Can Goats Eat Avocado?

Can Goats Eat Avocado? (Answered!)

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Unfortunately, the answer is a firm no. Avocados contain large amounts of a fungal toxin called persin, harmful to goats. Don’t worry, persin is not dangerous for humans. Humans have a strong gut which is capable of breaking this toxin down. Goats, and many similar ruminant animals, lack the ability to break it down.

 

Our guts in general are much stronger than a goat’s, and of ruminants in general.

Though they are browsers known for their ability to eat almost anything, there is more than a few fruits which pose a certain danger to goats.

Can Goats Eat Avocado?

Are avocados poisonous to goats?

As I said, the main issue posed by avocados to goats is the presence of persin.

Persin poses no small problem for goats, and in most cases will be fatal if ingested in large enough quantities.

Goats are not the only animal for which avocados can be dangerous.

Dogs, horses and even parrots can all have a potentially fatal reaction to avocado.

So, simply put, avocados are very poisonous to goats.

It is difficult to say how quickly the poison would act.

Goats very often need to eat a very large quantity of anything poisonous in order to really suffer the effects, but the safest way to view it is that no amount of avocado is safe for a goat.

The effect of persin toxin could even build over time, such that if you give your goats avocado on occasion it will seem fine, but is actually having a negative long-term effect.

 

Are avocado leaves poisonous to goats?

So, you should absolutely avoid ever deliberately giving your goat any amount of avocado.

There is no safe amount.

But that is the actual fruit itself.

What about the leaves from an avocado tree?

The same is true of the leaves.

The leaves also contain persin, the main toxin in the fruit which causes the problems.

So, if you have an avocado tree on your property, you will have to be very careful of cleaning up the leaves.

Around 30g of leaves can cause a cardiac injury which is very likely to kill the goat.

You should also be aware of whether there are avocado trees near your property, the leaves of which could be blown in by the wind.

Smaller quantities of avocado or avocado leaves can cause mastitis, which is an inflammation of breast tissue, which can result in an infection.

So, again, no amount of avocado or avocado leaves is safe for your goat.

What fruits can goats eat?

So, avocado is off the menu.

But fruit is a really important, if small, part of a goat’s diet, so what fruits are good for goats?

Goats are very fond of apples, though it can be a good idea to chop the apple up so that your goat doesn’t choke.

Giving them small pieces also prevents fermentation in their stomachs, which can cause bloating.

Bananas are another staple.

Goats are very fond of bananas, and they’re great for your goat.

They will enjoy the fruit and the skin!

They love all kinds of berries.

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries are all a favorite of goats everywhere and provide a great many healthy nutrients for your goat.

Avocados, in fact, are in a very small minority of fruits that are not good for goats.

They will enjoy watermelon, pineapple, peaches, grapes, plums, and virtually anything you can think of.

 

Related –  Check out Can Goats Eat Oranges?

What fruits and vegetables can goats not eat?

The main fruit to avoid with goats is avocado.

No amount of fruit or avocado leaves is good for your goat.

Another potentially dangerous fruit to goats is cherries.

Cherry seeds contain small amounts of cyanide, which I’m sure you know is fatally toxic to humans as well.

Again, it comes down to a question of quantity and ability to break it down.

Our digestive systems are capable of breaking down the tiny amounts of cyanide in cherries.

Goats are not.

Again, this applies to the leaves as well.

One item has caused some controversy over the years.

One thing to keep in mind with goats is that individual tastes and needs will differ, so what may be unappealing to one goat is appealing to another.

Potatoes is one very good example of this.

Some goat owners insist their goat loves potatoes, while others have had significant trouble from potatoes.

Best practice would be to avoid feeding potatoes to your goat, as they contain solanine, another compound we are better equipped to break down than goats are.

If you want to try giving your goat potato, start off with a very small amount, and keep a close eye on it for a good while after it has eaten it.

So, broadly speaking, there are not a lot of foods which are very harmful to goats.

These little browsers are samplers of a very extensive menu, so it makes sense that there are not many things harmful to them.

 

So, in all, avocados are not good for your goat and you should always avoid feeding them either the fruit or the leaves.

They are not capable of digesting the fungal toxin which is present in all avocados.

That said, fresh fruit is a very important part of your goat’s diet, so though you may not be able to share a fancy, avocado breakfast with your goats, you can certainly find a fruit you both like.

 

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