Can Goats Eat Zinnias? (Revealed!)

Yes, goats can eat zinnias. There is nothing inherently toxic or dangerous in zinnias. In fact, goats are uniquely drawn to bright flowers like this, and will almost certainly try eating them at least once. If you want your zinnias left alone, you may need to keep them away from your goats.

So, zinnias are perfectly safe for your goats—although the zinnias are far from safe from the goats!

There is nothing toxic or poisonous, and your goats will actually enjoy eating them for the most part.

If you want to keep your goats away from your zinnias, then my only advice is a fence—nothing else will stop them.

On the other hand, you may even want to feed zinnias to your goats.

As I said, they are a delicious snack for a goat, and they very often grow in the wild.

Let’s look further into this.

Can Goats Eat Zinnias?

Contents

Will goats eat zinnias?

Yes, they will.

Goats will eat pretty much any flower, and indeed pretty much anything at all for that matter.

Zinnias are not exempt, so if you are worried about your flowerbed of zinnias being raided by your goats, then the simple answer is yes, they will invade it.

Goats are voracious, and more importantly, they are foragers.

They need to be able to roam a pasture and find food for themselves—it’s a necessary part of their diet.

Zinnias are a great target for this, so they will not be safe from your goats.

On the other hand, if it’s your goats you’re worried about, you need not fear.

They aren’t in any way harmful or inherently dangerous—but more on that later.

What about the benefits?

Are zinnias good for goats?

Yes, they are!

Most flowers aren’t terribly nutritionally rich for a large animal like a goat, but your goat will be willing to eat a great many.

They are tasty and goats love eating flowers, so they make a great choice in this way.

Again, too, the importance of foraging.

Goats rely on being able to wander around and find interesting things to eat, and like I said, they will eat pretty much anything.

So, zinnias are a great part of enrichment and balance in the diet—though in themselves they aren’t especially rich in nutrients.

Related – Can Goats Eat Daffodils?

Are zinnias bad for goats?

No, not inherently.

As I said, there is nothing toxic or dangerous about them.

You have nothing to fear from your goats eating zinnias.

They will eat as many as they can, as goats do, and still there would not be a problem.

That said, you do need to be very careful and aware of your goat’s overall diet.

Balance and a full range of nutrients is really important, so don’t just expect your goat to be able to live on zinnias—it will need to find other food and will also need plenty of hay.

Can goats eat zinnia petals?

Yes, your goats can safely eat the petals.

Goats are actually not colorblind, so they’re fairly good at distinguishing potentially tasty flowers in the environment.

The petals, or the actual flower itself, is what will attract your goats to the zinnias.

The petals and flower will also most likely be what your goat eats first.

They may even leave the rest.

As I said, goats love eating flowers, and zinnias are uniquely colorful and attractive.

So, yes, your goat can eat the main part of the flower.

But what about the rest of it?

Can goats eat zinnia stems?

Yes, the stems are perfectly safe, too.

They are thick and fibrous as far as flowers go, so they’re actually quite a good source of nutrients in that sense.

They’re also perfectly safe as well, as they contain nothing that the flowers do not.

Most likely, when it comes to an individual flower, your goat will just eat the whole thing in one bite.

So, there won’t really be any distinction between eating the flower and eating the stem.

It will all be in one go.

Finally, then, what about the leaves?

Can goats eat zinnia leaves?

Yes, you will probably not be surprised to learn that the leaves are perfectly safe, too.

They, again, contain nothing that is not in the flower or stems, and though probably the least nutritious part of the plant, it is not without its benefits.

Any part of the flower is perfectly safe for your goats, then.

They will love eating them, and if they see them anywhere nearby, they will be very drawn by the color.

The flowers will stand little chance against them, so if you want to protect your zinnias, you’re going to need to get serious about it. in my experience, nothing works but a physical barrier.

On the other hand, if you have zinnias growing, your goats will love them and they will make a great snack.