Japanese Knotweed ("wild bamboo") and Goats?

[ShawneeVt]

Hello Knowledgable Friends! I have a small homestead in Vermont that is being taken over by japanese knotweed. It grows all along the brook that cuts through my lower property and is beginning to encroach on the gardens. It's a liablity when it comes to selling vegetable starts and perennials at the farm stand, for people worry about possible contamination. NO one wants japanese knotweed!

Which leads me to the goat forum Can goats safely forage on knotweed? I've asked the extension service and they were...vague...about the whole thing.

I'm very curious for your experiences and advice.

Many thanks!

--shawnee at echo valley farm

[KSALguy]

if it is truely a bamboo then its edible, rabbits will eat it goats should eat it, i would LOVE a stand of bamboo to be able to cut from to feed my rabbit colony all winter,

[gracie88]

It's not a true bamboo, however, it is supposed to be edible and goats may be your best bet at controlling it.

[Briza]

But they cannot thrive on that alone which means you are taking on care and feeding and housing and fencing and worming and etc of a creature you will have to study and experience for years to learn to do well with.

The goats will not pressure it enough to kill it or even set it back much unless you make them go hungry. Not advisable. This is NOT a good reason to get goats.
B~

[KSALguy]

if it tasts good they will clean it up with out haveing to make them hungry, i am sure the OP knows that they will have to be taken care of like anything else one might have on a farm,
goats for cleaning up brush and unwanted vegitation is not a BAD reason to get goats,

[Katey]

Japanese knotweed is a close relative of rhubarb and the young (up to about 1-foot-tall) shoots can be treated as such in early spring. That said, the mature plant has the same oxalic acid problem that rhubarb leaves have and is therefore toxic to people, and probably goats as well. The only person I know of who has ever gotten rid of the stuff pastured six piglets on it for their entire growing season, and his patch was only about 30 feet wide.

[hillbillly]

Japanese knotweed

[ShawneeVt]

yeup, that's the stuff.

My first priority on the farm is always for the well being of the livestock--which is why I haven't tried to poison away the knotweed in the first place.

Hoping that goats would be a thoughtful, sustainable, smart way of erradicating the stuff while adding all that goats add to the farm.

Thanks though for the reminder regarding the importance of good nutrition and good fences...never hurts to make sure people know what they're getting into.

Appreciate the responses

--shawnee at echo valley farm

[saanengirl]

Goats are very effective at detoxifying plants because of the contents of their saliva, and the fact that their liver is larger than most species in proportion to the rest of their digestive tract. If there are some toxins present, the goats should be fine eating the plant as long as they have other food sources available to balance out whatever toxins (in this case, oxalic acid, apparently) are present.

Fence in your weed, and let the goats eat it, but make sure there is other food available.

[rowan57]

Japanese Knotweed is a notifiable problem in the UK, don't know about the US. There are ways to get rid of it, but it is extremely costly as the plants can spread from mm's of root left in the ground. Goats grazing it will not eliminate it. In fact there are few methods which have proved effective at removing the problem I'm afraid.

[Briza]

The toxic principle in this case is disruption of the uptake of other nutrients due to inhibition of enzyme production not an actual toxic element in the plant itself. If you concentrate a particular plant in the diet you run higher risks of digestive upset resulting in secondary issues.
Rumens are nothing to fool around with. They are complex and not easily put back to health once disturbed. This family of plants has high tannin levels and this is a known acidifier and enzyme inhibitor. Goats are made to wander and nibble here and there. They will only eat something to the ground if they are forced to do so and this is a prescription for health problems.

The way this plant rejuvenates from the rhizomes which can grow several feet each year means you will have continuous regrowth even with them eating the tops down. There is a pseudo herbicide method using ammonium sulphamate which degrades to ammonium sulfphate which is as you know a fertilizer. You may want to ask your county agent about this since it will be affecting a water way but it can be done with care and research and some expenditure.

It is also possible to kill areas of pest plants by cutting them short or catching them just sprouting in spring- fertilize heavily with ammonium nitrate and cover with black plastic for about a month hopefully with sun on it- slower in the shade. You will have nothing alive under there but could rebuild a plant community you desire.

[saanengirl]

Actually, goats are especially suited to eating plants containing tannins (as compared to other species) due to the composition of their saliva. At the university where I study, we do a lot of research with tanniniferous forages. As I said before, As long as they have other options, they should be able to eat as much as they want of this plant without a problem. You will run into problems if they are in a paddock with nothing but this plant. It would be helpful to have concentrate supplementation if this will be a major part of their diet.

[KSALguy]

a good quality HAY in addition to all the brows of what ever kind is sufficient for all but the breeding does that are produceing LOTS of milk, the tannins in plants while bad for most livestock are not that bad for goats, and again if they have good hay to balance their diet they can eat quite alot of it,