Pecan trees are capable of bearing a lot of nuts on them.
If you have pecan trees in the surrounding area, you might be wondering if you can serve the nuts and the leaves to the goats.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if you can serve pecans to the goats as treats or not. You will also learn the proper way to introduce pecans to the goats.
Can goats eat pecans? Goats can eat Pecan nuts and leaves. Pecans can be served as a treat to the goats. Pecans are a good source of protein and fibre for the goats.
You should not hesitate to serve pecans to the goats as treats if you have the nuts in abundance. Just make sure you serve in moderation.
Table of Contents
Are pecans safe for goats?
Pecans are safe for the goats. Pecans do not contain any poisonous substance that can affect the well being of the goats.
Common toxic substances like Solanine Thermamine, Lectin etc are not present in pecans.
However, pecans should be served to the goats in moderation. The goats are going to give out foul stool if they eat pecans in excess.
To be more certain about this, I asked some of the goats owners around me about feeding pecans to the goats.
Some of them told me that they feed their goats with pecans nuts as well as the leaves.
One of the members of the Dairy Goats Info forum said he had two pecan trees. He serves pecans to the goats and they love it.
He said he trimmed down the branches for the goats. He stated that the goats eat all the leaves on the branches.
Another member of the forum said a strong wind cut off a branch of the pecans tree and goats went crazy and finished everything on the branch.
As a pet owner, it is very important to make inquiries about the new treat you want to introduce to the goat.
It is a must to find out if there is any toxic in the new treat you want to serve the goat. This will help to prevent food poisoning in goats.
It is very obvious that goats are voracious eaters, that does not mean you should treat them like garbage cleaners. You can’t just throw anything at them with the hope that it will do them no harm.
Can goats eat pecan leaves?
The goats eat pecan leaves. The leaves are safe for the goat as they do not contain any poisonous substance that can affect the body system of the goats.
When we are talking about pecan nuts, it is good to also talk about the leaves as well. It is good to serve fresh pecan leaves to the goat if you want them to consume the leaves very well.
How do I introduce pecans to my goats?
The way you introduce a new treat to the goats will have an impact on how they are going to react towards it.
It is very important to go slow at first anytime you are ready to introduce pecans to the goats. If you introduce too many pecans to the goat, they might be overwhelmed and they can reject the treat as a result.
You start slow by serving a small portion of pecans into the feeders for the goat and watch their reaction.
For instance, if you have three goats as pets, you can serve them a small amount of pecans that will satisfy just one of them.
If the goat finds the nuts and the leaves you serve palatable, they are going to finish everything you serve in the feeders.
Sometimes the goat might ignore the new treat you serve them, so do not be in a hurry to take away the treat from the feeders.
The goats might not feel hungry the time you serve a treat, so they are going to ignore it for a while as a result.
If it happens that they are turning their head against the pecans you serve, it shows that they are not interested in having the treats and you should take it away.
How often do I feed my goats with pecans?
Now it has been made clear to you that you can reserve pecan nuts and leaves for the goat, that doesn’t mean that you should serve everything you have at your disposal to them at once or regularly.
Pecans should not be served more than one time to the goat in a week and a maximum of three times in a month to be on a safer side.
It can be very tempting to keep serving a particular threat to the goat if it happens that you have them in abundance at your disposal.
Always remember that it is good to engage in moderation when you are serving a treat to the goat so as not to harm them.
Can goats survive on pecan only?
The short answer to this question is no. You should never allow your goats to survive on a particular feed for a long time.
It is a bad practice to allow your goats to feed on a particular feed or a treat. You are going to deprive them of the essential nutrients that are lacking in that treat you are serving them.
This is the reason why it is important to have varieties of treats which you can serve the goats in case their main feed is no longer available.
You can read further to discover some of the healthy treats you can serve to the goats to boost their meal plan.
Can baby goats eat pecans?
It is not advisable to serve pecans to the baby goats. The baby goats need more protein at the early stage so that they can develop properly and maintain healthy growth.
Beside that, baby goats are yet to develop teeth to crush the nut into the species before they swallow them.
Also, the digestive systems of the baby goats are yet to develop to handle the breakdown of the nuts properly.
Health benefits of pecans to the goats
The goats are going to derive vitamin A for eating bacon. This vitamin A acts as an antioxidant to improve the immune system of the goat. It also helps to improve the vision of the goats.
Pecans also provide the goat with fibre. Fibre is very essential for improving the rate of digestion in goats.
Other treats you can serve the goats
It is good to have varieties of healthy treats which you can solve the goat so that they can derive vitamins and nutrients from different sources.
Cabbage
Cabbage is one of the healthy vegetables you can serve the goat as a treat. Cabbage can be served alone or together with other vegetables for the goats.
Oranges
Oranges are one of the healthy treats you can serve the goats. just make sure you take away the seed before you sad oranges to the goat.
Carrots
The goats also love carrots. Carrots are a good source of vitamin A for the goat. Vitamin A helps to improve the vision of the goats.
Cucumber
Cucumber is another good treat which you can serve the goats. Goats can have a snack on cucumber directly or you can decide to slice it into smaller pieces for them.
Conclusion
Pecans are safe for the goats. Goats are capable of eating the leaves of pecans. You can trim off the branches of the pecan tree you have and serve them to the goat. Ensure to serve pecans in moderation to the goats so as not to harm them.
