock.

This is because of the presence of high amounts of oxalates in the plant’s leaves.

Oxalates are a waste product produced by the body and found in large amounts in dock leaves.

These oxalates, if they build up over time, can cause a wide variety of issues such as kidney stones.

Oxalates are dangerous in high quantities to many animals including goats, sheep and horses. the presence of oxalates is the reason leafy greens like kale are commonly avoided as food for these animals.

While your goat would need to eat a great deal of dock leaves to experience any adverse effect, the chances of this happening are not zero.

Furthermore, the damage can build up over time, as I said, leading to your goat developing kidney stones.

So, while the toxicity may be low, there is also no benefit to feeding them dock leaves that you could not get from a safer plant.

For these reasons, I think dock leaf is best avoided.

If it is growing on your property, likelihood is your goats will be smart enough to leave it alone.

However, to be safe, I would suggest uprooting the plant.

 

Can dock leaves kill goats?

In the short term, no.

The chances of this are simply astronomical, and in fact would probably indicate there was already a problem if eating dock leaves caused fatal injury over a short period of time.

That said, sustained eating of dock leaves over a long period of time could be enough to contribute to a fatal illness.

As I said, kidney stones are a common problem with oxalates, and they can be fatal in rare cases.

Again, while the risk is low, the benefit is also low.

Therefore, don’t let them eat dock leaves, even if you don’t think it will kill them.

 

Should I remove dock from my pasture?

This can be a big job, so the answer is that it really depends.

In general, as I said, goats are smart enough to know what not to eat.

They may need to eat it once to learn that, but usually, once they’ve learned, they will leave unhealthy plants alone.

On the other hand, this isn’t universally true.

Your goat may well continuously eat dock leaves despite the negative effects, and this is where you are likely to get problems with kidney stones.

Were it me, I would do my best to remove the dock from my pasture in any case.

It’s best to be safe.

It can be a big job, though, since dock can be quite invasive.

But it will be worth it to protect your goat’s health.

 

Can goats eat broadleaf dock?

Broadleaf dock is the most common variety, and the most easily recognizable.

This variety does contain a lot of the problematic oxalates, so, no, your goat should not eat broadleaf dock.

If you find broadleaf dock on your property, you should make a choice about getting rid of it—as I said, were it me, I would do my best to remove it.

 

Can goats eat curly dock?

Curly dock is a bit more up for debate, it seems.

Some would say that it is just as bad if not worse than broadleaf.

On the other hand, some would say it isn’t a problem at all.

While there is somewhat of a gray area, one thing does remain true.

Curly leaf dock is just as rich in oxalates as broadleaf dock is.

So, in theory, curly dock should be no safer than broadleaf.

No kind of dock is really safe for your goats, then.

Whatever variety it is, you should get rid of it to be safe.

 

While some may think I am advocating an extreme of caution, the simple fact is that there is no reason to take chances with dock leaves.

They are potentially toxic, however slim the danger may be.

If there were some enormous nutritional or enrichment benefit to eating dock leaves, then perhaps I would suggest feeding them small amounts.

As there is no benefit from dock that they could not get elsewhere, for my money, it’s best avoided.

 

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