Wheat is a reasonably complex substance, with a lot of different stages leaving a lot of different residual substances.
Whenever you feed your goats wheat, you should observe them carefully at first to monitor any issues.
As with virtually anything in a goat’s diet that isn’t hay, the key is always moderation.
So, let’s look deeper into how you can feed wheat to goats.
Is wheat grain good for goats?
Wheat grain is a great option for goats, in conjunction with a balanced diet.
Whole grain feeding has been shown to have a number of benefits.
It can improve growth rates, give you a higher feed efficiency, and studies have shown there is often less probability of overeating (as compared with pellets).
When feeding whole grains, a good way to do this is by using a simple mixture of whole grain with a commercial supplement for proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Wheat as compared with pellets certainly has a lot of advantages.
However, the aforementioned studies were primarily about goats in large, farm populations.
The results for your goats could be slightly different, and you should always monitor them carefully after giving them new food.
Each goat could react differently, and wheat itself can cause bloating.
Wheat grains for your goats on your homestead should really only be a small part of their diet.
They should primarily eat hay, at about 2-4 pounds a day depending on breed, and represent about 75% of their diet.
Wheat grain would make a good extra source of protein and fiber, but they should still eat mostly hay.
Can goats eat wheat berries?
The berries of the wheat plant are a slightly different story.
According to some, you should only feed goats rolled wheat, as the wheat berries are too hard for them to chew and will not be properly digested.
Again, your individual goat’s reaction to wheat berries may be slightly different, so you could always try it as it will not cause any serious issues.
Wheat is a complex plant, though, with several stages of growth.
Rolled wheat grains are going to be best for your goat generally speaking.
Again, I should stress moderation; if your goats do seem to enjoy wheat berries, they should still only be eaten in small amounts compared with the hay staple in their diets.
Is wheat harmful to goats?
There is some concern with wheat that due to its high gluten content, it can ball up in the gut and cause any number of problems.
Wheat is certainly not something goats would generally eat in the wild.
Goats are ruminants and browsers, meaning they like to wander a large pasture and sample anything they can find there.
In the wild, this might extend to wild wheat grains, but they probably would not eat very much.
In general, a good rule of thumb is that one cup of grains per day is plenty for your goat.
Overfeeding grains can become a problem very quickly and in extreme cases could even kill your goat.
Processed grains are harder for your goat to digest, since its mouth, teeth, stomach and gut are all primarily adapted to digest fiber and plant matter.
Grains do come from plants, but they’re hard and small, unlike the typical long, fibrous plants they would normally graze on.
Wheat is the most acidic when ingested of all cereal grains.
For this reason, you might want to consider feeding your goat a different grain; something like rolled barley or oats.
They will be much kinder on your goat’s digestive tract.
However, wheat in small amounts and as part of a balanced diet will not cause any major problems.
You just need to observe carefully your goat’s needs, and don’t give it too much of any one thing. Moderation, as I’ve said, is the key.
So, wheat is a fairly complex substance with a lot of different facets.
In general, when prepared properly, it will make a great addition to your goat’s diet.
You just need to be very careful of what precisely your goat is eating in the wheat—grains, berries, sprouted or unsprouted—as different parts of the plant at different stages can cause differing reactions.
While many goat owners report that they prefer to give their goat a different cereal grain, there is no special reason wheat should cause an adverse reaction.
Carefully incorporating wheat into your goat’s diet is a great way to get them some extra nutrition.
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