Goats need different grasses, grains, brush, leaves, and vegetables to thrive. However, not all fruit and vegetables are good for goats. So, can goats eat lettuce?
Yes, goats can eat all types of lettuce. Lettuce is a great treat for goats they love to eat. While lettuce is full of nutrients and water, you should never feed more than 20% of your goats’ daily intake.
Here is everything you need to know about feeding goats lettuce.
The Benefits of Lettuce in a Goats Diet
The two most important benefits of giving your goats lettuce are that it boosts the goat’s growth, and it can lead to increased milk production.
There are several other benefits eating lettuce has for goats:
Vitamin A: helps to maintain their epithelial development and gives their immune system a much-needed boost.
Calcium: is needed to maintain healthy nerve and cardiovascular functions, prevent painful illnesses, prevent poor growth and development, and ensure good bone and muscle development.
Magnesium: is a great source of energy and helps regulate your goat’s weight.
Iron: improves and repairs the production of red blood cells and thus improves the blood’s ability to transport oxygen throughout the goat’s body, ensuring good respiration on a cellular level.
Phosphorous: improves the metabolism of energy and assists in maintaining a healthy acid-base balance in the goat’s bodies.
Vitamin B (B1, B2, B5, and B6): is very important to maintain a healthy nervous system, good metabolism, and healthy skin.
Vitamin C: boosts the immune system, making it easy for your goats to fight off illnesses. It is also a much-needed antioxidant.
Folate: ensures healthy liver function by maintaining and repairing DNA.
Fiber: improves the quality and quantity of milk your goats will produce.
Potassium: is vital for the absorption of nutrients by metabolizing food.
Vitamin E: provides a boost to the goat’s immune system, ensures healthy growth, and is important for healthy reproduction.
Vitamin K: helps blood clot.
Zinc: helps the immune system and helps to metabolize food.
Water: lettuce is made up of 95% water; the high water content will keep your goats well hydrated in the hot sun.
The Risks of Lettuce in a Goats Diet
If you give too much lettuce to your goats, they may fill up and not want to eat any of the grass, hay, straw, and feed they need to aid in the rumination process.
Lettuce can be contaminated by pesticides and chemicals from the farm they come from and from the shop they were sold at. You need to thoroughly wash all lettuce before you give it to your goats.
Lettuce is too big for some goats to just eat whole. They need help managing the size of the pieces they consume – this is especially important for the kids – so that they do not choke on the leaves.
You will need to slice up the lettuce into manageable pieces before giving it to your goats.
Feeding goats old, wilted, or rotten lettuce can lead to painful digestive problems. You must always feed your goats fresh, crispy lettuce. If you would not eat it your goats should not eat it.
Old, rotting, or rotted lettuce can cause serious health issues for your goats. You should only feed your goats FRESH lettuce.
Can Goats Eat All Parts of Lettuce?
Lettuce Leaves
Yes, they can eat lettuce leaves, but lettuce should be given in moderation and should be cut into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Roots
Lettuce roots are very shallow. Your goats will enjoy digging up the roots that are also a healthy treat for your goats.
Feeding Raw Lettuce
Since lettuce wilts when cooked, it loses most of its nutritional value. Cooking lettuce, even in water, will eliminate the water content in the lettuce and it will drain the nutrients into the water.
It is better to feed fresh, uncooked lettuce that has been cut into small pieces.
How Much Lettuce can a Goat Safely Eat?
Your goats should never be given more than 20% of lettuce in their daily food rations. It should be given as a treat rather than a constant portion of the goat’s daily food intake.
Can Goat Kids Eat Lettuce
The nutritional needs of kids differ greatly from those of juvenile or adult goats.
For the kids, their digestive systems are very delicate and undeveloped and will not be able to digest any treat. For the first +/-16 weeks, the only food their bodies can handle is their mother’s milk.
It is not safe to give kids treats until they are fully weaned and are eating the grasses the adults eat.
It is perfectly fine to give your kids lettuce once they are fully weaned, but only give them very small amounts.
You also need to cut the lettuce into very small pieces to prevent the choking risk.
Common Types of Lettuce that are Safe for Goats to Eat
While all types of lettuce are safe to feed to your goats, most goat parents are wary and stick to the lettuce which has been proven safe for your goats to eat.
These include:
- Iceberg lettuce
- Butter lettuce
- Boston Lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
- Arugula
- Bibb lettuce
- Batavia lettuce
Tips and Treats
Lettuce should be given as a treat, not as a food replacement. They should be getting most of their food by foraging in their pasture.
Romaine lettuce is the most nutritional type of lettuce and is therefore the best choice for your goats.
Iceberg lettuce is mostly water with very few nutrients in it. While your goats may love the taste, iceberg lettuce has very little nutritional value.
Most vegetable and fruit scraps are safe for goats if they haven’t been treated with sugar, salt, seasonings, or dressings.
You should familiarize yourself with them, and you can even make a list of the good and the bad for quick reference.
Healthy Alternatives
Some fruits and vegetables are more nutritious and safer for goats to eat than others. You should give these as treats, not as part of your goats’ diet. Here are some healthy treats you can feed your goats.
- Celery
- Peaches
- Bananas
- Pears
- Grapes
- Acorns
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Spinach
- Watermelon
- Squash
- Blueberries
This is… My Final Answer
Lettuce is a great way to get vitamins and minerals to your goats. It is a vegetable that most goats love to eat – beware of your vegetable garden!
Most notably, lettuce helps your goats produce more milk that is of high quality.
So, yes, your goats can eat lettuce, but only in moderation as a treat rather than a part of their daily feed.
Di-Anne Devenish Seebregts was raised in an environment where daily life consisted of hiking, environmental conservation, growing fruit and vegetables, and raising poultry for meat and eggs.
She combined her passion for the writing word with her love of the pride that comes with not relying on others. She raised three children (who are now adults) to value the environment, and understand the value of being self-sufficient.