What do cows and cattle not eat?

Plants that are considered poisonous to cattle include the following:

- Water Hemlock

- Rhubarb

- Lupine

- Low Larkspur

- Oak

- Tall Larkspur

- Timber milk vetch

- Death camas

- Greasewood

- Horsebrush

- Rubberweed

- Sneezeweed

- Broomweed

- Chokecherry

- Copperweed

- Desert Parsley

- Halogten

- Loco

- Milkweeds

- Veratrum

Other antiquality factors that must be addressed in feeding cattle include bloat, acidosis, nitrate toxicity, fescue toxicity, grass tetany, sweet clover disease. This is not really directed to the plants the cattle eat, but WHEN they eat them. To prevent bloat, let cattle out on a alfalfa or clover feild when they are not hungry. Also, make sure they have acccess to a bloat block to prevent bloating. To prevent acidosis, introduce a different ration slowly. Nitrate toxicity is prevented when cattle are supplemented with a high energy-based feed with plenty of carbohydrates and vitamin A. Fescue toxicity is only prevented if non-infected Tall Fescue varieties are seeded in along with legumes. Grass tetany can be prevented by not turning animals out onto pasture the first few weeks of initial pasture season. However if this cannot be avoided, supplementing with mineral that contains magnesium sulfate and calcium diphosphate or mixing a salt mix of 2 parts magnesium oxide and 1 part salt is even better. To prevent sweet clover disease, properly cure (or dry thoroughly) sweet clover hay or silage.