Goats can eat a variety of different foods, but you may be wondering if grapes are safe for your goat. If your goat is consistently fed a healthy and balanced diet, they can enjoy grapes as an occasional treat. Grapes are safe for goats to eat and will not harm goats.
Not only are grapes safe for goats to eat, but they also provide them with a healthy and nutritious sweet treat that goats love.
A Goat’s Diet
Goats are herbivores and ruminants, meaning that they have four stomachs. Their stomach allows them to swallow and chew their food, regurgitate it, swallow the food again, and then finally digest it in their main stomach. Goats enjoy browsing on fresh grass or hay which makes up most of their diet. Unlike other ruminants, goats are not grazers, but should rather be referred to as browsers. They ferment the food that they consume and the chambers in their stomach absorb any nutrition available. This is necessary because hay and grass are typically considered to be nutritionally poor, so their special stomachs accommodate their nutritional needs.
There are many fruits that goats should not eat, but what separates grapes from this list?
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Are Grapes Toxic To Goats?
Grapes are not toxic or poisonous to goats which makes them completely safe for them to eat. It is widely known that goats will eat nearly ‘anything’ they deem as edible. Goats have a hearty appetite and will even go as far as stripping a tree of bark and eating the bark to increase their fiber intake.
With this information, it is no surprise that goats will adore eating grapes, as the sweet and juicy texture is guaranteed to entice them. Most types of grapes are safe for goats to eat weekly if a healthy diet suited to a goat’s need are met daily.
Furthermore, grapes are full of antioxidants that are healthy for goats. No part of the grape itself is harmful to goats, including the seeds and stems.
The only concern when it comes to feeding goats grapes is the sugar content. Avoid feeding grapes to your goats in excess, even though they are safe. Grapes do not form a mandatory part of a goat’s diet and should rather be fed as a treat.
Note: If you do plan to feed grapes to your goat to load them with vitamins, it is important to understand that only a certain level of vitamins are used by a goat’s body, and the rest are excreted through their urine. The high amounts of vitamin C and K can help improve your goat’s immunity, but only to a certain extent.
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Types of Grapes That Are Safe for Goats
The following types of grapes are safe for goats to consume, even in large quantities. Some grapes have a different taste and texture that goats may prefer, so you can try providing them with different grapes to see which type they enjoy more.
Moon drops
Lemberger
Concord
Valiant
Crimson seedless
Giant mountain grapes
Cotton candy flavor
Moonballs
Sultana
Pinot noir
Health Benefits of Feeding Grapes to Goats
Grapes may help to prevent inflammation in goats suffering from chronic diseases. This is because grapes contain an anti-inflammatory compound called resveratrol. If your goat suffers from chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, then adding grapes to their diet alongside proper agricultural medication from a professional may help to alleviate some of your goats’ symptoms.
Grapes are packed with vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to your goat’s health.
The seed and skin of grapes are rich in antioxidants that can help in the prevention of minor chronic conditions in goats.
The high amounts of vitamin K and C in grapes may help to aid in a goat’s connective tissue health.
The moderate levels of vitamin B in grapes can help improve your goat’s mood, memory, and energy levels if they are fed over a prolonged period. Cobalamin (vitamin B12) is mainly responsible for these benefits.
Can Goats Eat Grapevines?
Grapevines are perfectly safe for goats and the entire plant is edible. Goats seem to love grapevines and will attempt to consume the entire plant with vigor. If you grow grapevines near your goat, you may want to grow it high up where your goat cannot reach it, or you will not have the plant for long. Your goats will take care of eating any vines that hang low to the ground and will clean up any grapes that fall from the vine.
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Can Goats Eat Raisins?
Raisins are dehydrated grapes, and they are just as tasty and fresh as grapes to goats. They are safe to feed to goats, but only in moderation.
Due to the small size of raisins, you should still be mindful of the portion size, and the number of raisins being fed should be monitored and fed in small quantities. The nutritional content remains relatively the same, however, the moisture content is reduced after the grapes have been dehydrated.
Can Goats Drink Grape Juice or Wine?
Organically produced grape juice is fine for goats to drink, but only in very small amounts on rare occasions.
You should never give goats anything that contains alcohol. Although it may be funny to watch your goat be affected by the alcohol content, it is not healthy or beneficial to your goat. It can cause negative effects on their heart rate and nervous system which can lead to serious health issues if your goat continuously consumes small quantities of wine or other alcoholic beverages.
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Preparing to Feed Grapes to Your Goat
Due to grapes’ small size, a goat may accidentally choke on them, especially when it comes to young goats who have a smaller throat than adults. You should ideally cut the grapes into small pieces or squish them to a pulp before feeding them to your goats.
Most adult goats can easily chew and swallow bundles of grapes without any risk of choking, but you should always watch your goats when they are eating any new foods.
If you overfeed grapes to your goat, it can potentially cause indigestion or flatulence, but if it is fed as a treat and your goat eats a recommended daily dosage of hay or grass, these problems can be avoided.
Final Thoughts
We recommend opting to feed red grapes to your goat over green grapes. Mainly because the sweeter taste is more likely to encourage them to eat them. Overall, if you slowly introduce grapes into your goat’s diet, while providing them with plenty of hay and grass, then your goat will appreciate this juicy treat.
