Can Goats Eat Cabbage?

Goats are animals that have a reputation for consuming plants, but can goats eat cabbage?. Although their regular is hay, they also love to consume other juicy plants including vegetables. Part of these vegetables includes cabbage which supplies goats with vital nutrients. This article further examines cabbage as a treat for goats and whether it is safe for them to eat.

Yes, goats can eat cabbage. Cabbage is a highly nutritious vegetable that provides essential nutrients for goats. Some of these nutrients include carbohydrates, vitamins (B6, C, and K), protein, folate, and trace elements. Having your goats consume this plant proves to be beneficial to goats’ health.

You can serve cabbage as a supplementary diet and watch your goats consume them with glee. Whether your goat is young or old, cabbage has proven to be a good source of nutrients.  Therefore, you can serve it as a treat or side dish. However, when serving cabbage, ensure that they are served in moderation and should never replace their main diet.

Do Goats Enjoy Eating Cabbage?

Goats are naturally herbivores. That is, they love to consume varieties of plants. Hence, cabbages are not an exception in their diet list. Although their regular meal is hay, you can serve your goats with cabbages by serving them as treats or implementing various cabbage treat ideas to spice up their diet. With this, your goats will love the changes and consume whatever you bring to the table.

However, cabbage should be served in moderation to goats. The fact that they enjoy eating cabbage doesn’t mean you should serve them the vegetable in excess. Things may go wrong and have negative effects on their growth and development.

Why Should You Feed Your Goat Some Cabbage?

Cabbage is a healthy supplement you can feed your goat. They contain vital nutrients that replenish your goat. Here is a list of some nutritional value you can give your goat by feeding it 100 grams of cabbage.

Source: USDA FoodData Central

Now that you understand the nutritional composition of cabbage, let’s check out how these nutrients provide health benefits to your goats.

• The crude protein found in cabbage promotes growth, reproduction, and maintenance.
• The vitamins strengthen the immune system
• Calcium is good for bones and supports other tissues.
• Cabbage contains some trace minerals that support enzyme formation, vitamin synthesis, hormone structure, blood synthesis, and reproduction.

Is Cabbage Good to Serve as a Treat?

Cabbage is good to serve as a treat. In fact, they are one of the best supplementary diets to serve your goats. As a result, you can try out these different treat ideas to serve your goats.

A typical treat idea is to serve shredded cabbages. Or, you can make coleslaw with cabbages and serve your goats. You can also try serving cabbages alongside their regular meals like hay. Besides, if you don’t want to serve them this meal directly, you can consider juicing it or adding it to a smoothie to serve as a good treat for your goats. With these treat ideas, you can be assured that your goats get the nutrients they deserve.

Is Cabbage Safe for Young or Baby Goats?

Every goat requires a well-balanced diet to reach its full potential. That includes serving some side dishes such as fruits and vegetables. Cabbage is one of these side dishes and can be served to young goats that are more than thirty (30) days old. Any goat that is less than 30 days old should only be allowed to drink his mother’s milk.

Aside from this, cabbages are relatively safe for these young goats. You can use it as a supplement alongside their daily intake. However, this supplement must not exceed 10% of their dietary plan. If it exceeds 10%, it can lead to health issues such as a weakened immune system and inhibits proper growth and productivity. Another precaution when serving young goats is that you should introduce the supplement gradually to avert digestive complications.

Preparing Cabbage for your Goats

You can prepare cabbages for your goats in various ways. However, you need to ensure that these cabbages are free of chemicals or pests before feeding. In fact, it is best to feed them homegrown cabbages. However, if you didn’t grow yours at home, rinse the cabbages effectively to free them of dirt, chemicals, worms, and other unwanted residues. After rinsing, you can shred them any way you like and feed your goats.

Feeding Cabbage to Goats in Moderation

Although cabbage can provide several health benefits to goats, these benefits can become complications if goats are fed in excess quantity. In other words, cabbages must be fed to goats in moderation to provide energy, boost the immune system, sustain reproduction and productivity, supply protein, and enhance growth. However, if the cabbages are fed in excess quantities, it can deprive them of some essential nutrients and turn the health benefits into complications.

Too much cabbage makes a goat reduce its food intake and weaken the immune system. As a result, a weakened immune system can expose these goats to diseases such as bloat and digestive issues. Therefore, it is essential to serve your goats in a moderate quantity to avoid complications and enhance their health status.

Can Cabbage Replace a Goat Daily Food Intake?

The answer to this question is no. Why? Since cabbages must not exceed 10% of a goat’s overall dietary plan, they cannot replace a goat’s daily food intake. The daily food intake of a goat must be its stable diet. As a result, cabbage can only be served in minimum quantity. You can incorporate some of the treat ideas mentioned earlier. For instance, you can try to complement the staple diet with cabbage. For instance, if you are serving the goats some hay, you can add some shredded cabbages to make it a balanced diet. Instead of serving it daily, you can serve the cabbage as a coleslaw about twice a week to limit the intake.

Serving cabbages to goats on a daily note is an excess quantity that only leads to health issues such as weakened immune systems and digestive issues.

Alternative Fruits to Feed your Goat

Although goats are herbivores, they love to consume other food items that are juicy to them. Whether it is some food scrap or baked treat, goats love to enjoy some additional food items other than plants. Some of these items can be fruits and even vegetables. Examples of some fruits consumed by goats include apple, watermelon, papaya, banana, pears, peaches, carrots, and more. Meanwhile, you can serve some other vegetables such as pumpkins, lettuce, spinach, celery, squash, cauliflower, and broccoli. To serve these items, ensure that they are free of chemicals and worms and are chopped into small pieces to aid consumption.

Final Thoughts

Cabbage is a rich source of nutrients for your goats. Feed them this vegetable in moderation to enhance their health status.