Gourds are a unique group of fruits from the Cucurbitaceae (cucurbit) plant family that are native to the Americas and fruit in the fall. They grow on vining plants and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
All gourds contain a hard shell that protects the soft, dried pulp and seeds of the gourd plant on the inside.
Although the outer flesh of the gourd is impalpable for humans, goats can eat gourds without issues thanks to their tough digestive system and ruminant digestive process.
But what is the health benefit of gourds for goats? And what is the best way to offer your goat gourds? And How many gourds can goats eat?
Those are all great questions, and we will go over all of our knowledge on this topic below, so read on!
Gourds For Goats: Health Benefits
Gourds are known for the bitterness and fibrous quality of their tough skin; for this reason they aren’t often eaten by humans.
But if you have access to gourds, or want to see if your trip of goats enjoys these pepo fruits, go for it!
There are four primary types of gourds, and each type contains a varied amount of nutritional components. But overall, gourds are not very nutritious, being very low in proteins, fats, and carbs.
However, as stated, gourds offer a ton of fibers. Fiber is beneficial to goats for a number of reasons:
- Fiber and plant based roughage support healthy digestion
- Fiber can increase the butterfat quality of lactating nannies
- Extra fiber in your goats’ diet can help them put on weight
In fact, we raise our goats on diet that is about 12-35% fiberous roughage and have had incredible results in terms of our herd’s overall health and development.
What Is The Difference Between Gourds and Pumpkins
Gourds are actually any fruit of the Cucurbitaceae plant family. There are soft skinned gourds (aka pumpkins) and hard skinned gourds (what we just call gourds!).
Are Gourds Safe For Goats To Eat
Yes, although they are quite tough and have hard skin, goats can safely eat gourds.
If you offer your goats gourds it is simply important to monitor just how many other fibers they are ingesting through foraging and browsing, as too many fibers in a goat’s diet can lead to digestive issues.
Can Goats Have Gourds Everyday
It is unlikely that you would have enough gourds to feed them to your goats everyday, but technically, as long as you keep it to 1 or 2 a day your goats can eat gourds daily.
Why is this? Because goats are champions at digesting dense fibers in their four stomach digestive systems.
Preparing Gourds For Goats: Best Tips
Before offering your goats gourds, make sure that you:
- Wash the gourd well to rinse off residual dirt, pests, or pesticides
- Cut the gourd in half or in fourths
- Scoop out the dry pulp and seeds (we save our gourd seeds for replanting and oven roasting for our own enjoyment!)
What Type Of Gourd Can Goats Eat
Can Goats Eat Gourd Seeds
Yes, the seeds of the gourd fruit are palatable for goats, so you don’t actually have to remove them before offering your nannies and billies gourds.
Can Goats Eat Gourd Plants
Gourds grow on large vining plants that are edible, especially if other greenage or roughage is running low.
However, be aware that some gourd plants have prickles or irritating hairs and should be avoided. And it is never a good idea to feed your goat yellowed, wilted, or rotting gourd plants.
Can Goats Eat Cooked Gourds
If you are offering your goat hard-skinned gourds, there is no reason to cook them first.
But technically, a goat can safely digest lightly steamed or roasted plain and unseasoned gourds.
Can Baby Goats Eat Gourds
Yes, any goat that is either fully weaned or mostly weaned can eat gourds in moderation without issues.
We define mostly weaned as receiving more than two thirds of its daily nutrition from foodstuffs other than mother’s milk.
Remember, the high fiber quality of hard-skinned gourds means that it should be offered sparingly to newly weaned kits so as not to stress or exhaust their digestive abilities.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Have Gourds
Can Goats Eat Pumpkin and Gourds?
Yes, pumpkins and gourds are from the same plant family and are safe for goats to eat.
Soft-skinned pumpkins usually offer more nutritional values than hard-skinned gourds; we will follow up on a post about pumpkins for goats soon!
What Other Vegetables Are Goats Safe?
There is a number of goat safe veggies to choose from when thinking about supplementing your trip’s diet, including:
Final Thoughts On Can Goats Have Gourds
Hard-skinned gourds may not offer many vitamins or minerals, but they are surely one of the toughest and fibrous foodstuffs. And thanks to goat’s high-fiber needs and ruminant digestive system, these fall fruits are a big yes when wondering if goats can have gourds.
Over the years, we have found that a few of our nannies really love the crunchy fruit, so we always make sure to offer them this seasonal cucurbit.