Offering our goats healthy and nutritious snacks has been our practice ever since we first started raising goats when my children were young.
We have found that garden fresh (and even store bought) veggies and fruits are great ways to boost our goat’s energy and vitamin and mineral intake.
One such veggie that our goats have consistently loved are carrots.
Yes, goats can eat carrots! Carrots provide beneficial nutrition for goats. Our nannies have always loved the crunchy, sweet root vegetable and are so excited when we approach with these orange goodies.
How Many Carrots Can A Goat Eat
We offer each goat 1-2 carrots as much as once a week and have never observed any digestive issues in our goats.
The only thing that would put your goat in trouble with digestive issues with carrots is if they gorge themselves on them, since these root veggies are actually quite high in sugars.
And goats are curious critters that love to chew and munch, so it is important to limit their access to carrots as they surely won’t practice discipline on their own!
Carrots For Goats: Nutritional Benefits
Carrots are well known for containing loads of dietary carotenoids.
Carotenoids are plant terpenoid pigments that cause yellow, orange and red colors. They are also natural antioxidants that boost the immune system and rid the body of harmful radicals.
Carotenoids can also be used to form Vitamin A within the body, which is a vitamin that goats cannot synthesize on their own and is essential for proper growth and development.
In this way, there is also some truth to the belief that carrots help support eyesight (the origin of this myth goes back to WWII propaganda), as there is a weak correlation between Vitamin A rich diets and strong night vision.
In addition to carotenoids, carrots contain the following nutritional components:
| Nutrient | Quantity (g) per 100g |
| Protein | 0.94 |
| Fiber | 3.10 |
| Water | 87.7 |
| Nitrogen | 0.15 |
| Sugar | 10.3 |
| Fat | 0.35 |
And a well rounded list of minerals, albeit in small quantities:
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Iron
- Zinc
- Copper
- Manganese
- Selenium
- Sodium
- Phosphorus
Important note on carrots for goats: due to carrots’ natural high sugar content and low fiber characteristic, they should never be the primary foodstuff you offer your nannies and billies.
Remember, while carrots are a great and healthy treat option, goats are ruminants and so require lots of rough, fibrous plant material (up to 92% of their diet) to support healthy digestion and bodily function.
We recommend sticking to unlimited hay, rich pasture and foraging areas, and high quality goat pellets at the primary components of your goats’ diets.
How To Best Prepare Carrots For Goats
As root vegetables carrots grow under the earth, which calls for some specific treatment before being offered to your goats.
We prepare carrots for our goats like this:
- Wash the carrots well in cold water, scrubbing their surface to remove residual dirt and grime.
- Break or cut the carrots in half or thirds, or cut them into slices. This is important as goats cannot break a carrot with their front teeth; they’ve got to put it back between their molars and chomp down, which means whole carrots can be quite a choking hazard for them.
- Place the carrots in a clean feed bowl and allow your goats to enjoy them! We do not feed our goats carrots from our hands, my own and my kids’ hands have been nipped one to many times by a very excited goat, so we always opt for the feeding bowl.
Risks: Can Goats Choke On Carrots
Yes, as explained above, a whole carrot may prove a choking hazard to goats, whose front teeth aren’t made for slicing through thick, harder veggies.
The goat’s natural effort to place the whole carrot between their back molars to chop down can result in lodging a piece in their throat.
For this reason, we always cut our carrots in two or three pieces, or into small round slices, before giving them to our goats.
Can Goats Eat Carrot Peels
Goats can eat carrot peels. It is not necessary to peel the carrots you will offer your goats.
However, research has shown that carrots in particular uptake large amounts of pesticides from the soil they are grown in, even up to 80% of the soil concentration.
This is exactly why we only offer our goats untreated carrots from our small garden. If you don’t have a garden, we simply suggest considering purchasing organic or pesticide free carrots.
Ingested pesticide can wreak havoc on your goats’ digestive systems and cause poor health.
Can Baby Goats Eat Carrots
Yes, mostly weaned baby goats can eat carrots without issues.
We define mostly weaned as receiving more than two thirds of its daily nutrition from foodstuffs other than mother’s milk.
It is best to introduce new foods slowly, offering just half of a carrot at first!
Can Goats Eat Carrot Tops
Carrot tops are the green, above-ground parts of the carrot plant. While many people think they are poisonous (because other tops of plants within the carrot family are toxic), carrot tops are safe and nontoxic.
They are often forgotten about and not many people eat them, but the carrot plant foliage is a tasty green treat for goats.
The tops do contain alkaloids and could cause some stomach upset if eaten in large quantities, or without same-day ingestion of high fiber plant material, but our goats have never exhibited issues during or after eating carrot tops as long as we give them unlimited access to hay.
Can Pygmy Goats Eat Carrots
Yes, your pygmy goats can eat carrots!
Just be aware that, pound for pound, pygmies may be more sensitive to the quantity of carrots eaten as their bodily systems are much smaller than other types of goats.
This video is a perfect example of how hard it can be to hand feed carrots to goats!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Goats Have Carrots
Can Goats Eat Moldy Carrots?
Never feed moldy, discolored or wilted veggies or fruits to your goats!
There are often harmful bacterias or even larvae growing on old or over ripened veggies and it can be a big mistake to let your goat’s eat them.
Our general rule: if we wouldn’t eat the veggie, we don’t offer it to our livestock either.
Can Goats Have Baby Carrots?
Baby carrots are a-okay to offer to your goats, feel free to let them munch on these bite sized treats!
What Vegetables Can Goats Not Eat?
There are numerous vegetables that are unwise to offer to your goats, including:
- Some varieties of green beans
- Onions
- Parts of the potato plant
Can Sheep Eat Carrots?
Yes, just as for goats, carrots are fine to offer to sheep as nutritious treats and dietary supplements.
Final Thoughts On Can Goats Eat Carrots
Carrots are a great option when it comes to healthy and enjoyable treats for goats.
The bright color and crunch are sure to satisfy all goats; just be sure to wash and cut the carrots beforehand and don’t ever offer too much!