Poisonous Plants for Livestock in Kittitas County
Livestock have a remarkable ability to largely avoid poisonous plants. They learn about safe foods from their mother, and they have a variety of aversion mechanisms to avoid consuming the same toxic plant again following a negative experience, assuming they live. In addition, many toxic plants are quite unpalatable or distasteful. However, under certain circumstances, domestic animals will consume poisonous plants:
- When available or provided foodstuffs are undesirable
- When available forage is not sufficient to meet nutritional requirements for the individual
- When the toxic plant is at a particularly tasty stage of growth
- When insufficient water is provided forbs (weeds) may be selected to boost water intake
This table provides some of the most common poisonous plants in Kittitas County: Kittitas County Poisonous Plants