can goats eat cantaloupe?

[trestlecreek]

I have kids too, and NOPE, don't like to hear it either!!

Honestly and without means to argue, any vet whom has graduated from an accredited AVMA college(required here in the states) will have received a very good background in nutrition. Physiology is a background course that would be taken prior to the nutrition course. Upon completion of physiology, the vet will know why sporadic feed stuff such as cantaloupe is not a good choice. Nutrition leads from info based from those prior courses.... Dogs, cats, pigs, guinea pigs, birds, horses, etc. are all quite different with some similarities; mainly we look at differences though. When we look at diet, we have to be careful to know exactly how their systems work...

I'm all for new ideas, homesteading(I preserve most of what I grow and eat it all year) and "some" alternative therapies within reason, but certain things just are what they are. Animals can be strong and they can endure may things, but there is a threshold...

Nope, I don't mind talking about this stuff, I just don't like it when it gets ugly.

 

[kimmyh]

I'm getting ready to cut up a cantaloupe to have with our dinner adn wondered if the girls could eat the skin and seeds. That's all.

I agree a few bites of cantaloupe are not going to kill the goat, but as you will notice, the question was could the goats have the seeds and the skin, not the fruit itself. Again, if it is just a little bit they will probably be fine. BUT this time of year when people ask a question like this one, it scares me, because many gardens are just about finished for the season, and throwing the left overs from the garden can reek havoc with a goats rumen. When you upset the rumen enough, you can trigger Entero.

 

[Mini-M Ranch]

One cantaloupe. No where did I say anything about clearing out the garden and chucking it over the fence! I have a compost bin. I have a garbage can. I have chickens. I was asking about the darn cataloupe because I thought they would like it, not because I was trying to get rid of the skins. They DID like it. They each had a few small bites of skin with a little fruit left on. They were not too interested in seeds. They nibbled a few and I gave the rest to the chickens. The rest of the skin got thrown in the compost. It really was not that big a deal. I had read lots of places where pumpkins seeds are good for goats. I also feed them a very small amount of sunflower seeds in their grain (per the vet's suggestion because one of my does had dry skin). I did not and do not think the jump to cantaloupe seeds is that far.

Secondly, I did talk to my vet about this on Friday about proper goat feeding. Keep in mind, he is a certified large animal vet. He specializes in cows, goats, pigs, and horses, although he mainly sees cows. He said "as long as they are getting quality hay, grain ration appropriate for their weight, and minerals labeled for goats, and as long as the goat already has a good rumen going, the addition of fruits and veggie scraps from time to time will certainly not hurt them, and actually may help by introducing vitamins and minerals from new sources."

I trust what he says. He has been practicing in this area for 10 years and I can not find anyone that has any complaints about the care he has given their animals. He is currently caring for one of my doelings who has a stuffy nose. He calls about her every morning to see how she is doing. There is no lack of caring for or lack of knowlegde about animals on his part.

 

[ksalvagno]

Hang on to that vet. He sounds like a great vet!

 

[kimmyh]

One cantaloupe. No where did I say anything about clearing out the garden and chucking it over the fence! I have a compost bin. I have a garbage can. I have chickens. I was asking about the darn cataloupe because I thought they would like it, not because I was trying to get rid of the skins. They DID like it. They each had a few small bites of skin with a little fruit left on. They were not too interested in seeds. They nibbled a few and I gave the rest to the chickens. The rest of the skin got thrown in the compost. It really was not that big a deal. I had read lots of places where pumpkins seeds are good for goats. I also feed them a very small amount of sunflower seeds in their grain (per the vet's suggestion because one of my does had dry skin). I did not and do not think the jump to cantaloupe seeds is that far.

Secondly, I did talk to my vet about this on Friday about proper goat feeding. Keep in mind, he is a certified large animal vet. He specializes in cows, goats, pigs, and horses, although he mainly sees cows. He said "as long as they are getting quality hay, grain ration appropriate for their weight, and minerals labeled for goats, and as long as the goat already has a good rumen going, the addition of fruits and veggie scraps from time to time will certainly not hurt them, and actually may help by introducing vitamins and minerals from new sources."

I trust what he says. He has been practicing in this area for 10 years and I can not find anyone that has any complaints about the care he has given their animals. He is currently caring for one of my doelings who has a stuffy nose. He calls about her every morning to see how she is doing. There is no lack of caring for or lack of knowlegde about animals on his part.

Good job calling the vet.

As you type on a forum, and I/we answer we all need too remember a LOT of people read this stuff and run with it. Which can be a good thing, and a bad thing. One cantaloupe is a lot different than 20. My concern about the garden was NOT directed at you, although you seem to think it was, it was a concern for all the readers who see it as an a ha, I can empty my garden into the goat pen and save money on feed.

So how about a deep breath, and we can all get along? How about we all NOT take things so personally, and maybe we can as adults discuss differing opinions without stooping to personal attacks? Are you in?

 

[Mini-M Ranch]

uumm..sure! I'm all for it! If you feel as if I personally attacked you, I am sorry about that. Didn't mean any thing of the sort.

 

[Beekissed]

I won't be feeding layer mash anytime soon, but we can still be friends, can't we?

Of course! As a side note...my dogs simply LOVE corn and steal whole stalks and will sit and gnaw every kernel from the ears.

When it comes down to it all, we each feed what we feel comfortable with and, hopefully, what makes our animals thrive. Free, I would love to feed whole grains like you do, but they are way too expensive for my budget, so I must do what I do with what I have. I would also love to feed my dogs more raw meats, but, alas....same scenario.

This is why I supplement all the animals with fruit, veggies, etc. any time they like. Exploring different sources of nutrition is something I like to incorporate, both as a money saver and as a way of making my animals more self-sufficient and not so dependent on one feed source.

I like my animals to be adaptable to change and this seems to be good for them. They are fat and sassy and no health problems thus far....this is enough evidence to me that I am doing something right.

Adaptability is a good trait to develop in these uncertain times.

 

[cmjust0]

Our dogs will eat fresh sweetcorn, too, if you peel it back and give it to them.. I find it amusing to watch a dog prop an ear of corn up between their paws like they would a bone, then knaw from the end -- cob and all -- until it's gone.

Coyotes love watermelons, too..

All in all, I think canines eat more veggies than people realize, but that's neither here nor there I guess..

 

[Marta]

HEY DONT LAUGH BUT EVEN MY CAT EATS SWEETCORN on the cob it does look so funny ....LOL

over here in the Crimea we cannot get all this super doooooooper bagged goat feed, horse feed or cow feed...
we.... like the goats in history have to search and search for what they can eat.
they are not grazers or browsers but searchers in my opinion. they will graze the grass one day then will go over to the tree line the next. then the next day run like billy for the vin yard.
Marta and the other goats I look after from other families are doing great on the food I have to search for as they cannot, a bit of this a bit of that get them used to it then up the dose slowly and judging what I read all over the place on the web from the guys and gals in the research ind say.... that there is probably more protein in them there weeds than in some of the things we try to give them as their roots go deeper...and sure a goat that's not too hungry will pass by a weed that's toxic.

oh and pumpkin seeds have 17.6% CP....... pumpkins them selves are only 1% CP

just my 1 penneth worth to the debate

 

[Beekissed]

Our dogs will eat fresh sweetcorn, too, if you peel it back and give it to them.. I find it amusing to watch a dog prop an ear of corn up between their paws like they would a bone, then knaw from the end -- cob and all -- until it's gone.

Coyotes love watermelons, too..

All in all, I think canines eat more veggies than people realize, but that's neither here nor there I guess..

Same here....my cats, dogs, sheep, cow and chickens fight over the corn. My dogs eat as many apples as the ruminants and chickens.....no..actually MORE. My dogs scramble after salad trimmings, tomatoes, squash and other fruits and veggies just like the sheep and calf.

I like the fact that my animals are good foragers. This makes them more adaptable to changes in food sources. As a free ranged group, they have access to a wide range of feed sources and it seems to mimic a more natural diet. Of course, they also get the food they would eat in a more controlled setting, like dog food, laying mash, grass, etc.