As tempting as it might be to share your favorite morning beverage with your goat, it is really not good for them.
It carries a whole host of potential risks to your goat’s health, both in the short and the long term.
Caffeine, as I said, is the main issue, but there are several other potential factors to consider.
Let’s look further into this.
Is coffee good for goats?
No, it isn’t, is the short answer.
There is really nothing about coffee in drink form that is beneficial for goats, and plenty that is potentially harmful.
The big problem, as I’ve mentioned, is caffeine. Animals in general should not be given caffeine, at least in such high concentrations as are found in coffee.
Of course, coffee is a rather wide spectrum of drinks. It describes a lot of different things.
That said, none of them are really safe for your goat.
Whether it’s espresso, americano, mocha—all of it should be avoided.
Goats may be drawn to it, as mine was, because of the ingredients—the sugar or the cream, for example.
But this doesn’t mean it’s good for them!
If there is anything good for goats in coffee, it can be found in other foods.
Realistically, the only liquid you should give your goats is water.
They don’t need anything else, and even in small quantities you risk causing a number of potential problems.
Some have suggested that there are occasions when a goat’s rumen is blocked or not moving as it should, and that some caffeine to get it moving again is a good thing.
However, there are better ways to do this.
Let’s look at the dangers of coffee for goats.
Is coffee bad for goats?
Yes, it is, in many ways.
As I mentioned, the big problem is caffeine.
If you’ve ever had too many coffees one morning, then you know the effects it can have on your body.
Jitters, feelings of anxiety, all sorts of issues that can seem minor to us.
However, for goats, these would be highly problematic.
The caffeine can affect the rhythm of your goat’s heart, which has natural implications for its health—very serious ones, too.
They could lead to fatal complications.
And that’s before you consider everything else that might be in the coffee.
Firstly, it is processed and formulated for humans to consume.
This, in itself, can spell trouble.
Then, you’ve got to consider that it may be packed with sugar and high-fat ingredients like milk and cream.
These are not good for adult goats.
So, there are many reasons that coffee is bad for goats.
You need to take these very seriously, and avoid ever giving your goat coffee.
Why, then, do goats have some specific associations with coffee?
What do goats do with coffee?
Despite all that I’ve said, there are some rumors about goats loving the actual coffee trees themselves.
The story goes that goats in Ethiopia were actually the ones that discovered coffee.
A goat herder followed his goats that would congregate on these trees to consume the berries—these were coffee trees.
So, goats may enjoy eating directly from a coffee tree—this still doesn’t mean it’s good for them.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that this story is true.
While coffee does originate from Ethiopia, there’s no real way to know whether this story is true.
The likelihood is that it is just a story.
Given that the big question in all this has mainly been about the effects of caffeine, what about decaf?
Can goats drink decaf coffee?
While decaf certainly wouldn’t be as bad for your goats as caffeinated, there’s still no real reason to feed them decaf coffee.
It’s still going to be effectively nutritionally empty for them, and again the fact that it is formulated for human use suggests it is going to be less than ideal for goats.
As I said, the only liquid you should really be feeding your goats is water.
The occasional sip of some kind of fruit juice here and there might be fine, but those are still very high in sugar.
Don’t give your goats decaf coffee either.
As you can see, then, there is really no reason you should be giving your goats coffee.
Rumors that they discovered the plant aside, coffee itself in the form we drink it is highly processed, and the caffeine highly concentrated.
This is never going to be good for your goats, and in excess could cause serious and immediate health problems.
Do not give your goats coffee—they should really only be drinking water.
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