Where did this STINGING weed come from?

[Farmer Connie]

We have been on this particular property coming up on a decade. Never within that time can I recall being lit on fire from coming into contact with simple looking weeds. We do get a version or "Stinging Nettles" here and there but it is hit and miss. We usually just dig them up with a shovel and discard them in the trash can to prevent them from spreading.

But now we have an epidemic of patches of these harmless looking weeds that are over taking our pastures and lawn on our residence side of our farm.
They start off soft and green and short of course. But when allowed to grow tall, they produce thousands of stinging needles.

We seldom mow our pasture paddocks because we have a couple of goat herds whom are happy to provide us with that service. But until the last few weeks, we noticed there are mass areas the goats refuse to touch. Last night, we had 2 escaped chickens right at the edge of darkness. DH and I went into one of the patches to grab to birds to lock them up for the night. All of the sudden we were on fire. Since we were out in the dark, we both thought we stepped into a fire ant mound. Then the burning got worse and worse. Today in the sunlight, I snapped these pics of the stinging weeds. It was very windy during the picture taking so the pics aren't the best.

So the question is.. "is this a variety of stinging nettle"? I can't find anything on google or youtube for the moment.
And, is this a weed brought in from distant states when we buy hay in the fall and winter? An invasive species for sure. It is spreading like wild fire. And burns like fire too.
Poor goats are losing pasture ground.

 

[seedcorn]

Goats are probably spreading it. As bad as you have it, chemical war fare is probably your only choice.

Probably came in with organic feed.

 

[Farmer Connie]

Goats are probably spreading it. As bad as you have it, chemical war fare is probably your only choice.

Probably came in with organic feed.

It's choking out the grass. Mowed it low today. I'm that spreads it as well. Can't use chems in the pasture.

 

[baymule]

Call your county agent.

 

[seedcorn]

No chems, then get

It's choking out the grass. Mowed it low today. I'm that spreads it as well. Can't use chems in the pasture.

No chems, get used to digging, digging, & more digging. You will never get all the roots so it will be a life long battle.... your choice.

 

[flowerbug]

before doing anything it really helps to have a good idea of what the weed is and i can't tell from the picture or description what it might be. please take more pictures until you can get a clear shot of the plant in question.

you can always fight it off by various means, but so much is helped along by knowing how it lives and reproduces as to when and how to get it out of there.

if it spreads via roots and is a perennial that is much different than if it is an annual and spreads by seeds or if it can spread via fragments of stems.

it is rare a goat won't eat something...

smothering, hand removal, burning if it goes to seed, digging, weed whacking, plowing, ... one thing for sure, please don't let it spread further keep animals and machines off it until you know how it spreads. check any remaining feed you got from the suspect source and make sure not to use it, etc. contact the source and ask them (they may deny it of course), but be sure to let others know to be wary of what is going on. ...

 

[Nyboy]

Sorry can not offer any help with weed, but your goat is very cute I love his ears

 

[Jared77]

Be sure to clean anything you use to get rid of it just in case too.

I think the out of area hay you're using has seeds the goats are eating it and its passing through them to get planted with a nice little nitrogen gift to ensure it gets well established.

Part of the problem too is with the goats eating everything BUT that, the invasive species has an unfair advantage and can really take over. Plus with the goats manure spreading it too you've got a real battle on your hands.

You can't spot treat it chemically? Maybe keep the goats off that pasture for so much time? Or dig it and then treat the area below the soil level that may have a few roots left behind to help ensure they are gone.

We dealt with this and thistles in our horse pasture. It got BAD fast. Tails turned into clubs and had to cut them in the fall to regrow them. Felt terrible for them. I started digging and bagging what I'd dug and then spot treating the area I'd dug. Simply digging them wasn't going to cut it for us. And that was to combat burrs I couldn't imagine something that would sting and burn.

 

[Bonnie]

We have been on this particular property coming up on a decade. Never within that time can I recall being lit on fire from coming into contact with simple looking weeds. We do get a version or "Stinging Nettles" here and there but it is hit and miss. We usually just dig them up with a shovel and discard them in the trash can to prevent them from spreading.

But now we have an epidemic of patches of these harmless looking weeds that are over taking our pastures and lawn on our residence side of our farm.
They start off soft and green and short of course. But when allowed to grow tall, they produce thousands of stinging needles. View attachment 25706
We seldom mow our pasture paddocks because we have a couple of goat herds whom are happy to provide us with that service. But until the last few weeks, we noticed there are mass areas the goats refuse to touch. Last night, we had 2 escaped chickens right at the edge of darkness. DH and I went into one of the patches to grab to birds to lock them up for the night. All of the sudden we were on fire. Since we were out in the dark, we both thought we stepped into a fire ant mound. Then the burning got worse and worse. Today in the sunlight, I snapped these pics of the stinging weeds. It was very windy during the picture taking so the pics aren't the best. View attachment 25709
So the question is.. "is this a variety of stinging nettle"? I can't find anything on google or youtube for the moment.
And, is this a weed brought in from distant states when we buy hay in the fall and winter? An invasive species for sure. It is spreading like wild fire. And burns like fire too.
Poor goats are losing pasture ground.View attachment 25710

If these truly are the good stinging nettle it is praised for healing properties and if you scald them in boiling water they do not sting you anymore.since you do not use chemicals you may find an herbal group that would love to have them and may come help you dig them up. Maybe even pay you for potted ones.worth looking into if you have to go to the trouble of digging them up anyway.