Can Goats Eat Crepe Myrtle?

Can Goats Eat Crepe Myrtle? (Answered!)

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Yes, goats can eat crepe myrtle no problem. It is perfectly safe and non-toxic, and many goats will love eating all parts of the tree—from flowers, to leaves, to branches and even bark. If you have a crepe myrtle on their pasture, it represents a fantastic foraging opportunity.

 

Crepe myrtle, as we will see, might not be the most nutritionally dense plant for your goat, but the fact is that being able to forage for a wide variety of foods is almost as important as the foods themselves.

Crepe myrtles are hardy trees that should keep bouncing back.

Let’s look further into this.

Can Goats Eat Crepe Myrtle?

 

Is crepe myrtle good for goats?

In the simplest sense, yes.

There are a couple of tangible nutritional benefits to speak of.

First of all, any plant matter is going to contain some amount of fiber.

The leaves and flowers of the tree are great sources of fiber—which should essentially make up the backbone of your goat’s diet.

Fiber helps the rest of your goat’s diet move smoothly through its gut.

As I mentioned, too, is the advantage of being able to forage for such food.

I think it is safe to assume you plan to let them have access to a tree, rather than going out of your way to give them crepe myrtle leaves.

If they have a tree they can eat from on their pasture as and when they feel like it, this is a really great source of foraging and enrichment.

Beyond the fiber, there isn’t a great deal of quantifiable nutritional benefits—but given that fiber is the most important part of a goat’s diet, you can see it’s still a big advantage.

Are there any caveats, then?

 

Is crepe myrtle bad for goats?

Not really, is the simple answer.

Crepe myrtle is not in any way dangerous or toxic, there is nothing in it that will do immediate harm to your goats.

That said, what you cannot do is rely on it as a food source.

It’s great as forage, but this is only alongside many other things.

It will also need its hay, its fruit and vegetables, and usually some form of protein-rich pellet, like alfalfa.

So, crepe myrtle is great as forage, but you can’t rely on your goats getting everything they need out of it.

You’ll begin to notice nutritional deficiencies very soon if your goats are eating little else, not to mention the fact they will get very bored.

Provide them with a good balanced diet, and crepe myrtle can be a great part of that.

 

Can goats eat crepe myrtle flowers?

They certainly can eat the flowers, yes, and if you’ve ever raised goats and flowers at the same time, you’ll know this is probably what will attract them to the tree in the first place.

They cannot resist destroying flowers.

Goats are not actually colorblind and use color vision to identify things like flowers in the wild that look tasty to them.

 

Related – Do Goats See Color?

 

Crepe myrtle is a very colorful tree when it is flowering, so no doubt they will be drawn right to it.

Again, the flowers aren’t exactly nutritionally rich—but they make good forage and your goats will love eating them.

All of this said, depending on the kind of tree, they might well have some difficulty getting to the flowers.

Ultimately, they will fall off the tree, though.

 

Can goats eat crepe myrtle leaves?

Yes, they can also eat the leaves, and the leaves are perhaps the best source of fiber on the tree.

If there were any part of the plant that was best for the goat, it’s the leaves.

Indeed, these too will frequently fall down, and your goats may love scooping them up as they fall.

As above, though, if the tree is very vertical, they may only be able to get the leaves that fall down—unless they are nimble climbing goats.

 

Can goats eat crepe myrtle branches?

Yes, the branches too are completely safe.

Branches might not seem like the most appetizing thing, and indeed your goat may have a personal preference one way or the other on branches.

They may or may not be fussed about eating them.

In any case, the branches are perfectly safe, and do contain some amount of nutrition for your goat.

It will take a lot of chewing, but goats are more than known for their chewing.

So, whatever part of the plant, it’s going to go down well with your goat.

It may not provide the kind of nutritional benefit that they might get from other treats like fruit or veg, but as I said, you really cannot understate the importance of a goat being able to forage.

It keeps them fed but also entertained and enriched.

Crepe myrtle trees are a great addition to this menu.

 

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