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Can Goats Eat Peaches?

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Raising goats is a ton of fun. One of the main benefits of having goats is that they are very low-maintenance animals. They don’t make a fuss, and they don’t need a lot of special attention. They also don’t require very specific diets and can eat a variety of foods without any concerns.

Can a goat eat peaches? Yes, goats can eat peaches without any adverse effects.

There is no reason to be concerned about any of your goats eating any foods with peaches in them or nibbling on peaches that fall from your peach tree. Peaches are a healthy fruit that has some decent health benefits for goats.

peaches growing on tree

Finding out what your goat can’t eat is probably more important than focusing on what they can. Goats have very strong stomachs and digestive systems, and it usually takes a lot to make them sick.

There’s not a lot that goats can’t eat. Here’s some helpful information on how peaches can fit into a healthy diet for goats.

How Eating Peaches Affects Goats

Even animals get excited when the peach season comes around every year. The season doesn’t last long, but humans and goats alike love a good, ripe peach on a warm summer evening. They’re delicious, juicy, and refreshing.

On top of tasting great, peaches also offer a lot of nutritional value. Goats and humans benefit from the vitamin A and vitamin C in peaches. They are also rich in dietary fibers, which makes digesting other foods like grass and hay easier.

two goats eating grass

The one thing you may want to control is just how many peaches your goats eat. If you have several peach trees in your yard, for example, and you can’t eat all of them, your goats will happily gobble them up.

Peaches do have a lot of sugars and carbohydrates in them, so it’s possible eating too many will make your goats gain weight. If your goats get too fat, that’s when health problems start to pop up. It’s not too much of a concern, though, because peaches aren’t around forever, and any weight they gain will likely melt away once the peach season is over.

Peach Trees May Have Prussic Acid in Them

One thing goat owners and caretakers should know is that peach plants are part of the Prunus species, and therefore contain prussic acid. Prussic acid can affect the red blood cells’ ability to release oxygen, and it can stop animals from breathing if they eat too much.

If your goats can reach the peach tree leaves or you see them gnawing at the bark on your peach trees, then you may want to intervene. Luckily, most goats know not to do that, though some goats are smarter than others.

If you notice any adverse health symptoms in your goat, it’s always a good idea to get them to a vet sooner rather than later just to make sure they will be OK.

sweet peaches

Do You Need to Prepare the Peaches?

No, not really. Peach peels are good for goats, and they have a good amount of fiber in them. You can slice the peaches up if you feel like feeding your goats by hand. Trust us, your goats will come running once you or one of your kids flashes a peach slice.

They are a delicious treat for them, especially on a hot day. If you’re in a rush, you can simply toss the peaches whole to your goats and let them sort it out. Goats will be happy to eat peaches that have matured beyond the point where you want to eat them, so they can be fantastic for avoiding any sort of food waste.

Goats love peaches, and they’ll love you more after you feed some to them. Whether the peaches are coming from your peach trees or you’ve got some peaches that have been sitting in the fridge for too long, they’ll eat them up quickly and love the sugar boost they provide. They can be a healthy part of any goat’s diet.

glass of yogurt peach

Peaches as Part of a Healthy Diet

Of course, peaches shouldn’t be the only thing that your goats are eating. Any fruits like peaches, which are high in sugar, should be fed to goats sparingly, not as a staple of their diet. Remember, you don’t want them to eat too much sugar or they will gain weight and start having weight-related health problems.

Roughage makes up the biggest part of goat diets. When people refer to roughage, they’re talking about basic grass, hay, weeds, grains, etc. It’s the rough stuff. Goats have to eat a lot of roughage, though, because it’s generally food that’s low in calories.

That’s why goats get their reputation for eating a ton of food. They need a lot of it to get the calories they need!

To digest those rough foods, goats, like cows and other animals, have complex digestive systems with multiple stomachs. One stomach breaks down the roughage to the point that it’s passable through the rest of their digestive system.

Goat owners need to be careful not to feed their animals anything that could disrupt the digestive process. Too much human food or sugary food, for instance, can make it harder for them to digest their normal food.

One thing you need to stay on top of as well is goats’ salt intake. If you go to farms, zoos, or other places with goat enclosures, you’ll often see salt licks in the corners of their pens. Goats love to lick saltlicks, and it gives them vital salt that helps them stay healthy.

When you’re thinking about what treats to give your goats, you don’t need to get fancy. Goats love to eat long stalks of grass, carrots, and other root vegetables. You can feed them celery, corn, and other vegetables you have.

Yes, your goats will love eating peaches, apples, and other fruits with sugar, but you don’t need to feel like they need something sweet all of the time. They will love spending time with you as you feed them grass and carrots just the same.

Resources

  • https://petfoodfuss.com/goats/can-goats-eat-peaches/