Tending to your homestead or pet goats can be fun, especially if you bond with them by offering them tasty, nutritious fruit treats.
But you may wonder which fruits can goats eat? Can goats have kiwi fruit? Or is this tropical, watery fruit unsafe for your herd?
Yes, goats can eat kiwi, the nontoxic fruit of the Actinidia plant genus native to Asia. In fact, kiwi fruit is also called Chinese Gooseberry!
And we are glad you are asking these questions, as feeding the wrong food (or too much of a safe food) to your goat can result in disaster.
Read on to learn all you need to know about offering this sweet and sour fruit to your goats.
Kiwi For Goats: Nutritional Information
As a fresh fruit, kiwi offers high water content to your trip of goats.
That’s right,per 100g kiwi is 83.9% water.
They offer just about as much water as another goat safe fruit, the blueberry.
And as the MSD Veterinary Manual states, goats are very efficient at using and conserving water throughout their body, but as little as a 10% overall water loss can be severely damaging.
This is why we offer watery fruits like kiwi to our goat trip on hot days in the summer. The juicy kiwi is enjoyable and can boost their overall water intake!
In addition, kiwi offers a number of other nutrients:
| Nutrient | Quantity per 100g |
| Protein | 1.06 g |
| Fiber | 3.00 g |
| Sugar | 8.99 g |
| Fat | 0.44 g |
Kiwi fruit also packs a surprising number of vitamins and minerals such as:
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Potassium
- Zinc
- Copper
Remember that calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium are all necessary micronutrients that goat’s require for overall health, development, and growth.
Finally, chinese gooseberry (alternative name for kiwi) is also high in Vitamin C and offers Beta-carotene. In fact, the high Vitamin C content makes many kiwis have a bit of a sour aftertaste!
Now a goat can synthesize Vitamin C in its rumen (an ability us humans lack) so they do not require dietary Vitamin C.
But goats make Vitamin A from ingested beta carotene, which is essential for their eyesight and immune system function.
How Often Can Goats Have Kiwi
Based on the nutritional information reviewed above it is obvious that kiwi fruit is not meant to be a primary energy or foodstuff for goats.
It contains too little fiber and protein and too many sugars for it to be considered as a healthy, beneficial part of your goats daily diet.
Goats require about 12-35% in foraged nutrients and 86-92% in hays and concentrates.
Remember, a goat’s four stomachs are designed to break down coarse plant materials and their entire system thrives off of this foodstuff.
No worries, there is a little room for treats and yummy supplemental foods such as kiwi fruit!
But never overfeed your goat’s chinese gooseberry, as the high sugars can cause imbalances in the gut bacteria of your goats GI tract.
We have always offered about 1-2 kiwis twice a week during the hottest summer months to our adult goats and they have enjoyed it and never shown negative effects.
We also practice a week of kiwi treats and at least a week without, ensuring we never overload their stomach with this fruit!
Kiwi For Goats: Concerns and Preparation
Pesticides on Kiwis
When you get kiwi from the grocery store it has most likely been grown with, or treated at one point, with pesticides.
It is important to always wash your kiwis well before offering them to your goats to remove any residual pesticides as well as dirt and small pests.
Offering Kiwi To Goats: Small Slices
Kiwis are pretty small fruits and excited goats can try to gobble them down too fast.
For this reason, we always cut the kiwi into slices before offering it to our nannies. This eliminates choking hazard and makes it easy for the goats to enjoy the treat.
Can Goats Eat Whole Kiwi
Yes, goats can eat all parts of the kiwi fruit, skin and seeds included.
In fact, we always offer our goats kiwi with the skin because the skin is the part of the fruit that contains the most fibers!
Can Goats Have Kiwi Skin and Seeds
Yes, as covered above, all parts of the kiwi fruit are safe for your goats to ingest. Just remember to remove any produce stickers and wash the kiwi beforehand!
Can Goats Eat Kiwi Leaves And Twigs
Kiwis actually grow on woody vines and for most of us, sourcing or getting our hands on fresh kiwi leaves and twigs is difficult.
But if you live in an area where kiwi is grown, or grow this fruit yourself, you can let your goats browse on the edible greens as they are safe for consumption.
Can Goats Eat Dried Kiwi
We never feed our goats dried kiwi because dried kiwi is 0% water and usually has added sugars.
But technically, goats can handle a bit of dried fruit stuff; although it may be harder to digest for them. Again, we always recommend sticking with fresh fruits!
Can Baby Goats Eat Kiwi
Yes, any goat that is either fully weaned or mostly weaned can eat kiwi fruit 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.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Have Kiwi
Can Goats Have Golden Kiwi?
Yes, golden kiwi can be enjoyed by your goats. However, be aware that golden kiwi has more sugars and less fibers than the more common green kiwi variety.
Their skin is also hairless and smooth, and golden kiwis are usually softer than green kiwis.
Can Rabbits Eat Kiwi?
Kiwi is a fruit that can be offered to a number of your homestead animals, rabbits included.
However, please read our post on Can Rabbits Eat Kiwi before offering your bunnies this fruit as a rabbit’s GI tract and capacity for digesting kiwi safely is completely different from a goats’.
Final Thoughts on Can Goats Eat Kiwi Fruit or Chinese Gooseberries
There we have it, all the details you need to know before offering your goats a sweet, watery kiwi fruit treat!
Stay posted as we will be going over other goat safe fruits, as well as sharing more about foods that must be kept away from your goats, such as deadly onion!
Read more on this poisonous food for goats in our post Can Goats Have Onions.