Can Goats Eat Roses?

Can Goats Eat Roses? (Answered!)

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Yes, goats can eat roses and they even enjoy them a great deal! Goats love to forage and roam for food, and plants and flowers like roses is one of the main ways they will do this. They are not toxic, and your goat will indeed love them.

 

So, if you’re thinking that your goats will leave your rosebush alone because who would eat roses, then you’re unfortunately mistaken.

If you want to protect it from them, you’ll need to be proactive.

On the other hand, if eating them is what you want for the goats, then go ahead!

If you have wild roses on your property, they make great forage.

Let’s look further into this.

Can Goats Eat Roses?

 

Are roses good for goats?

Roses are good for goats insofar as any such similar plant material is good for them.

There isn’t a tremendous amount of nutrition in a rose flower particularly, and this is no doubt what most of us are picturing when we think of a rose.

But don’t forget the rest of the plant, too!

There is plenty in there that is good for a goat.

Indeed, goats need a large pasture to roam and forage for food.

They are natural ruminants, which means their diets should be a combination of hay and plant matter that they roam for.

Roses are a great addition to this diet, and if you have wild roses on your property, your goats will make short work of them!

The roses usually will grow back, and your goats know to give them space to do.

However, don’t count on it—the goats may completely destroy the bush.

In any case, it’s totally safe for them and nothing for you to worry about.

 

Are roses bad for goats?

Inherently, no, roses are not bad for goats.

They really shouldn’t eat too much of any one food, though.

They should eat lots of hay, but everything else should be quite varied.

There’s really no particular reason to feed your goats roses, deliberately, on a regular basis.

There are much more nutritious foods that will be cheaper and easy to obtain in large quantities.

Wild rosebushes, that are large enough to regrow even after being attacked by goats, are a great thing to have on the homestead for variety in foraging.

Apart from that, just let them get fruits and vegetables in their diets, and hunt for other plants and forage on their pasture.

 

Can goats eat rose flowers?

Yes, goats can eat the flowers of a rose no problem.

Obviously, as I said, this is what we think of when we think of a rose, and the flower is totally safe.

Often, the flower will be the most attractive part of the plant, for whatever reason.

It’s certainly not the most nutritious, so some suspect goats are just drawn to the bright color, which also probably indicates a large bush to feed on, as well.

Either way, rose flowers are totally safe for goats.

 

Can goats eat rose stems?

The stems are where most of the good nutrition and crunch are going to be, so this is where your goats will ultimately turn their attention—once they’ve evaluated the flowers.

The stems do, usually, have thorns, but the fact is goats are more than capable of chewing up these thorns.

If it’s a very small goat and a very large bush, it could be problematic, so keep that in mind.

Generally, though, there’s no danger from rose stems.

 

Can goats eat rose leaves?

Yes, goats can eat rose leaves, and again, this will be a properly nutritious part of the plant.

Depending on the type of rose plant, it could be a whole bush of leaves or a long, thin stem without much foliage.

For a goat, the best thing is a big, full bush of leaves and a few flowers.

 

Whatever part of the plant, then, thorns and all, your goat will eat it.

If you have a rose garden you want to keep them away from, you’ll have to make special effort to guard it, or keep your goats away from it entirely.

They are known as voracious eaters, and their reputation is well deserved.

They will eat your bush without a second thought!

 

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