Can Goats Eat Black Locust? (Is It Safe?)

Yes, goats can eat black locust, and in fact are often used to control the species because they can eat both the leaves and the bark. That said, you should still be careful of moderation—they shouldn’t have too much. But it is not poisonous and in fact has many health benefits.

Your goats can eat black locust without any problems, then.

It’s a great source of forage and they will get a lot of benefits out of having one around.

If it’s a tree you like, though, be aware your goats stand a high chance of killing the tree.

Let’s look further into this.

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Is black locust good for goats?

Yes, it is, in a variety of ways.

For one thing, if you have a black locust tree growing on your property, that your goats can get to, then this represents a great opportunity for forage.

Goats love to roam around and find food on their own, and black locust makes a great addition to this menu.

Never underestimate the value of this for your goat’s mood and, by extension, it’s physical health.

But there are also specific nutritional benefits to eating black locust.

Mainly, this will come in the form of fiber in the leaves.

Fiber is perhaps the most important nutrient in a goat’s diet, so they can never really have too much.

So, yes, black locust is really good for goats in the most basic ways.

It’s a nutritional form of forage that they can find on their own.

As I mentioned, goats are frequently used to control black locust trees when they get out of hand because of how ravenous goats tend to be for these trees.

But are there any caveats to what we’ve said?

Is black locust bad for goat?

Black locust is not inherently bad for goats.

It won’t do them any harm and is not toxic, poisonous, or otherwise a danger to their health.

Your goats can happily munch away on it, and will usually know their own limits.

You’ve got to rely on that, though—that they know when to stop.

They are much more likely to if they are just foraging it on their own terms.

There won’t be a huge amount of benefit to you going out of your way to feed them black locust leaves.

Moderation is really important.

Your goats should always have access to a wide variety of things to forage, so they can turn off the black locust once they get fed up with it.

So, while black locust is not bad for goats in itself, there’s still some cause for concern.

Don’t let them eat too much.

Can goats eat black locust leaves?

Yes, goats can eat black locust leaves without any problems.

The leaves are undoubtedly the best part of the tree, containing the most nutritional benefit as well as being the most enjoyable part to eat.

Whether they munch the leaves off the branches or browse them from the ground after they fall, the leaves are great for your goat.

Again, though, just make sure they’re getting plenty of variety, and aren’t eating too much black locust leaf.

Can goats eat black locust bark?

Yes, they can also eat the bark, you may be surprised to learn.

They often enjoy eating the tough bark, and it even contains some nutritional benefits.

Again, there are small amounts of fiber in the bark.

The bark is safe for them to eat in any case, though they’re more likely to turn on it once they’ve finished with the leaves.

Goats do enjoy eating bark, though they will usually go for green vegetation first.

Black locust bark is safe, though.

Can goats eat black locust seeds?

Yes, they can also eat the seeds.

Again, though, the seeds do not contain a huge amount of nutrition to speak of, and your goat is more likely to eat them by accident while browsing fallen leaves.

The seeds are perfectly safe and won’t harm your goat.

Black locust seeds are more conspicuous than other species’ seeds, though, so they may just be curious.

Can goats eat black locust branches?

Yes, your goats can also eat the branches from the tree.

In terms of nutrition, this is much the same as eating the bark.

There’s not a great deal of benefit to speak of.

They will mostly break the branches into their mouths while they are trying to get at the leaves.

The main benefit, again, is in the variety of things to eat and forage.

Any part of the tree is perfectly safe for your goat, then.

They will enjoy eating every part of it, and will even get a lot of health benefits out of doing so.

Just remember that they shouldn’t have too much of any one thing, so your best option is to let them forage for a living black locust tree on their pasture.

Giving them trimmings from a distant plant will have limited value.