misfitmorgan
Herd Master
As for the Longan fruit..i found this study that was done, it appears to have been conducted in Thailand.
http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjar/3/3/4/
The study was for ewe and reproduction but scroll down and it gives a break down of what parts are "residue" nutrional breakdown and says this:
There is an increased demand for animal products in Thailand and other developing countries, thereby increasing the demand for adequate and inexpensive animal feed. Scientists have developed feeding strategies that guarantee the sustainability of livestock production systems based on local feed sources [1]. Several reports have shown that tropical fruit by-products can be used as animal feed to replace cereal-based concentrates without negatively affecting animal production performance [1], such as mango residues in sheep [2], tomato and cucumber waste fruits in dairy goats [3], and longan residues in cattle [4]. Moreover, many of these by-products are largely wasted or unused [5].
So i would say yes you can feed it to goats but i would definitely look for a local source to ask for sure. Possibly someplace or someone listed on the study link could help if you could find contact info for them. That study also links quite a few other studies that may give you more forage options there as well.
http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjar/3/3/4/
The study was for ewe and reproduction but scroll down and it gives a break down of what parts are "residue" nutrional breakdown and says this:
There is an increased demand for animal products in Thailand and other developing countries, thereby increasing the demand for adequate and inexpensive animal feed. Scientists have developed feeding strategies that guarantee the sustainability of livestock production systems based on local feed sources [1]. Several reports have shown that tropical fruit by-products can be used as animal feed to replace cereal-based concentrates without negatively affecting animal production performance [1], such as mango residues in sheep [2], tomato and cucumber waste fruits in dairy goats [3], and longan residues in cattle [4]. Moreover, many of these by-products are largely wasted or unused [5].
So i would say yes you can feed it to goats but i would definitely look for a local source to ask for sure. Possibly someplace or someone listed on the study link could help if you could find contact info for them. That study also links quite a few other studies that may give you more forage options there as well.