Love it or hate it, celery is a produce aisle staple. This fibrous veggie is known for its crunch and distinct taste that seems bland on its own but adds yummy flavor to soups and casseroles. Celery is one of the more inexpensive vegetables and is typically easy to find regardless of season, ranking it up there with carrots and onions on both availability and price. If you have goats, you may have eyeballed this affordable veggie before and wondered if your goats can eat it. Well, you may have wondered if it’s good for your goats to eat it. We all know that goats will eat most things, whether good for them or not. Here are the important things to know about feeding celery to your goats.
Can Goats Eat Celery?
Yes! Celery is safe for goats to eat, and your goat will likely be very pleased to be offered some celery as a snack. This is especially true if your goat has never had celery before. Goats are curious animals that tend to be attracted to novel items, so anything new and different has the potential to add interest and enrichment to your goat’s life. Celery sticks cut into varying lengths and thicknesses may prove to be very interesting to your goat, although they may be just as interested if you chop it and mix it in with other veggies and fruits. It’s best to avoid feeding celery leaves to your goat, though, as these may lead to sensitivity and blistering of the skin and mucus membranes.
Is Celery Good for Goats?
Celery, in moderation, is great for goats. It’s underestimated, often being touted as consisting primarily of water and of being a “negative calorie food”, which essentially means that you may burn more calories from the action of eating it than you acquire from consuming the food itself. This is a myth, but a persisting one that leads many people to believe that celery has no nutritional value.
Celery is an excellent source of vitamins A, K, and C, as well as potassium and calcium. It is high in insoluble fiber, which supports gastrointestinal health, maintains normal digestion and stool formation, and supports satiety. It is low in sugar and fat, and it only contains around 14 calories per cup of chopped celery, making it a low-calorie snack that shouldn’t spike blood sugar levels. It’s packed with antioxidants, making it a good food for supporting your goat’s immune system. Celery has even shown links to supporting heart health and decreasing the risk of certain types of cancers.
How Much Celery Can I Feed My Goat?
As with all foods, celery should be fed in moderation to your goat. Celery can make up up to 25% of an adult goat’s food in a single day, and up to 10% for a kid. If allowed free choice, though, your goat may go on a celery bender and eat until they have an upset stomach. Due to the high fiber content in celery, it has been known to cause bloating, gas, constipation, and overall abdominal discomfort when consumed in large quantities.
It’s best to offer celery as part of a balanced, varied diet to ensure your goat meets all of its nutritional requirements in a day. Some goats won’t appreciate having celery every day, while other goats seem to reject eating a variety of vegetables, so it may take some trial and error to figure out the perfect amount of celery that is appropriate for your goat. If you are giving your goat celery, keep an eye out for signs of discomfort and constipation since these may require medical intervention to help your goat feel well again. Goats should be offered foods that provide protein and meet other vitamin and mineral needs than celery alone can provide.
In Conclusion
Celery is a food that your goat is likely to enjoy as a snack. Some goats may attempt to eat more celery than is good for them, so make sure you are only offering celery in properly portioned quantities. If you’re offering celery to multiple goats, keep an eye on things to make sure there isn’t just one or two goats consuming all the celery meant for the whole herd. Since some goats don’t seem to enjoy celery, don’t be too surprised if your goat won’t eat it. You may have to try more than once to give your goat a chance to really test out celery as part of a varied diet. Celery is a nutrient-dense food that is low in calories and fat, making it a healthy snack that is unlikely to lead to weight gain and obesity in moderation.
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