Can Goats Eat Barley? (Is Barley Safe For Goats?)

Ultimately, barley does take many forms, and there are many ways you can feed it to your goats with varying levels of efficacy.

You always need to keep the full breadth of their diet in mind, though, in order to be sure they are getting the full range of nutrients that they need—barley alone will not provide this.

Let’s look further into it.

Is barley good for goats?

Essentially, yes, it is—though we are talking here as a treat supplementing their regular diet, and not as the staple of their diet.

While it can be used as the mainstay and the main thing they eat, it generally needs to be supplemented with mineral supplements, as I said.

So, I wouldn’t suggest thinking of it as a staple food.

That said, there are a number of benefits to barley if fed in moderation.

For one thing, it’s very high in fiber.

Though a goat’s diet should be mostly fiber, from the hay and forage they eat, that doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from more elsewhere in their diet.

It’s also high in protein, which is great for providing an energy boost for your goats.

A bit of extra protein won’t go amiss.

Beyond that, when prepared in the right way, barley is a treat that your goats will love eating.

It certainly will make a change from their regular diet, and they will much appreciate it.

There are caveats, though, so let’s look into that.

Is barley bad for goats?

Barley is not inherently bad for goats.

There is nothing in it that will cause them immediate harm or injury.

It’s not toxic or poisonous.

That said, as I’ve made clear, it isn’t exactly perfect, either.

While farms have been known to use barley as a primary feed, this is always supplemented with the missing nutrients that they need.

In large quantities without the right supplements, barley will begin to be a problem.

Your goats will be full, but they will be deficient in some essential nutrients.

So, this is why barley should only be an occasional treat and not a main food.

So, as long as you keep moderation in mind, barley is not bad for goats.

However, it’s also not especially advantageous when compared with many other kinds of food and treats that your goats can eat.

Let’s look at how to prepare the barley, then.

Can goats eat barley grain?

They certainly can, and many goat owners will report that their goats eat barley grain with no problem.

Again, there’s nothing harmful in it, as long as you feed them barley in moderation.

That said, many also report that their goats are too picky and will not eat barley if it is fed in any dry form.

The fact is goats have much more individual personalities than we give them credit for.

Your goat might enjoy eating barley grain, it might not.

You might have one goat that does and one that doesn’t.

You can only find out by trying it, then.

But, as I said, goats are indeed known for avoiding barley if it is fed in dry form.

The solution to this, for many, is rolled barley.

Can goats eat rolled barley?

Yes, goats can eat rolled barley.

While rolled barley is still dry, what you can do is soak the rolled barley in molasses.

This will be much more palatable to your goats, and they will likely eat all of it.

The molasses adds an extra layer of nutrition where the barley might be lacking, too, so this is potentially the best method for feeding barley to your goats.

Again, though, you can try feeding them dry rolled barley—it’s entirely up to you.

Can goats eat dry barley?

Yes, you can, but as I’ve said, your goats simply may not be interested.

The issue is that you need to be providing them a well-balanced diet beyond the barley, and the barley should only ever really be a treat—in this case, they might not be interested in the barley since they are getting plenty elsewhere.

Dry barley is an option, but not a great one.

So, barley is a bit of a tricky one.

It’s not something widely available in stores, so if you’ve got some, it’s likely you’ll have to do some groundwork to make it palatable to your goats before they can eat it.

While it does provide a number of health benefits, there are ultimately easier ways to get the full range of nutrition they need to thrive.

So, my advice would be that while they can eat barley as an occasional treat, you’re better off finding something else as their staple.

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