Can Goats Eat Prickly Pear?

Can Goats Eat Prickly Pear? (Is It Safe?)

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Yes, prickly pear is definitely safe for goats. It is even used on a wide scale as livestock feed when drought makes other types of feed unavailable. Almost any fruit or vegetable has such a high nutrient concentration relative to what goats need that it should always be given only occasionally, but as a treat they will love it.

 

Goats need a good variety in their diets in order to maintain their best health.

By ‘prickly pear’ we usually mean the fruit, of course, which is definitely safe for goats.

However, even the plant itself can potentially be safe forage for your goats if you live near prickly pear cactus plants.

Can Goats Eat Prickly Pear?

What is prickly pear?

Prickly pear is much more common and well known here in the US than in most parts of the world.

So, it’s worth looking quickly at what exactly prickly pear is.

The plant, first of all, is really called opuntia.

In fact, this word describes a whole genus of flower cactus plants often referred to as prickly pear.

There are many, many varieties of this cactus.

All true cactuses are native only to the Americas.

You won’t find real cactuses anywhere else in the world that haven’t been introduced by human actions.

Prickly pear is no exception.

Throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world, the Indian fig opuntia variety has been the most commonly cultivated.

A reliable, nutritious crop in arid environments can be difficult to come by, so it’s been grown very widely.

They’re grown primarily as a fruit crop, but in fact the whole plant is at least somewhat edible.

If you don’t have prickly pear on your property, though, you probably won’t have any leftover cactus to share; just the fruit.

The fruit is where most of the goodness is, though, and has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C of any fruit.

Vitamin C is really essential a goat’s diet!

So, prickly pear might not be the easiest thing for you to get hold of, but if you can, give it a try!

Your goats would appreciate any leftovers.

 

What should goats eat?

The typical goat diet will consist primarily of hay and forage.

They should eat about 2-4 pounds of hay per day, and ideally should be able to roam a large pasture in search of forage for themselves.

The vast majority of their diet, then, is dry, fibrous plant matter, which you will provide in the form of hay.

Without this, you don’t have a healthy basis for a goat diet in which to incorporate anything like prickly pear.

Anything fresh like fruits and vegetables should act as a treat, something they eat occasionally.

It’s also best if you provide a good balance within these treats, rather than giving them the same thing every time.

They enjoy variety a lot more, and again there are greater health benefits to a wider variety of food.

If you live somewhere where prickly pear is very readily available, it may make sense to make it a common treat.

Your goats will love it, but it is best to provide a balance at every possible level.

Goats can also sometimes eat a few kinds of pellets and goat feed.

It’s usually good to have this on hand for emergencies, as it won’t spoil and will keep your goats fed in the event of not having hay.

Protein content in your goat’s diet is something you should monitor carefully.

Often, these formulated goat feeds are quite high in protein, and could provide way more than your goats need.

So, prickly pear, if eaten, should only be quite a small part of their diet.

One way I often like to get this part of their diet in is through the kitchen compost bin.

If you have one, your goats will usually love whatever scraps are in there, and usually there will be bits of the prickly pear that you discard.

Be careful of a few things like avocado and eggshells, which can be problematic for goats.

 

Is cactus dangerous for goats?

If you’ve ever bumped into a cactus too hard by accident, or even just seen one up close, it might be hard to imagine why or how anything could tackle eating it safely.

Goats are smarter than you might think, though, and even the plant is perfectly safe for your goat to eat.

If you’re giving your goats the fruit, it should probably be chopped up first as they are quite tough and bulky, and goats lack front teeth.

This will make it hard for them to break it up.

The plant itself, however, is safe too.

Generally what goats will do with growing prickly pear is bite it at the bottom of the stem so the plant falls, and then can be eaten safely without damaging the mouth.

Prickly pear, exotic as it might sound, is actually more common to a goat’s diet than you might imagine!

They’re not only safe for goats but also filled with health vitamins and nutrients.

Any part of the plant is likely to be popular with goats, so whether you have cacti growing on your property, or you’re just a big fan of the fruit, share the love with your goats!

 

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