So, while it may have been a fun thing to imagine, it, unfortunately, has no basis in reality.
Goats actually have much simpler and narrower diets than we tend to imagine, and while they are quite curious and sometimes even gluttonous, they are smart enough not to eat metal.
Where this myth comes from, we will get into.
Let’s look into this.
Can goats eat tin cans?
No, they can’t, is the simple answer.
As far as a goat actually chewing up and digesting the metal of a tin can—no goat could or should or would want to do this.
No animal can eat metal.
Eating metal would cause serious internal injuries like it would to any other animal.
So, the idea that goats can actually chew up and digest tin cans is not true.
And this is the misconception that people have—there is rarely any caveat or suggestion that the goat is not actually eating the can itself.
Goats have the reputation for eating tin cans because they are pretty prolific foragers.
In terms of actual organic matter, they will often eat anything they can get hold of—flowers, branches, bark.
Anything.
But they don’t eat tin cans—although they do sometimes chew on them.
This is where the idea comes from, for the most part.
So, why should they chew on something they can’t eat?
Why do goats chew metal?
Most of the time it’s for one simple reason.
Tin cans have labels on them.
Those labels are glued to the can.
That glue is, unlike the metal, tempting and even potentially tasty for the goat.
So, the idea that goats can and do eat anything shouldn’t be completely disregarded.
They enjoy eating glue from a label so much that they’ve gained a reputation for it.
However, eating glue is very different to eating metal.
Glue is, typically, made up of organic compounds of some form or another.
While it probably doesn’t sound very palatable, it’s much esier to understand than eating metal cans.
So, can they actually digest the tin cans, then?
Or is it just a complete myth?
Can goats digest tin cans?
Goats cannot digest tin cans.
No animal can digest metal.
Goats would not even be able to chew a can into edible pieces in the first place, let alone actually digesting it once it’s eaten.
Metal, especially a sharp metal can, would almost certainly kill your goat if it ate any reasonable amount.
So, no, goats cannot digest tin cans.
Should I give my goat tin cans?
No, you shouldn’t.
Even though, as I said, they sometimes enjoy slurping the glue off the labels, they will only really do this in the absence of anything else they would rather eat.
Most of the time someone has seen a goat eating a tin can, it has been because one has found its way onto their pasture and they were curious.
Your goats will do just fine with tin cans, and if you’re providing them enough treats and proper nutrition, they shouldn’t bother with tin cans even if they did find their way onto the pasture.
Give your goats treats like fresh fruit and veg—plant matter.
Give them variety of fresh foods like this and they will not only be healthier, but your goats will much prefer them to tin cans or glue.
Remember, the notion that goats are particularly attracted to tin cans is a myth.
There is never any reason to give them tin cans.
Can a goat digest anything?
No—not anything.
As we’ve seen, the limits of their digestive ability fall far short of their reputation.
They can’t digest non-organic matter, and certainly not tin.
That said, they do have a pretty robust digestive system compared with other similar animals.
As I said, when foraging they often will eat things like tree branches, bark, or moss.
Goats are ruminants, meaning they chew their food, swallow it, regurgitate it and chew it up some more.
Not the most pleasant image, but this is essentially why they are able to stomach such difficult foods.
They simply repeatedly grind them up with their teeth.
I hope, then, that this has dispelled any notions you might have had about goats being able to digest metal.
Goats have a reputation for eating tin cans, and indeed for being able to eat anything, because they are extremely curious.
However, there are still limits on their abilities like anything else, and any time someone tells you they saw a goat eat a tin can—explain that the goat was after the glue on the label, not the can.