# Goats and pumpkins



## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

Does anyone else feed their goats pumpkins? Because they have so many good vitamins, minerals and antioxidants I've been giving them to my wethers all fall. I smash them open on a big rock and the boys devour them, seeds, skin and all. I just thought to research a complete nutritional analysis on pumpkins and their seeds. Lots of great stuff in them, but I did discover that they are much higher in phosphorous than calcium, which is not so great for wethers. Oops! Next year I will add some alfalfa pellets or something(any suggestions?) during pumpkin season to get the ratio in line with what they need. Just thought I'd share the info with any other unsuspecting pumpkin feeders!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You could also give them ammonium chloride on a regular basis. But definitely want to balance that calcium to phosphorus.


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## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback. I do give them ammonium chloride daily. I mix it into a little grain with a small amount of agave nectar (one of them doesn't like molasses). I'd be interested in how others get this unpalatable stuff into their wethers....


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## rgdlljames (Sep 8, 2011)

Each fall I will break open a couple pumpkins for my goats and they do just fine. One is a wether that did end up with UC as a baby and he had to have his plumbing rerouted to save his life. Anyway, I give him ammonium chloride daily on top of his grain. I read on here that someone will bake small cookies and mix in the AC before she bakes the cookies and give her boys each one a day to get it down. My boy dosen't seem to be bothered by it. probably because he has grown up on it. Anyway, hope this helps.


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## choffeditz (Sep 28, 2012)

Yes I give mine pumpkins. They love them.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

In the 80's we could get a ton of pumpkins for $10. It was our favorite winter feed. No such deals around here these days though. We grew a pumpkin patch this year and they are getting the pumpkins and got the vines. We plan a much bigger patch next year.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Pumpkin seeds are also a good natural dewormer.  Thanks for the info about the phosphorous/calcium. I didn't know that about pumpkins. I fed a lot of pumpkins and squash to my goats this fall.


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## MissyParkerton (Nov 24, 2012)

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2600/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3141/2

Here are two links that I found concerning the nutritional analysis of pumpkins and their seeds. There are lots of good things in them too!


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## HalfAChanceFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

We feed mostly all our animals pumpkins, our pigs devour them. They are very, very healthy for them and my dad has been doing it since the 80's too! 
We still get free pumpkins from the same place(not tellin! ) since then and fill our truck2-3 times with pumpkins. 
We live and own the whole mountain, so we throw the pumkins down the mountain and see some of the wild animals...You won't believe how many different animals eat them!! We also have pumkins growing all around our 40 acres.


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## Bambi (Jun 10, 2012)

We feed pumpkins also and other winter squash ( butternut,warted hubbards, bananas). They love it. Also the pumpkin seeds are a great natural dewormer.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Yep, mine get pumpkin, winter squash, and summer squash. They like the blueish one called 'sweet meat' the best and the miniature pumpkins and gray zuchinni. Theirs get balanced somewhat as this time of year is also when we are cleaning out the leafy green plants and pulling root vegtables. Things like raspberry, blackberry, leaf lettuce, swiss chard, turnip greens, etc. are fairly high in Calcium. They are all getting alfalfa anyway. I let my leaf lettuce go to seed this year, I should have it popping up like weeds everywhere next march.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Can I give my show wethers (Boer) a pumpkin or should I give it to my Boer does?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Mine love them all. They enjoyed all these I went and picked after Halloween from a friends farm. Just finished giving them the last few today.


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