If you always have hazelnuts lying around because you love them, or even if you have a hazelnut tree in your garden, you know you can safely share them with your goat.
Just keep in mind the moderation; know their limits and their eyes are probably bigger than their stomachs in most cases.
They’ll gorge themselves if given the chance.
What are the health benefits of hazelnuts for goats?
Hazelnuts are packed with a lot of healthy nutritious ingredients which will be good for your goats, in small quantities.
Firstly, most of what goats need in their diet is fiber.
As I said, most of what your goat eats should be hay of some kind—whether its grass hay, alfalfa hay or legume hay.
This will provide most of the fiber they need. After all, hay is literally just plant fiber.
Hazelnuts do contain a healthy amount of fiber, too, and in this way, they are a healthy treat for goats.
Again, though, moderation is key as they will get most of what they need from hay.
Hazelnuts are also rich in antioxidants, which protect against cell damage.
Hay is less rich in such vitamins, so hazelnuts are a great treat for your goats.
Hazelnuts are also rich in antioxidant vitamin E, which in humans at least has shown links between consumption and reduced risk of cancer.
They are also known to improve cardiovascular risk biomarkers, meaning that they potentially lower the risk of heart problems for your goat.
Goats are known for having a number of cardiac issues depending on their diet, so hazelnuts will be great in that way.
Goats are hardy enough that, even if you do feed them something not good for them in small amounts, the worst that will likely happen is some discomfort.
Hazelnuts do reduce things like inflammation and promote healthy bowel movements, so again in small amounts they may even offset the negative effects of other things they get into.
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What should you not feed goats?
Goats cannot eat everything.
Though hazelnuts represent a healthy, safe snack, there are a few foods which you absolutely should avoid your goats getting hold of.
Goats can safely eat most fruit, but you should never give your goats avocado.
Avocado contains a fungicidal toxin called persin, which, though completely harmless to us, can be fatal for goats.
Even in small amounts, goats’ digestive systems simply lack the enzyme required to break this toxin down, and it could kill them.
Most vegetables and leafy greens are safe, but you should avoid kale.
Kale contains very high quantities of oxalates, which in high enough quantities can cause serious problems for your goat.
Don’t feed your goat kale- try spinach instead.
If you’re an avid landscaper, there are quite a few common household plants that your goats shouldn’t eat.
Daffodils are one which can cause significant troubles, as can lilacs and lily of the valley.
Bushes and shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons can also cause significant issues.
They also should not eat any kinds of cherry—wild or store bought.
Cherries, you may be surprised to hear, contain trace amounts of cyanide.
These amounts are safe for us to consume, but not goats.
Both the flesh of the fruit and the stone (which also poses a choking hazard) contain large enough amounts of cyanide to seriously hurt your goat.
The leaves of cherry trees are also dangerous.
Several types of leaf cause real problems for goats, too.
Yew, pine, St. John’s wort, hemp and ivy can all cause severe damage to the liver and in severe cases could kill your goats.
These trees are more common in certain parts of the world than others, but again you should be able to identify the foliage that your goats have access to on their pasture.
These are the things you need to avoid most carefully with your goats.
If you have any of these flowers growing either in your garden or raised in your garden or on your pasture somewhere you should probably get rid of them.
So, to wrap up, your goats will love hazelnuts and they will make a great snack.
They are not toxic or poisonous to your goats in any way, but it’s still very important that you’re careful of moderation.
Goats like to roam around and find food, and spend the rest of the day eating hay; there isn’t a great deal of room for anything else.
But they will enjoy some treats here and there, and all of your goats will love hazelnuts. So, if you’re looking for a healthy treat for your goats, hazelnuts are a great option.
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