Stinging nettles are nutritious and are used as medicine.
If you have stinging nettles within the surrounding area, you might be wondering if you can serve the plants to the goat as a treat.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if you can serve stinging nettles to the goats as a treat.
Can goats eat stinging nettle? Goats can eat stinging nettles. The goats consume stinging nettle more when it dries. Goats can have stinging nettles as a treat.
So you should not worry if you discover that your goats eat stinging nettles while browsing around.
Table of Contents
Are stinging nettles safe for goats?
I need to tell you that stinging nettles are not poisonous to goats. They did not contain any poisonous substance that can affect the well being of the goats.
None of the toxic substances found in most of the weeds like solanine, Thiamine, Lectin etc are present in stinging nettles.
To be more certain about this, I did a little research around the internet on what people say about feeding stinging nettles to the goats.
A member of the goat spot forum said his goats are fond of eating stinging nettles.
Another one said that her goats will not eat stinging nettles until they are totally dry. So she decided to turn the nettles into a hay cube and serve them to the pets.
It is very important to make an inquiry about the new treat you want to introduce to the goat.
Try to know the level of toxicity found in the treat before you can begin to serve it to the goats.
If it appears that the level of the toxicity in the treat is minimal, you can still serve the goats but not regularly.
There are some goat owners who don’t care about things eaten by their goats. They throw anything at them and never care about what happens next.
These kinds of goat owners usually turn their pets into garbage cleaners. They serve the goat pets with every available tablescapes and leftovers.
This is a bad practice and you should desist from it. There is no point in harming the pets with what you feed them and this is why you need to be very careful.
Do stinging nettles sting the goats?
Adult goats don’t feel stinged when they work through the stinging nettles bushes. But the younger ones usually feel irritated anytime they try out the stinging nettles. The same thing goes for the kids too.
Do goats like stinging nettles?
Stinging nettles is not one of the favorite plants the goats usually eat when they are browsing around.
The goats are going to feed on other plants before they could decide to settle on stinging nettles when they are searching for pasture.
How do I introduce stinging nettles to my goats?
Introducing stinging nettles to the goats should not be complicated if you have been feeding them with different vegetables and plants in the past.
There is nothing to worry about when it comes to introducing stinging nettles to the goats especially when they are browsing around for pasture.
The goats are going to eat the little amount they need from the plants and move on to the rest.
However, if you always have your goat pets in the pen, you can just serve them a little amount of stinging nettles and watch how they are going to react towards it.
They are going to finish everything you served in the feeder if the plants are appealing to them.
On the other hand, the goats are going to nod their heads or ignore the plant if they are not interested.
How often do I feed my goats with stinging nettles?
Now you have discovered that it is good to serve stinging nettles to the goats. That does not mean that you should go all out and start throwing every stinging nettles you have in the surrounding area to the goats.
You have to be patient and exercise control on how you are going to feed stinging nettles to the goats.
You don’t need to worry about the amount and frequency at which they eat the plant, the goats are going to eat the one enough for them.
However, stinging nettles should not be served more than one time in every two weeks to the goat.
Can baby goats eat stinging nettles?
No, it is not advisable to serve stinging nettles to the kids. The kids usually find stinging nettles irritating.
The kids experience burning mouths anytime they make an attempt to eat stinging nettles just like their parents.
Why are my goats not eating stinging nettles?
It can be very frustrating when you discover that your goat is not eating a treat commonly consumed by the others.
But one thing I want you to know is that goats might be voracious eaters, they still have body systems which are quite different from one another and this makes it possible for them to react differently to a certain treat.
You goats are going to ignore stinging nettles if they don’t find the plants appealing or palatable.
They are also going to ignore it if it happens that they did not feel good the first time they eat the plant while browsing around.
Other treats you can serve the goats
These are some of other healthy treats you can serve the goats if it happens that they reject the stinging nettles you serve them.
Bananas
Bananas are one of the healthy treats you can serve the goat. Goats are capable of eating the inner fruit and the Peel of bananas. Bananas are a good source of fiber for the goats
Oranges
Oranges are good for the goats. Goats can also eat the peelings on the Orange. You can help them to get rid of the seeds in the orange before you serve them.
Carrots
Carrots are one of the foods eaten by the goat. They derive vitamin A from the fruit which helps to boost their vision especially in the dark Place.
Watermelon
You can also serve the goats with watermelon. Goats can eat the rind on watermelon. Just cut the watermelon into pieces and take away the seeds before you serve them to the goats.
Treats you should not serve goats
These are some of the treats you should not serve the goats.
Avocados
All parts of avocados are poisonous to the goats. so you should never try it out on the goats if you care about their well-being
Moldy foods
Moldy food should not be among the table scraps you are going to serve your pet. Moldy foods can cause tummy upset in chickens.
Green beans
green beans should not be part of the things you are going to serve the goat. Green beans contain a toxic substance, Solanine which acts as a pesticide and it can harm the goats.
Conclusion
Goats can eat stinging nettles. Stinging nettles don’t contain any toxic substance. Goats prefer dried stinging nettles. So you can turn them into hay before you can serve them to the goats as a treat.
Reference
https://www.homesteadingtoday.com/threads/stinging-nettles.114512/
