Goats love to tuck into anything that they can get their mouths around. But, it doesn’t always mean that they should. On this page, we want to answer one of the more important questions; can goats eat broccoli? Let’s take a closer look.
Can Goats Eat Broccoli?
Goats can eat broccoli in small quantities. Not only are they going to enjoy eating the broccoli, but there are various nutrients inside of the broccoli that they are going to get some benefit from.
Nothing close to the sort of benefit that they would get from their normal feed. However, adding a bit of variety to your livestock’s diet is always important.
However, we must insist that there is a very heavy emphasis on the ‘small quantities’ part. This is because broccoli can be toxic to goats if eaten in larger quantities.
This is all down to glucosinolates in broccoli (this compound can be found in a variety of vegetables).
If your goat eats too much broccoli or anything of the plants that are high in glucosinolates, then there is a risk that they can suffer from toxicity. This is likely to make them very sick, and if they ingest large enough quantities, then it could even kill them.
However, we should probably stress that the risk of death is going to be exceedingly low here.
How Much Broccoli Can a Goat Eat?
As we said, goats can eat a small amount of broccoli without any issues.
In theory, you could probably give each goat some broccoli every single day of the week and they wouldn’t have any negative effects.
However, we are massive fans of ensuring that goats have a varied diet, and this means trying to introduce a wealth of different fruits and vegetables.
Therefore, we suggest that you limit the broccoli eating to one day per week, maybe two if you are not giving your goats any other treats.
At the most, we suggest that you give each goat 1-2 handfuls of broccoli at a time.
How Do You Prepare Broccoli for a Goat?
Goats are fine eating raw or cooked broccoli. You can even lightly salt it if you wish.
You don’t need to chop it up. Just feed them the broccoli in the standard feed. However, if you have a particularly friendly goat, then you may even want to hand-feed them the broccoli. It is great for bonding!
Remember, if the goat hasn’t eaten all of the broccoli, you will need to remove it from the area.
This is because the broccoli will start to rot. Not only will this attract pests into the goat’s area, but it could make the goat sick if they try and eat it a bit later on. This is why we tend to prefer hand feeding over putting it in the feed.
Final Thoughts
Goats can eat broccoli, but they should only be eating small amounts. Try to keep what you give your goat to a minimum. It may be toxic otherwise.
Of course, like all animals, every goat is different and has its unique preferences.
So while some goats may love broccoli, others may not be as enthusiastic about it. If you’re ever in doubt about whether or not a particular food is safe for your goat to eat, it’s always best to consult with a veterinarian or other animal expert.
Also read: Goats can eat asparagus
