# What are your favorite goat treats?



## savingdogs

What do you feed as treats that is healthy for goats, especially wethers? 
We are giving a little grain to our female teenage dairy goats in the evening, but haven't found much we can give our little wether (who is the greediest pig!). We do give him raisins currently but wasn't sure how healthy that is on an ongoing basis.
Suggestions? My other two like animal crackers but not the wether. 

I would love to give them a treat that lasts awhile. We do cut branches for them from their favorite trees in other seasons but right now everything is bare.


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## dkluzier

I treat mine with graham crackers and sometimes peanuts.  We have fussy goats, of course (doesn't everyone?)  Some like salted peanuts and some unsalted, one will only eat unshelled and one eats whatever you put in front of her nose.   

I cut pine branches when I get the chance and they like to snack on those.  I've read that it helps deworm.


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## ksalvagno

I give mine some calf manna. My goats don't like the animal crackers or any other human food I have offered them. But they love the calf manna.


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## savingdogs

Those are great ideas I would not have thought of. I even have some graham crackers here. 
How much calf manna is a good snack?


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## ksalvagno

I just give them a handful or two of calf manna. I have everyone eat it out of my hand.


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## goat lady

all 8 of our goats line up at the fence for their animal crackers after they feed.    I give my rabbits alfaya cubes and I crumble them up for the goats also. They love it.


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## freemotion

Probably too late now...maybe not, but for next year....ask the people who sell xmas trees if you can pick up the unsold ones on the 25th for your goats.  Then get as many as you want/can handle and bring them home.  Dole them out as quickly or slowly as you want.  They last several weeks here because they are refrigerated or frozen  but eventually the needles fall off.  My girls have eaten 16 trees so far, and I have 4 more waiting to go into the pen.  I live next to a xmas tree farm, so I drag a couple over when I walk the dogs.

If you want to keep them occupied, things to jump on and climb up on and to play king-of-the-hill on are better than food.  I have pallets, big cement and plastic blocks, and just added a tire half-buried so it is upright.  Some people have quite a playground collection for their goats, which I envy in behalf of my goaties!


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## savingdogs

How do you know which christmas trees are good for goats? Are they all the right kind? We have some evergreens here that are not supposed to be good for goats so I'm not sure about our area (SW Washington).
There are plenty of Christmas tree farms around though, that is a great lead!


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## mully

Unsalted saltines ... they like the crunch and they have very little sugar


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## lilhill

Mine love the restaurant style tortilla chips for treats.


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## stano40

I've given my goats cut up & bite size pieces of apples, oranges (peel and all), they didn't like bananas, they'll eat pine tree's all day long they'll eat the needles and the bark.

Animal crackers, they love chopped up cabbage, lettuce, squash, some zucchini, I'm going to try celery soon and see if they like that.

Here's a nice list of what they can eat and not eat that I refer to for a quick glance.  

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/poisonousplants.htm

bob/Maine


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## lupinfarm

Om nom nom..

carrot slices, animal crackers (preferably the winnie the poo ones), my clothing, me, ...


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## freemotion

savingdogs said:
			
		

> How do you know which christmas trees are good for goats? Are they all the right kind? We have some evergreens here that are not supposed to be good for goats so I'm not sure about our area (SW Washington).
> There are plenty of Christmas tree farms around though, that is a great lead!


I look for balsam....learn how to identify it.  The underside of the needles has stripes of light green and dark green.  There are some trees that have sharper needles...these are not poisonous, but my goats don't like them as much as the balsam.

You may be thinking of yew, which is a common foundation planting and is quite poisonous.  Also, many evergreens with LEAVES instead of needles are quite poisonous.  I can't think of any xmas tree varieties that I worry about.  None from the farm next door, but who knows what is near you.  

I prefer not to use recycled trees, since a hook or something could be inadvertantly left behind and cause troubles.

Just picked up two more today.....happy goaties!


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## savingdogs

I think we have western hemlock that they are not supposed to have but I'm not 100 percent sure.


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## chandasue

The only thing I've found so far that my girls go crazy for is a handful of unsalted sunflower seeds and their grain. 

I've read that christmas trees aren't good unless you know they haven't been sprayed with who knows what from the tree farms.


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## freemotion

They are not sprayed with much here.  They get a handful of fertilizer and they use herbicides to keep the weeds down once a year, many months before harvest, so the rain has time to wash them well.  Locally grown trees don't need much to keep them fresh once natural refrigeration starts!   Brrrr!


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## RockyToggRanch

Mine expect a horse cookie for dessert each night. They also love apples, but only if I hold it for them. If it's on the ground or in the dish...forget it. Same with carrots and carrot tops.

My husband throws logs and small limbs in for them. They stay busy eating the bark.


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## Slightly Cracked

Mine LOVE black oil sunflower seeds!


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## dkluzier

> Probably too late now...maybe not, but for next year....ask the people who sell xmas trees if you can pick up the unsold ones on the 25th for your goats.  Then get as many as you want/can handle and bring them home.


OH my YES!! We did this and the goats totally loved it.  Thanks for reminding me.  And I read that it helps with worming.


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## Ariel301

I have not found much that my goats DON'T like. Except maybe lemons. I made some fresh lemonade the other day and threw the juiced out lemons into the goat pens. They rushed over and grabbed them all, and after a couple of chews spit them back out. 

They love pretty much any other fruit or vegetable though. I give them oranges a lot, or apples. They like chips, crackers, cookies, bread...pretty much any food trash from our kitchen that is not meat goes to the goats. I keep buckets lined up by the kitchen trash, labeled "Goats" and "Chickens". We don't throw any food out that way.  

Unsold christmas trees....that's a good idea! I'll have to look around next year.


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## SDGsoap&dairy

Frosted mini wheats!  Perfect treat size.  And one of our kids wants nothing more than to eat my hair.  :/


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## goat lady

After we feed in the late afternoon/evening all my goats line up on the fence waiting for their animal cookies. But then after I finish feeding the other animals they come back over like to say "can we have another?"  My question is how many treats do you give them?  Right now I only give mine one per goat.


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## dianneS

Animal crackers and the big ones will eat ginger snaps but the babies won't touch them!  They eat pretzels too.


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## Goatzilla

If I were to give my goats only one animal cracker, I'm quite sure that they would bend their little hooves to form a "goat middle finger" at me.





			
				goat lady said:
			
		

> After we feed in the late afternoon/evening all my goats line up on the fence waiting for their animal cookies. But then after I finish feeding the other animals they come back over like to say "can we have another?"  My question is how many treats do you give them?  Right now I only give mine one per goat.


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## ksalvagno




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## savingdogs

Mine seem kind of picky and of the three, they seem to have different tastes. 
I haven't tried the frosted mini wheats but they did not go for cheerios. One of the three seems to eat anything sweet, he likes crackers and raisins especially and animal crackers. 
Our smaller female seems to only like grain as a treat. And our bigger female usually will try everything that her brother enjoys but lets it fall out of their mouth. 
And they rarely ever pick anything up off the ground! The male will follow me around waiting for another while his sisters treats sit on the ground untouched! 
I guess I'm still learning about goats!
:/


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## RockyToggRanch

I have no idea how a 1/2 box of nilla wafers got into my cupboard
but my goats have a new favorite They were partial to horse cookies or sliced bread til now.

I also have a picky one that tastes everything before she eats it. She doesn't like carrots! or lettuce!


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## DonnaBelle

I have been taking a pail of warm water with a Tablespoon of molasses in it to my goat girls.  They really love it.

Also, mine love fresh apple slices.

DonnaBelle


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## the simple life

Mine usually take a while to warm up to anything new except for today when they mugged my daughter of her banana.
So far they only like carrots, my son's homework and now the bananas.
My pygmy will push the back door open when the outer door is left open and walk into my kitchen and rip my kids' drawings, schoolwork etc. off of the refrigerator and walk out the door with it.


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## cmjust0

savingdogs said:
			
		

> What do you feed as treats that is healthy for goats, *especially wethers*?


I'd suggest a handful of alfalfa pellets.  We've played around with chips and crackers and that sort of thing, but it kinda gives me the heebs a little because who knows if there are any animal products in them.  Feeding animal products to rumenates....probably not a great idea.

Alfalfa pellets, though, are appropriate for goats and especially appropriate for wethers due to their higher calcium/lower phosphorus content.  If feeding as a treat, a 50lb bag would last an eternity.


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## the simple life

I know this is off topic but it relates the the alfalfa pellets.
If you buy a 50lb bag and are afraid it will go bad before you use it, it can be used in the garden as a growth booster.
Its the tocopherol thats in the alfalfa that is suppose to be helpful.
I read about it in a gardening journal a couple of years back and its all very scientific.
Take a 5 gallong bucket of warmish water, dump a few cups of alfalfa pellets in it and stir it with a stick or broken fence picket.
Let it sit and ferment a couple of weeks, as you can imagine it will smell really great, pour it around the base of your plants or flowering shrubs that need a boost.


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## savingdogs

Thank you for all the helpful posts. I really like the alfalfa pellets idea. I think I'll look for them at our feed store. 
I really want something that will be a treat that does not encourage urinary calculi, that sounds so horrible and I don't want it happening to this wether, he is my darling. He is really the sweetest goat. I'm thinking of training him as a pack goat, he is so affectionate and loves people. I'm sure he would like all the suggested sweet treats, but I was hoping to find something that would be good for him too. 
Do all goats like alfalfa pellets? sometimes mine have been picky, but they love alfalfa hay.


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## aggieterpkatie

Plain popcorn, apple peels, crackers.  I don't buy treats, just give them whatever I have at the time.  They don't get treats very often.


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## cmjust0

savingdogs said:
			
		

> Do all goats like alfalfa pellets? sometimes mine have been picky, but they love alfalfa hay.


Generally they take right to it.  If they're used to getting pelleted grain, the 'format' will be familiar, and a few bites will tell them that it's tasty stuff...  

When we started feeding it to our bucks, they thought it was a little sketchy at first.  Took them about two feedings to figure out that it was good stuff, and now they scream and pace the fenceline when they see me coming with their little rubber tubs. 

And also...yeah...UC is horrible.  Avoid it at all costs.  That's precisely why when I saw 'treats for my wether' I immediately and strictly went to alfalfa pellets.  Not as 'sexy' or fun as animal crackers and tortilla chips, of course, but they're healthful and very safe for male goats.


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## savingdogs

I know this thread is a little old, but I just wanted to add one final note. I have learned my goats adore alfalfa pellets and am so happy I learned about them on this. 
It makes it so much easier that my wether can eat the "treats" the same as the girls and I can usually sneak their grain in their bowl while he is happy with his pellets. At 10 dollars a bag, and it lasted us a long time, it was an extremely inexpensive treat. 
I'm thankful I have this forum to learn things from!


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## SDGsoap&dairy

I've found that my two nigi does are pretty ho hum about the alfalfa pellets but they will just about knock you over trying to get to the baled alfalfa.  We bought a bale instead of the pellets just recently and both of them snarf it down like they're starving every time.  

My theory is that it's because they have such a great opportunity to be wasteful: they eat all the leafy parts and leave the stems.   At $13/bale I'm not sure this will be a regular part of their diet; they'll just have to suffer through the pellets!!


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## oxdrover14

mine love cut up apples and carrots and also leftover sweet corn from our crop just pick it with the husk and all and they peel it themselves and chew the corn off of the cob its funny to watch


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## Nature Watcher

I know I'm a little late but if I pour a little salt on my hand they will lick at it. They love it! (Wash your hands afterward.  )


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## savingdogs

Would sodium be good for a wether though? 

I have started using alfalfa pellets as suggested here and really like them. I like that all three goats can eat this as a treat and I don't have to worry about who gets which bowl. They seem to really enjoy it and we were able to buy it quite inexpensively at the feed store. 

I've also discovered my goats love raisins, graham crackers and animal crackers. I don't suppose those are as good for them as alfalfa pellets though.


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## trase

Heidi, our little queen goat, LOVES Cheerios. 

I mean, seriously LOVES them. See? 







The other four girls are really not so interested in them. I have some ideas from here that I'm going to try with them now, though, so I'll report back!


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## DANE WRIGHT

I feed my goats range cubes for snacks.  it is all natural and very filling.


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## Latestarter

Greetings and welcome to BYH @DANE WRIGHT  Sorry that you responded to a dead thread (last post 2010). There are plenty of other more recent threads that are active. Please browse around and make yourself at home. You might consider maybe doing an intro thread in the new member section so folks can welcome you properly. https://www.backyardherds.com/forums/new-member-introductions.17/   Also, putting at least your general location in your profile is a good idea since and help/advice asked for or offered can be different depending on where you're located. Glad to have you with us.


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## Aneesa's Muse

Ironically, this post came up today, and is very useful to those of us with goats. Maybe it should be rejuvenated, instead of adding more similarly related threads. Personally, I'd rather read one very long thread of great information, than pick through twenty average threads with sparse information.


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## Latestarter

wow... Welcome back @Aneesa's Muse NINE YEARS since your last post!   Nice to see you back. You were here long before me...


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## Bayleaf Meadows

My goats like the peels from the bananas.


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## goatgurl

my worthless goats love oranges, bananas, grapes, animal crackers and just about anything else I happen to take out to them.  and no, they are not spoiled at all!


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## Latestarter

goatgurl said:


> and no, they are not spoiled at all!


 

BWAHAhahahaha.... riiiiiight....


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