Sheep losses due to chokecherry not death camas

Authors: Welch, Kevin; Stonecipher, Clinton; Lee, Stephen; Cook, Daniel; Green, Benedict

Submitted to: Poisonous Plant Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/17/2026
Publication Date: 2/19/2026
Citation: Welch, K.D., Stonecipher, C.A., Lee, S.T., Cook, D., Green, B.T. 2026. Sheep losses due to chokecherry not death camas. Poisonous Plant Research. 8(1):25-35. https://doi.org/10.26077/rmvj-vv19.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26077/rmvj-vv19

Interpretive Summary: Death camas (Zigadenus paniculatus) is a toxic plant often associated with poisoning cases in livestock, especially in sheep, in the spring on mountain foothills. Consequently, when sheep are found dead in mountain foothills, and death camas is present, it is often implicated as the potential cause of death. However, this may be over simplistic as there may be other plants that may also contribute to, or are the cause of, death in sheep. In this study, we present a case of approximately 200 sheep out of a band of 400 that died within 24 hours of beginning to graze on a mountain foothill in northern Utah. Even though death camas was present at the location, based upon additional research and data we now believe that death camas was likely not sufficiently abundant to be the cause of poisoning that many sheep. Further investigations suggest that chokecherry may have been the cause of death. This study details the toxicity of the chokecherry found at the location where the sheep died. In summary, we found that the chokecherry leaves from the small trees that are found growing in this area in May are extremely high in HCN. This chokecherry plant material was very toxic when dosed orally to goats. However, the addition of death camas did not alter the toxicity of the chokecherry. Therefore, we hypothesize that the sheep that died in the 2016 case were likely poisoned by eating the young leaves and flowers from the small chokecherry shrubs that are abundant at the bottom of the hill near where they were off loaded from the trailers.

Technical Abstract: Death camas (Zigadenus paniculatus) is a toxic plant often associated with poisoning cases in livestock, especially in sheep, in the spring on mountain foothills. Consequently, when sheep are found dead in mountain foothills, and death camas is present, it is often implicated as the potential cause of death. However, this may be over simplistic as there may be other plants that may also contribute to, or are the cause of, death in sheep. In this study, we present a case of approximately 200 sheep out of a band of 400 that died within 24 hours of beginning to graze on a mountain foothill in northern Utah. Even though death camas was present at the location, based upon additional research and data we now believe that death camas was likely not sufficiently abundant to be the cause of poisoning that many sheep. Further investigations suggest that chokecherry may have been the cause of death. This study details the toxicity of the chokecherry found at the location where the sheep died.