# Can goats eat pumpkin



## hockeydad81

Not sure if this where questions go. If not I'm sorry. I'm brand new here as well as to raising goats and I'm wondering if goats can eat whole pumpkin with no harm?


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## Suzanne_Tyler

Yes I believe they can.


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## luvmyherd

Yes, some of mine love it and others act like it is poison. 
Years ago, when we could get pumpkin for $10 a ton we used it for winter feed. Last year we were given a pickup truck full from somebody who had used them as decorations. What the goats did not eat grew and gave us enough Jack-o-Lanterns for the grandkids this year.


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## hockeydad81

Thank you very much


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## groovyoldlady

Here's a fun video of goats LOVING their pumpkins. Not only is pumpkin good for them, but raw pumpkin seeds are reported to help make goats less hospitable to parasites.


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## Pygmy_Mama

Tagging in on this one, how old should a goat be before getting pumpkin?


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## SalteyLove

Any age is fine, but most of mine don't take interest in fruits and veggies until they are more than 6 months old.


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## LibertyHomesteadFarm

$10 per ton?? Highway robbery!!
I got nearly 2,200 large pumpkins for my flock from a local pumpkin patch for FREE on November 1st! (Granted, that's not normal: last year they only had 300 left over)

My does don't eat them super eagerly, my buck's love them, but my sheep would do ANYTHING to get at the pumpkins. Each sheep eats 1-5 per day.


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## SalteyLove

LibertyHomesteadFarm said:


> $10 per ton?? Highway robbery!!
> I got nearly 2,200 large pumpkins for my flock from a local pumpkin patch for FREE on November 1st! (Granted, that's not normal: last year they only had 300 left over)
> 
> My does don't eat them super eagerly, my buck's love them, but my sheep would do ANYTHING to get at the pumpkins. Each sheep eats 1-5 per day.


Where do you live?! I'm coming with a truck & trailer! The local places are asking... sit down... $35 to $50 per pick-up load here!! I would gladly pay $10 for a TON!

I wonder how much a pick-up load weighs but still... the prices are sky high here for leftover livestock pumpkins. Even if you have to pick them up out of the field yourself.


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## LibertyHomesteadFarm

I get all mine for free; a local methodist church has a pumpkin patch fundraiser every October and they give all their leftovers to us and one other farm in November 1st. 

This year they had about 2-3 times as many pumpkins; the other farm only took 3 pickup truck loads so we took the rest. We made 2 trips with 3 trucks (an f150, an f250, and an f350) and 2 trailers. We ended up taking over 2,177 pumpkins total. 

We live in upstate SC.


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## happybleats

Pumpkins are great..you an dry the seeds and ground them to add it to their fee year round...good wormer helper...they paralyze the worms so the goat can expel them...its not a stand alone wormer, but a support. You can puree the meat and freeze it for later use...puree pumpkin with cayenne pepper is great for chickens..goats love them as a treat..and can hide herbs in them if needed...lots you can do with them...one word of warning...buy fresh, uncut, unpainted and unburned by candles...


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## Tayoung09

Can they eat the actual pumpkin plant/vine?


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## SalteyLove

Tayoung09 said:


> Can they eat the actual pumpkin plant/vine?


Mine don't care for the plant or vine, but I don't believe it is toxic. They leave them alone.


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## Tayoung09

SalteyLove said:


> Mine don't care for the plant or vine, but I don't believe it is toxic. They leave them alone.


Okay thank you!


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