Goats are some of the most famous eaters out there. They are known for being curious and both picky and indiscriminate in their diet.
However, this isn’t the whole truth: there are certain foods that goats cannot and will not eat, usually due to natural toxicity or unpalatability due to being processed or cooked.
Chocolate is one such food: goats should never be offered chocolate. Chocolate contains not one, but TWO compounds that can put goats’ health at risk.
Chocolate For Goats: A Bad Idea
I will be the first to say that chocolate is delicious. Whether it be milk or dark, I hardly say no to the treat.
For goats however, it is a different story. First of all, goats do not naturally ingest highly sugary (or processed) foods in the first place. As ruminants, an excess of sugar in their diet leads to issues such as gut bacterial flare ups, bloating, and dehydration.
Secondly, chocolate contains both caffeine and theobromine which are potentially toxic to goats.
Caffeine In Chocolate
Caffeine is a natural component of chocolate. It is a xanthine alkaloid that is naturally produced and found in the seeds (also called beans or pods) of the cocoa tree.
As chocolate is made from the cocoa beans, you must take one with the other!
The darkness of chocolate does influence the amount of caffeine present, with 70-85% cacao solid chocolates offering up to 80mg of caffeine (an 8oz cup of coffee contains about 90mg!), while 45- 59% cacao solid chocolate contain 43mg and milk chocolate about 20mg.
Caffeine Toxicity In Goats
While there isn’t much research linking goats and caffeine toxicity directly, many studies have been done on caffeine’s negative and toxic effects on other common homestead animals and ruminants.
The bottom line is: don’t offer caffeine to your goats! They have evolved as wild and domestic animals without this drug and it isn’t wise to introduce it to their diet when still so little is known of its overall effects on their bodily systems.
Theobromine In Chocolate
Chocolate also contains a principal alkaloid of the cacao plant: Theobromine (a.k.a xantheose).
Theobromine is a natural constituent of cacao that has some interesting therapeutic uses in humans, but which is understood as an undesirable substance in animal feeds.
In fact, theobromine has been identified as the primary toxic substance affecting livestock that browse on cocoa husks and bean shells.
While us humans can metabolize it pretty quickly and process this compound without issues, it causes some serious issues for goats, including weight loss, trouble gaining weight and other developmental issues, as well as potential hindrance to successful reproduction.
And because all chocolates naturally contain some amount of theobromine, offering goats chocolate is a huge risk to their health.
Raising Goats: What Can Goats Eat
Don’t be discouraged, just because chocolate is off the table doesn’t mean there aren’t many other delicious treats and foods for your goats.
We have enjoyed offering our own nannies and billies healthy and tasty treats and snacks that are completely safe for them to ingest, for example:
- Oranges
- Pumpkins
- Lettuce
- Strawberries
- Zucchini
- Watermelon
- Plums
- Peas
- Blueberries
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Bananas
Want to learn more about all of these great foods for goats? Browse our post archive where we touch on all the best practices of offering such foods to your trip of goats!
And without doubt, the most important thing to remember about raising goats is their need for densely fibrous and coarse plant materials.
Goats thrive off of high quality hay and a rotating pasture where they can forage for all the fibrous foodstuff they love such as:
- Twigs
- Berries
- Herbs
- Sedges
- Shrubs
- Buds
- Flowers
- Grasses
Why do goats need so much dense fiber? We answer this in our post on How Much Goats Eat Per Day, be sure to check it out!
Raising Goats: What Can Goats NOT Eat
In addition to chocolate, there are some other notably toxic foods to goats.
Never offer your goats the following foods:
- Garlic
- Lilies of the Valley
- Onion
- Avocado
- Nightshade plants
For a more extensive list of foods poisonous to goats, check out The Open Sanctuary Project.
We also encourage you to engage with your local vet to chat about best foods and feeding practices for your goats based on your living area and environment.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Have Chocolate
Is Peanut Butter Okay For Goats?
Technically, goats can eat some peanut butter without a negative reaction. But be aware that many peanut butters are processed and have many added sugars which are unhealthy for your goat!
What Animals Can Not Eat Chocolate?
Many of the most common homestead and pet animals cannot safely metabolize theobromine and therefore cannot eat chocolate. For example, chocolate is a no-go for dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, chickens and other poultry birds.
Learn more about plants that are toxic to goats as mentioned in this video
Final Thoughts On Can Goats Eat Chocolate Safely
Raising goats is fun and rewarding. But all goat owners must educate themselves on just what goats can and can’t eat; chocolate being one of the foods to definitely avoid.
So keep the chocolate bars for you and your family, and offer your goats some yummy apples instead!