Pine needles okay for pregnant does?

[Silverwolff]

My goats go after pine needles like crazy! The two does I got for the start of my herd were fed them by their previous owners, and they said that it seems to give them an easier time in kidding. They used to throw old xmas trees in with their does (!).

Now, growing up, I was raised around cows, horses, sheep and goats. I was warned not to let a pregnant anything have access to eating pine needles because it would make them abort.

What are peoples' experiences and thoughts? I've done a little bit of Net research, and can't find anything specifically that says they are bad, but....? Is there some sort of vitamins or minerals in them that they go after, or are they just having typical goat appetites?

I currently have pregnant does, and I have one ewe lamb who will be ready to breed this coming fall.



--Silverwolff

[picklespickles]

i have friends that have thrown xmas trees in there, but i'm not sure about when they were pregnant. mine eat a little pine as they munch around, but it's right off the tree and not like a main source of food. just one or two bites, crunch crunch ever couple of days as they mosey around. they've had babies fine, but i think that's different than like giving them a whole tree to go for all at once. this is just a tree they pass by every couple of days.

so, i guess what i'm saying, is i don't know.

[Common Tator]

Our ranch is on a forest mountain slope, and the ground is covered with oak leaves and pine needles. We also have an apple orchard. Our goats free range there. We bought them in the first place for brush control. Our goats eat the brush, pine needles and apple and oak leaves and they are thriving. Last year we had 6 healthy babies, and the first two of this season were born last week.

[Bearfootfarm]

Pine needles are high in Vitamin C

[livinzoo]

Yes, and large doses of vitamin C can cause a miscarriage.

Small amounts should be fine though.

[betsy h.]

Yes. Been doing it for years in all stages of pregnancy. No problems. Use your own judgement.

[crazygoatgal]

What about Cedar?

[Silverwolff]

Thanks for the info...I would use my own judgment on this, except I don't know much about it.

Anyhow, they haven't gotten to the pine needles much. But a downed tree or branch is one of the first things they make a beeline for when they get out in the winter.

I have heard pine is worse for sheep than for goats.


--Silverwolff

[AnnaS]

I feed a Xmas tree here and there- two this year, one at the end of Dec and one at the end of Jan. My does also have access to live white pine and jackpine, which they ignore in winter.

I can't find my notes now, but I attended a vet lecture that addressed feeding pine instead of hay to goats as forage. The herd had around a 50% abortion rate, which was attributed to the high tar/cresote levels of pine.

Picklespickles tells it all- goats normally take a bite here, walk a bit, take a bite there. Browsing goats on a varied range won't eat enough of anything to make an adverse effect.