Summer rains can also stimulate growth of new basal leaves that can be very toxic. We haven't had much problem in the past several years due to dry weather, but this year is shaping up to be a bad one. Ueckert said the toxic principle in kleingrass is a sapogenin. This photodynamic compound in the blood accumulates in the skin, making it very sensitive to sunlight. This is called photosensitization.
Animals essentially get a severe sunburn, and the skin on their ears and faces sloughs off.
The sunburn symptom is accompanied by severe swelling of the ears and heads. Early recognition of the symptoms helps. Affected animals should be moved to deep shade or a dark barn for a week or two. These animals should only be fed feeds with little or no chlorophyll such as concentrate feed with dry hay. The safest management practice is to never graze sheep or goats on kleingrass pasture.