It is very essential to build a pen for your goat to keep them safe.
If you are planning to use straw as a beddings in the goat’s pen, you might be wondering if the goats are going to eat the straw.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is safe for goats to eat straws on the pen.
Can goats eat straw? Goats can eat straw, especially the fresh ones. Goats will eat the straw in the pen if they have nothing else to eat at the moment.
Table of Contents
What is straw?
If you are coming across the term “straw” for the first time, you might want to know what it is all about.
Straw is one of the materials used for beddings in the pen of the goat. Straw is similar to hay, and it is inexpensive to purchase.
Some people prefer to use straw instead of hay as beddings in the pens due to its durability and ability to absorb smell.
Is straw safe for goats?
If you use straw as beddings in the pen for the goat, you might notice that the goat is eating the straw.
When this becomes clear to you, the first thing that comes to your mind is to know if the straw is safe for the goats to consume.
Straw is safe for the goat to eat provided they eat little amounts of it. Fresh straw is the most preferable one you can serve the goat.
With that, I will not advise you to start making use of straw as part of the treat you serve the goat regularly.
Goats can develop a tummy upset if they feed too much on the straw. If care is not taken it can lead to bloating in the goats if they gorge on the bedding material.
Will goats eat straw bedding?
Definitely, goats are going to eat the straw beddings when they have nothing else to eat and they are hungry.
I got to know about this when I was researching the topic and I stumbled upon an online discussion about goat eating straw beddings.
A member of the goat spot forum asked that it is normal for goats to eat straw beddings.
The first person that responded said it is normal but gave no further explanation.
Another person who contributed to the discussion said his goats eat strawberries while they are still young but they have grown past that phase.
One of the members said he usually makes straw and hay together for the boat when the main feed he serves the goats has been exhausted.
Can goats eat chopped straw?
Goats can eat chopped straw. You can mix chopped straw together with the hay for the Goat and serve them as a treat.
Sometimes when you are filling up the pen with a new supply of straw, you will have to chop some straw into pieces in order to accommodate the space within the pen.
In order to avoid wastage, you can simply mix the chopped straw together with pay for the goats.
What is the best straw for goats?
One thing I can say is that best is a relative term. There are a lot of bedding materials which you can use for your goat pens.
However, the bedding materials you are going to use must be able to absorb goats feces and urine. It must be able to dry quickly as this will help to prevent foul smell in the pens.
The following are some of the materials you can use as burdens for the goats pens.
Sawdust, straw, pine shaving, wood chips, sand, pellet as well as straw. sand is the cheapest of all as you can easily get that one within the surrounding area without spending a dime.
Can goats live on hay alone?
No goats cannot live on Hay alone. The reason is that hay cannot provide all the essential nutrients for the well-being of the goat.
You need to provide your goat with a variety of treats so that they are going to have a good supply of all essential nutrients to make them healthy.
Other treats you can serve goat
The following is are some of the healthy treats you can include into the meal plan for your goats
Orange
Goats can eat the orange fruit as well as peel off on them. Orange is a good source of vitamins and minerals for the goat. You can slice the oranges into smaller pieces to make it easier for the goats to eat.
Banana
Banana is another treat you can serve the goat. Goats will eat the fruit inside as well as the peel on the bananas. Bananas are a good source of fiber for goats.
Mango
Mangoes are one of the fruits you can serve the goat as a treat. Goats can also eat the peel on the mangoes. Mangoes are a good source of vitamins and minerals for the goat.
Lettuce
If you are thinking of serving vegetables for the goat, lettuce should be one of those you are going to choose for your pets. Lettuce is a good source of antioxidants for the goat.
Cracker
Cracker is one of those things you can also serve your goats as a treat. There are different animal crackers you can buy for your pet and you can see some on Amazon stores.
Conclusion
Goats can eat straw when they have nothing to eat. But this is not applicable to all goats as some of them don’t eat from the ground. However, you should prevent the goats from gorging on fresh straw so that it will not affect them.
Reference
https://www.thegoatspot.net/threads/goats-are-eating-the-straw.149547/
