Pumpkins Are A Natural Anti-Parasite For Goats!
Pumpkins And Their Health Benefits For Goats
Pumpkins are the brightly colored fruits of the Cucurbit plant family and are closely related to melons and cucumbers. Like these relatives, pumpkins are naturally high in water content (about 92% water) and easily digestible fibers.
They also contain many essential nutrients that goats must source from their diet including:
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Potassium
Pumpkins also offer small quantities of amino acids, folate, vitamin A, and both alpha- and beta-carotene that are all available to goats upon ingestion.
Fun Fact: speaking of folate, don’t feed your babies goat milk! Humans younger than six months require 65 μg/day of folate and interestingly, a goats’ milk contains only 6 μg/L of folate while cow and human milk contain between 45-50μg/L.
Granted, some of the quantities of these minerals are quite low. For example pumpkins only offer 1 mg of sodium per 100g serving.
In addition, pumpkins lack the dense fibers needed to nourish and maintain a healthy ruminant digestive system. Although pumpkins aren’t a great primary food choice for goats, offering your goats pumpkins as a seasonal treat can help boost and support their overall health and wellness!
Is Pumpkin A Natural Dewormer For Goats
While the fruit and pulp of the pumpkin itself does not contain any natural antiparasitics, pumpkin seeds do!
How Do Pumpkin Seeds Act As A Dewormer
Within the pumpkin seed is an alpha-amino acid called cucurbitine, along with a handful of other secondary metabolites such as:
- Terpenoids
- Quinones
- Saponins
- Phenols
- Tannins
- Alkaloids
- Palmatine
Many of these, chiefly tannins and cucurbitine, have known anthelmintic (a.k.a. antiparasitic) properties. In fact, a treatment of both garlic cloves and pumpkin seeds have been used successfully to treat worms in sheep!
Don’t remember what sets goats and sheep apart? We’ve got a quick refresh for you in our post on the difference between goats and sheep.
As far as treatment goes, pumpkin seeds can be fed directly to goats or, their secondary metabolites can be first extracted in water or ethanol, and then offered to goats.
Now our goats have never suffered from worms, but I have chatted with our local vet about pumpkin seeds as dewormers and she has confirmed that they can effectively rid livestock of parasites.
Offering Pumpkins To Goats: Best Practices
Whether you are thinking of offering pumpkins as treats or as a natural parasite remedy for your goats, there are some common best practices to follow:
- Avoid feeding your goats whole pumpkins. It can be hard for them to break the tough fruit and they can get carried away with large chunks and choke. Instead, we break open the pumpkin for them and go so far as to cut it into smaller squares before placing it in their reach.
- Wash the pumpkin well. This will remove residual dirt, dust, insect pests and pesticides from the rind.
- Let your goats eat the seeds. They do have quite a bitter taste so some goats won’t willingly eat them, but we have managed to mix them in with the supplemental feed we offer our goats and they go unnoticed.
- Do not offer visibly moldy, wilted or over ripe pumpkins to your goats, as there is less nutritional value and more of a risk of stomach upset due to the bacteria and/or fungi on the fruit. As natural foragers, goats are pretty picky and probably won’t eat a nasty pumpkin anyway!
Is Raw Pumpkin Safe For Goats
Yes, raw pumpkin is safe for goats and is actually the best form of the fruit for them. Avoid offering your goats cooked or otherwise processed pumpkin, as natural foragers goats thrive most off of raw, fresh plant material.
Can Goats Have Pumpkin Seeds
Yes, not only are pumpkin seeds natural dewormers, but they also contain lots of protein and offer a number of healthy saturated and unsaturated fatty acids such as:
- Palmitic acid
- Palmitoleic acid
- Stearic acid
- Oleic acid
- Linoleic and α-linolenic acid
Can Goats Eat Pumpkin Skin
Yes, there is no need to peel the pumpkin before offering it to your goats. Although it is just a thin layer, this harder skin contains minerals and vitamins and is a great treat for goats.
Can Goats Eat Pumpkin Puree
Technically speaking, goats can eat pumpkin puree. But to be honest, we have never offered our goats store bought pumpkin puree and have always just opted for garden fresh pumpkins.
If this isn’t possible where you live, try reaching out to local farmers in the fall to see if they have any extra pumpkins, and if not, offer only unflavored and unsweetened store-bought pumpkin puree to your goats.
Worse case, there are absolutely no pumpkin options in your area! Don’t sweat it, there are a number of more common fruits and veggies that are healthy and nutritious for goats such as tomato fruit, apples, and cucumbers.
Can Goats Eat Pumpkin Leaves and Vine
Yes, all parts of the pumpkin plant are safe for goats to browse on. However, note that plants in the Cucurbit family often have prickly little hairs on their leaves and vines, so don’t be surprised if your more sensitive goats decide not to nibble on them.
That said, all of our goats love to eat our sprawling pumpkin plants!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Eat Pumpkin
Can Nigerian Dwarf Goats Eat Pumpkin?
Pumpkin is a safe fruit treat for any and all types of goats. The most important factor to think about is the quantity of pumpkin your goats eat: larger goats can handle larger portions while mini or dwarf goats should only be offered a little.
Can Goats Have Pumpkin Pie?
No, do not feed your goats pumpkin pie. The high sugars within pumpkin pie will send your goat’s complex digestive system into a tizzy, decrease the strength of their immune system, and will encourage bad eating habits.
Can Baby Goats Eat Pumpkins?
Yes, any goat that is either fully weaned or mostly weaned can eat pumpkin 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.
This video shows goats of all ages enjoying some fall pumpkins!
Final Thoughts On Can Goats Eat Pumpkins
Thanks to their high water content and pulpy consistency, pumpkin fruits are easy to digest and metabolize for goats.
Your goats will also benefit from the host of vitamins and minerals pumpkins offer, as well as from the proven anti-parasitic properties of their seeds!
Just remember that pumpkin must never take the place of the high fiber plant materials, such as hay and grasses, that your goats thrive on. Too much of a good thing, even pumpkin, will lead to stomach upset, potential bloating, and diarrhea!