Sweet potatoes are a staple in the diets of many around the world, including us goat owners.
They’re nutritious and relatively easy to grow on a small farm or homestead.
It’s clear to many that their goats love to snag a sweet potato here and there, and this has led many to ask me if this is a safe snack.
Sweet potatoes and yams are both hearty and healthy, but not necessarily a natural food for goats.
Any goat owner quickly learns that a goat’s digestive system can be quite sensitive, so it’s wise to carefully research any food before adding it to their diet.
Because potatoes are not a natural food for goats, it is best to avoid giving them too much.
They are rich in both vitamins A and C, which can make them a healthy snack.
However, they are high in sugar which can cause digestive problems.
If you are growing sweet potatoes, then you should fence them off to make sure the goats don’t eat too much.
They love the taste and won’t know when to stop!
Are sweet potatoes healthy for goats?
Sweet potatoes are rich in micronutrients and make a great addition to your goat’s diet.
In fact, they are so nutritious that historically farmers have grown sweet potatoes as an emergency forage stock for goats, providing enough nutrition to support growth during dry periods with low quality grass.
For most of us goat owners, sweet potatoes are better seen as a healthy snack or treat.
If fed too much sweet potato, goats may become bloated or experience other digestive system issues.
Sweet potatoes are also high in sugary starches while low in protein.
Goats have high protein needs which cannot be met by sweet potatoes.
Just like for us humans, too much sugar can cause insulin spikes.
For these reasons, sweet potatoes should not be used to replace or bulk up your goat’s regular diet.
Save them to be used as tasty treats instead.
Can goats eat both cooked and raw sweet potato?
Cooked sweet potato is safe for goats, so feel free to feed any cooked sweet potato you may have (so long as they don’t have added oil or seasonings, as kitchen leftovers may have).
Goats can also safely eat raw sweet potato!
Though there is more debate when it comes to feeding raw sweet potato, it mostly stems from green potato skins.
Regular potatoes that are exposed to light while growing turn green and produce solanine, which is toxic for goats (and other animals).
Sweet potatoes do NOT produce solanine and are therefore safer to feed than regular potatoes.
If you find a sweet potato that’s been exposed to light or has a green tip, don’t worry.
It is safe for humans and for your goats.
Both raw and cooked sweet potatoes should be chopped up before being fed to your goat.
This will minimize any risk of choking and will allow you to better monitor how much your goat is eating.
Of course, as mentioned above both raw and cooked sweet potato should be given in moderation.
While you don’t need to worry about toxins, you still want to ensure that you don’t over-feed anything too high in sugar.
Watch your goat as you introduce them to sweet potatoes to make sure their digestive system is staying healthy.
Can goats eat sweet potato peelings?
Yes, goats can eat sweet potato peelings, but it may not always be advisable.
A common rule of thumb is to never feed goats anything out of the kitchen, though this is mostly to prevent cross-contamination and accidentally feeding food that goats cannot have.
If you are careful to peel your sweet potatoes with clean tools, into a clean bowl, and feed only the peel scraps, then it is okay to give to goats.
Some choose to peel or slice the potatoes in the goat shed, give them the scraps, and take the vegetable part back to the kitchen for the humans.
If you plan on feeding sweet potato peels, be sure you wash them very carefully before giving them to your goat.
This is especially important for store bought potatoes or any plants that may have pesticide residue on them.
The peels themselves are safe, but that does not mean they are free of chemicals!
Also remember that sweet potatoes do not produce the toxins that might be present in regular potato skins.
Be careful to avoid regular potato peelings when green, but don’t worry about this for sweet potatoes.
Can goats eat sweet potato vines?
Sweet potato vines can actually be quite nutritious for goats.
These vines are rich in vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, and have a higher protein content than sweet potatoes themselves.
This is great news for farmers looking to grow their own sweet potatoes!
They can be a source of fodder for goats if introduced slowly and in moderation.
Sweet potato vines are higher in protein than the vegetable itself.
They can even provide enough raw protein to support goats in milk production during dry periods when forage is hard to come by.
While they are not an ideal source of food for goats in the long term, you can safely offer them in higher amounts than the potatoes themselves.
Keep in mind that if you are growing potatoes your goats should still be kept away from the plants.
Though the vines themselves are safe, you don’t want your goat eating every single potato it can find.
Overall sweet potatoes make an excellent healthy and safe snack for goats.
They are even safer than regular potatoes and you’ll never have to wonder if there are toxins in them or not!
So go ahead and chop up some sweet potato treats, your goats will love you for it.
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