We love feeding our goat trip yummy and nutritious snacks and treats, especially when they are fresh from our small garden!
One such treat that our goats always love is bell pepper. Yes, goats can eat bell peppers without issue! These fruits of the bell pepper plant (a member of the Capsicum genus) are crunchy and filled with water and a surprising amount of vitamins and minerals.
However, as members of the nightshade plant family (well known for its toxic members) you may want to curb your goats ingestion of non-fruit bell pepper plant parts; read on to learn more about all the benefits and risks of bell peppers for goats!
Can Goats Have Bell Peppers
There is no doubt about it: goats can and do eat bell peppers.
Whether it be the bitter green ones, or the sweeter yellow, red, or orange, all of our goats have chomp away at these crunchy treats with their tails wagging.
Interestingly, bell peppers are the only member of their genus that lack the famous pepper compound: Capsaicin.
Capsaicin is actually a chemical irritant and neurotoxin, this is why it produces a burning, hot sensation when eaten! Some of my (human) kids love the spiciness, while others avoid it at all costs.
Regardless, because bell peppers do NOT contain this plant compound, they are safe for your barnyard animals, including goats and rabbits!
Bell Peppers’ Real Health Benefits For Goats
As mentioned, there are four different colors of mild bell peppers: green, orange, red, and yellow.
Green bell peppers are the most ‘unripe’ of the lot, picked before maturity, while the warmer colored peppers are those that have reached maturity on the vine and, as such, are much sweeter.
| Nutritional Contents of Bell Peppers per 100g | ||||
| Green | Orange | Red | Yellow | |
| Protein | 0.72g | 0.88g | 0.9g | 0.82g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.9g | 1g | 1.2g | 1.1g |
| Water Content | 94.1g | 91.9 | 91.9 | 92.1 |
| Sugar | 4.78g | 6.7g | 6.65g | 6.6g |
All colors of bell peppers also contain a number of macronutrients for goats, including:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
As the Manitoba Goat Association states, these macrominerals are essential for goats’ proper growth and development, with deficiencies resulting in reproductive, nervous, and digestive system issues.
Bell peppers also contain a number of polyphenols, which are known for being natural antioxidants.
Truly, any color of bell pepper is a great treat for your goats!
However, because of their low fiber and higher sugar content, we do not recommend that you allow your goats to eat a whole bucket of bell peppers as they are likely to experience diarrhea and bloating!
Instead, offer them a snack of bell pepper alongside unlimited amounts of high quality, fiber-dense hay. After all, an adult goat requires 86-92% in hay and concentrates.
Can Goats Eat The Bell Pepper Plant
The bell pepper plant is a bit different than the fruit, and you will want to be more cautious of letting your goats browse it.
We do not allow our goats to eat bell pepper plants because they are part of the nightshade family, which naturally produce alkaloids in their leaves and stems.
Another nightshade plant that is also best kept from your goats is the tomato; the leaves and stems of this plant can cause pretty serious toxicity in goats!
Are Bell Pepper Roots Safe For Goats
Nope, we do not recommend offering any part (other than the fruit) of the bell pepper plant to your goats.
We like to be better safe than sorry and don’t mess around with any non-fruit parts of the nightshade plants!
How To Best Offer Bell Peppers To Your Goats
We like to core all bell peppers before giving them to our goats, not so much because goats cannot eat the seeds, but because we don’t want peppers to grow in their paddock!
In addition we always wash the fruit and remove any soft or moldy parts, although goats are pretty picky eaters and won’t eat softened or over-ripe fruits anyway.
The key to giving your goats treats like bell peppers is to ensure they are simultaneously ingesting highly fibrous plant materials. This can be either hay or fibrous, foraged foodstuff.
And as a treat food, bell peppers shouldn’t be offered daily to your goats. We like to do three days of three different treat foods per week; offering each of our goats a serving of one bell pepper each.
What Vegetables Can Goats Not Eat
There are a number of toxic and/or indigestible vegetables and plant foods that goats cannot eat, such as:
- Avocados
- Onions
- Unripe pineapple
- Garlic
- Potato vine
- Chocolate
- Tomato plants
Want to know more about these specific foods? Feel free to browse our post archive for more information on each of these toxic foods for goats.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Have Bell Peppers
Can Goats Eat Hot Peppers?
No, do not feed hot peppers to your goats. As stated, hot peppers are irritants and neurotoxins, and while some humans can handle the heat, eating hot peppers will seriously damage and upset your goats’ digestive systems!
Can Goats Eat Mini Sweet Peppers?
Yes, if you have mini sweet peppers you can offer them to your goats. However, these peppers usually contain more sugars so just be aware of how much you are offering to your goats. Too much can encourage bad eating habits.
Final Thoughts On Can Goats Eat Bell Peppers
Our goats love bell peppers, and we love offering them this sweet, nutritional treat! Just remember that the bell pepper plant itself is not to be offered.
Finally, if you are giving your goats bell peppers for the first time, take it slowly, start with a small amount, and observe them for a few hours after they ingest the fruit.
This is the best way to introduce new foods to your goats because it ensures any negative reactions or allergies are noticed first thing!