Can Goats Eat Zucchini? Is it Safe?

Part of a goat’s diet will usually be made up of vegetables. They will occasionally find a few out in the wild, and many domestic goats will be given veggies periodically as a treat or supplement.

Most kinds of veggies that are good for people to eat are also safe for goats, as it turns out, but not all of them. How about zucchinis? Can goats eat zucchinis and are they safe for them?

Yes, zucchinis are safe for goats and can be a healthy and tasty addition to their diet. Zucchinis have a good selection of nutrients that goats need, but you should know that sometimes a zucchini might be highly toxic and can hurt or kill your goats!

It’s hard to believe that such a common vegetable can sometimes be so dangerous but it is true.

This is something that you’ll almost never encounter with commercially grown zucchinis, but the ones you grow yourself or that you find growing wild might develop toxins as a defense mechanism.

So long as you are cautious, this isn’t something you need to worry about, but I’ll tell you absolutely everything you need to know below…

What Benefits Does Zucchini Have for Goats?

Zucchinis are a crisp, tasty, and reasonably healthy supplement for your goats, one that they will enjoy eating and get good nutrition from.

Zucchinis are not the most nutrient-packed vegetables around, but they still contain a great assortment of vitamins and minerals that can do a lot for the overall health of your goats.

The nutrients in zucchini will improve various metabolic processes, help goats make better use of other nutrients, improve the oxygenation of blood and circulatory health, improve organ function and even enhance a goat’s skin and fur.

Considering that most goats like zucchinis, this is definitely a worthwhile set of benefits, and ones they can enjoy even if they only get the occasional zucchini in their usual diet.

Nutritional Profile of Zucchini

As mentioned, zucchini contains a pretty solid assortment of vitamins and minerals all of them ones that goats need.

Looking at the vitamins first, we see that zucchini is a dependably good source of the B-complex vitamins, specifically riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine.

Two keys are also rich with vitamin A, beta carotene and folate along with a great shot of vitamin C and a good amount of vitamin K.

The mineral content of zucchini is also surprisingly good, with magnesium, manganese, potassium, and phosphorus being present alongside great amounts of iron, calcium and zinc.

You can do a lot worse when it comes to treats for your goats, and zucchini is a healthy, hydrating, and wholesome one that you can feel good about giving them.

How Can Zucchinis Be Harmful to Goats?

Although zucchinis you buy at the grocery store, and the vast majority of the ones you grow yourself, are absolutely safe both for you and your goats, it’s worth mentioning a curious hazard that they pose: every now and then, a zucchini will develop potent toxins!

This toxin, called cucurbitacin, will very rarely (if ever) occur in your own garden if you take good care of it and it’s almost unheard of with store-bought zucchinis.

But if any zucchini winds up being fertilized by some other kind of plant, then the fruit will develop intense amounts of the toxin.

This toxin gives it a ferociously bitter, awful taste, and is designed to protect the plant from being eaten. However, if you or your goats somehow eat the zucchini, it can result in severe illness and potentially even death.

I’ll talk more about the symptoms later, but for now it is a good idea to taste test a tiny piece of any zucchini that you plan on giving to your goats. If it tastes gross, throw the whole thing out!

Is Zucchini Safe for Goats Raw?

Yes, zucchinis are safe for goats raw. Goats love crispy, tender zucchini, and raw zucchini will also have the highest possible amount of vitamins and minerals which will benefit your goats.

Can You Cook Zucchini to Give It to Goats?

Yes, cooked zucchini is also safe for your goats. However you choose to cook it, make sure it is just plain and then let it cool a little bit before you give it to your goats.

You should know that cooking will reduce the vitamin and mineral content somewhat, though.

How Often Can Goats Have Zucchini?

Zucchini is a healthy snack or supplement for goats, but not one that they should have all the time.

Goats should be subsisting primarily on hay, grass, feed and other staples, and only getting vegetables and supplemental foods a minority of the time.

For this reason, I recommend you give your goats a small portion of zucchini once or twice a week in the rotation of other fruits and vegetables that you give them.

Can Zucchini Cause Problems for Goats?

Potentially yes, in case the zucchini is toxic. If goats eat any amount of a toxic zucchini, ingesting the cucurbitacin it contains, they will start suffering ill effects almost immediately.

Watch for a loss of appetite, general depression, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting and in cases of significant ingestion fur loss.

Severe poisoning will result in organ damage, including brain damage, and will eventually prove fatal!

If you noticed your goats trending for the worst after you feed them any zucchini, seek veterinary care right away; it is possible to save them from the poison but the longer you wait the lower the chances get.

Be Cautious of Giving Your Goats Unknown or Home-grown Zucchini

Because of the risks of toxicity with unknown zucchini, you must test any wild or homegrown zucchinis for safety.

Cutting a tiny morsel from the zucchini and taking a tiny nibble of it for taste is a good way to tell: If it tastes foul, soapy or nasty, spit it out, wash your mouth, and discard the zucchini.

Goats Should Only Be Served Plain Zucchini

However you are serving zucchini to your goats, only give it to them plain. Added butter, salt, seasonings and other ingredients are definitely bad for goats and will only make them sick.

How Should You Serve Zucchini to your Herd?

Whether you’re cooking it or giving it to your goats raw, the best way to prepare zucchini for your goats is to chop it up into bite-size pieces that are easy for them to handle, chew and swallow.

Zucchini isn’t particularly tough, and goats shouldn’t have much trouble biting chunks off of a whole zucchini, but this does increase the risk of choking someone so don’t risk it.

Is Zucchini Safe for Baby Goats?

Yes, baby goats can have zucchini. However, you should only give it to those that are old enough to be eating solid food at all times and are no longer nursing on their mother’s milk.

So long as they are old enough and can handle it, they can have a tiny bit of zucchini weekly as a treat, but should never be allowed to fill up on it and miss out on food that they need more.

Also, be particularly cautious with any zucchinis that aren’t store-bought if serving them to baby goats: they’re highly vulnerable to being poisoned by a toxic zucchini!