I was talking to a friend the other day who owns a small pig farm, and a recent clerical error meant that they wound up ordering a great deal more pig feed than was needed.
It would’ve taken them so long to get through it that it would have gone bad by the time they got to the end of it.
Not wanting it to go to waste, they were just trying to give it away.
My friend asked if it would be safe for my goats to eat, and whether I could take any off their hands—I wasn’t sure, so I decided to look into it.
So, can goats eat pig food?
In general, no. Pigs and goats have very different diets and very different needs. There are plenty of things that would go into pig food that is potentially harmful to goats, causing issues like acidosis. A small amount might be fine, but don’t get into the habit.
So, as you can imagine, food that is formulated for a pig doesn’t necessarily translate all that well to goats.
They have very different needs, and are omnivores where goats are obligate herbivores.
Though there is a lot more nuance to the difference than this, this gives the broadest idea of why they don’t translate.
Let’s look further into this.
Is pig food safe for goats?
No, is the simple answer.
While it doesn’t necessarily pose any huge, immediate risk, pigs and goats fundamentally have very different diets.
As I said, pigs are omnivores, and though goats are the ones with the reputation for being able to eat anything, pigs really will eat virtually anything and leave no trace.
To be clear, though, pig food is unlikely to be fatal or, as I said, really cause any significant and immediate harm.
It’s safe in the sense that your goat won’t die if it eats a little—not safe in the sense that it doesn’t provide the nutrition they need.
The only situation I can foresee in which you feel you have to feed your goats pig food is if pig food is all you have, and all you can get.
In a pinch, in very small amounts, it may well be better than nothing—but this honestly depends on the timescale.
If your goats are only going to go without food for a few hours, it would be better to just leave the pig food entirely.
The lesson, then, is to simply always have far more goat food than you need in case of emergencies like this.
Let’s look at how it can be actively dangerous, then.
Is pig food dangerous for goats?
Again, the simple answer is yes.
Though you generally won’t need to worry about fatalities or immediate harm or injury, such is not unheard of when goats get into pig food.
Goats are very different characters—and it may be that your goat doesn’t know when to stop eating the way other goats do.
If such a goat got into and gorged itself on pig feed, it could well die from the acidity.
Beyond that, though, even if you were just feeding your goats pig feed occasionally, any amount of their regular diet that it displaces will essentially be lost nutrition.
While pig food won’t be nutritionally void for goats, it won’t have much they actually need, either.
Over time, then, if your goats are regularly eating pig food, they will stat to show the signs of nutrient deficiencies.
This can be extremely detrimental to their health.
So, however you look at it, there really isn’t a safe way to feed pig feed to your goats.
You may well be blessed with a goat savvy enough to know not to eat pig food, but you shouldn’t and cannot rely on this.
Let’s look at what we all fear the most—fatalities.
Could pig food kill a goat?
While it is certainly not common, it is not unheard of, either.
Again, it is largely going to depend on the kind of pig food you are talking about.
Pigs are much more able to eat what goats eat, so there may well be some varieties of feed that are safer than others.
In general, though, this is not the case.
As I said, the problem would be with your goat getting access to a large store of pig food and not knowing when to stop.
In such a case, the goat could well die.
If you have pig food anywhere near your goats, it needs to be locked up tightly.
Don’t take any risks of it getting to it.
What to do if your goat eats pig food
The only thing you can really do is call a vet as soon as possible.
You can’t do anything to make the goat expel the food.
Just stay with it until a vet is able to arrive, and keep an eye on it.
Comfort it and bring it other food.
Again, given that you’re essentially helpless without a vet in this situation, it shows the importance of not letting your goat get anywhere near the pig food.
So, while it may to some sound like excessive caution, the simple fact is there is no need to take the risk.
Even if it only caused minor acidosis and discomfort, there’s still no reason to put your goat through that for convenience.
Make sure to stay stocked up on goat food as much as you can, and don’t let them get into any pig food you store for other reasons.