Can Goats Eat Gorse

Can Goats Eat Gorse? (Answered!)

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Yes, goats can eat gorse. Goats are even frequently used in controlling the plant, and goats have been shown to produce good yields of milk and fiber on gorse diets. However, it is not nutritious enough on its own, and so should not be their main feed, ideally.

 

While gorse is safe, then, and even comes with a good deal of benefit, it’s not an adequate foodstuff on its own.

It is moderately nutritious at best and should only represent a good kind of forage, and not a staple of the diet.

Can Goats Eat Gorse

 

Is gorse good for goats?

Yes, in a lot of ways, gorse is indeed good for goats.

The thing to remember about your goats is that they are natural foragers—they like to roam around and look for many kinds of food on a pasture.

This can include anything from plants, to berries, even to tree bark.

So, gorse makes a good addition to things your goat can forage, if you have it growing on your pasture.

Having access to a wide variety of forage will have a big impact on your goat’s mood—don’t underestimate the value of this for its health.

Beyond that, though, there are indeed specific health benefits to gorse.

It’s a great source of fiber, most importantly—this is the backbone of your goat’s diet.

Fiber helps everything move smoothly through the gut and prevents stomach issues.

As I also mentioned, many domestic goat populations are often fed on gorse.

These goats show good yields of things like milk and mohair fiber, so this is a good indication that the gorse is, at the very least, moderately nutritious.

However, the yields are still only moderately good, and there are plenty of other things you can feed them on that are easier to obtain and more nutritious.

So, let’s consider the caveats of feeding gorse to goats.

 

Is gorse bad for goats?

No, gorse is not inherently bad for goats.

Goats can eat a good deal of it without any issues.

The one small issue you should be aware of is that gorse does contain trace amounts of toxic alkaloids—not enough to cause issues except in extremely high quantities.

Nonetheless, it’s worth being aware of.

Overall, though, it’s still really important to keep moderation in mind.

Gorse is fine as forage, but it’s really not an ideal feed by itself. It’s not as nutritious as many other, more common, and indeed more widely available, feeds.

Make sure that if your goats are eating gorse, they are also getting plenty of other good forage, too.

Planting and cultivating a wide variety of wildflowers and plants in their pasture will keep them happy, healthy and give them the widest range of nutrients.

If they are subsisting mostly on forage, without any hay, then that forage should make up around three-quarters of their diet.

Provide them with a variety of snacks on the side, like fresh fruits and vegetables.

This gives them the greatest range of nutrients and keeps them from getting bored.

But there are multiple parts to the gorse flower—are they all safe?

 

Can goats eat gorse flowers?

Yes, goats can eat gorse flowers, and this will probably be the part they enjoy the most.

As I’ve been saying, goats are natural foragers—meaning they like to roam around and look for a variety of foods to eat.

Despite what you might think, they also have quite good color vision.

The brightly colored flowers, then, will be most likely what attracts them to the bushes in the first place.

They enjoy eating flowers and the gorse flowers will be tasty and somewhat nutritious for them.

Just remember, as I mentioned, the flowers do contain trace alkaloids that can be problematic in large quantities.

Consider cutting the bushes back if there are enormous quantities of them on the pasture.

 

Can goats eat gorse stems?

Yes, goats can eat gorse stems, too.

They will most likely eat the stems without really realizing whilet going for the flowers.

But the stems are safe and come with a lot of benefits, too.

They contain a good deal of fiber in the overall plant, in a package your goat can easily consume.

The stems are great for your goat if it eats them once it’s done with the flowers!

 

Can goats eat gorse leaves?

Yes, they can also eat the leaves—although there’s really very little to be said for the leaves, nutritionally speaking.

They are spine like, having evolved to avoid losing water during droughts.

Your goat will, again, probably eat them without even noticing while it goes for the rest of the plant.

They are again quite fibrous and not void of any benefit, but the main benefit for gorse will come from the rest of the plant.

 

Gorse is an all-round good addition to your goat’s diet, then—in the correct moderation.

There’s nothing inherently bad about goats eating gorse, but it also needs to be paired with other things in order for them to have a fully nutritious diet.

With this in mind, gorse can be hugely beneficial as an addition to your goat’s diet.

 

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