Can Goats Eat Strawberries?

We do know that goats have an extremely sensitive digestive system. There are some caveats about what goats should and should not eat as they are not able to identify poisonous food and often try consuming everything in front of their eyes. A question that gets discussed about goat feed is “can goats eat strawberries”. There is much we can talk about this topic, hence, let’s spend some time reading the article and find out the fully explained answer.

Can goats eat strawberries?

Yes, goats can eat strawberries, however, not all goats are fond of their sour and sweet taste. Strawberries consist of multiple vitamins and minerals good for goats’ health. It is even included in the list of healthy food for humans.

Nevertheless, due to the slightly sour taste of strawberries, it is recommended not to feed goats too much of them as it might result in digestive problems. Hence, you should use them as a treat, and don’t forget to limit the amount of them per day.

When the animals are first fed with strawberries, you should consider a small amount before leveling up so that their stomach can get used to it. Their digestive system is so sensitive that it is not able to handle sudden changes.

Can baby goats eat strawberries?

Before baby goats start weaning, they are not allowed to eat any pieces of strawberries because their digestive system has not fully developed at this point yet. So they are not able to digest much solid food then apart from their mother milk.

After they start to wean (at about 2 to 3 months of age), you can feed them strawberries. However, the strawberries should be chopped or sliced to avoid choking. They also need rinsing to wash off pesticides or chemical residues.

Can goats eat strawberry tops?

Yes, they can. Strawberry tops are not toxic and happen to be many animals’ favorite food such as goats, rabbits, horses, and so on. Strawberry tops contain a petiole and small leaves.

Actually, goats are recommended to consume more “green things” than fruits as it provides them with enough nutrients that facilitate the digestive process. Then, strawberry tops might be even better for your goats than the strawberry flesh.

The potential harm in strawberry tops is pesticides. So, goats can eat strawberry tops as long as they are washed carefully.

How strawberries benefit goats?

Strawberries are refreshing and rich in vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, minerals, and water. Thus, they can hydrate your goats and strengthen your goats’ immune system.

They are very nutritious with a high level of vitamins C, K, and E. Vitamin E especially helps goats enrich their milk and develop its reproductive system and muscles. It also has magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium, which are good for goats.

Potential problems when feeding strawberries to goats

Anything can become harmful if consumed too much and strawberry is no exception. When goats are fed with too many strawberries, their stomach will be full of this fruit and they are likely to ignore their main food. In the long run, it leads to malnutrition.

Also, even though strawberries contain many necessary nutrients, it also has high sugar content. Eating too much sugar is harmful to goats’ health, and might cause tooth decay, not to mention a case in which your goats might have insulin resistance. In that case, you may need to consult a veterinarian to see whether your goats can eat strawberries.

So even if they show great interest in strawberries, the best advice is to feed them occasionally.

How to serve strawberries to goats?

The ideal diet is to feed goats with 3 to 5 strawberries a week. They can be given all at once or in different meals.

Please feed them with only fresh strawberries. Any rotten or mold strawberries should be thrown away as they might upset the goats’ stomach.

Even though it might not be necessary, it is advisable to rinse them before giving them to goats, even when you pick them in your garden. Who knows, perhaps the chemical residues or pesticide still remain on the surface of the fruits?

Only strawberries for baby goats should be chopped to avoid choking.

Conclusion

I guess now you no longer wonder whether goats can eat strawberries anymore. But keep in mind that they should not be fed with lots of strawberries on a daily basis, just a small amount is acceptable. A more important thing is to wash the fruits before feeding. Or else, there will be several health problems such as nutrient deficiencies, digestive disorder, cavity, or issues caused by remained chemical substances.