# can goats eat cantaloupe?



## Mini-M Ranch

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.


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## ThornyRidge

hmm I don't know.. mine would not.. they do however eat banana peels.. (good source of potassium and vitamins) I would be careful and not overdo any new food source.. try a small bit and see.. they may be more interested in the inside of cantaloupe.. if you have chickens throw the leftovers out for them.. they eat that and watermelon down to the thin skin..then you can just throw it in compost!!


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## Beekissed

I don't know about your goats, but ours always did and my current sheep and bottle calf fight over them....right alongside the dogs.  The dogs always win!


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## trestlecreek

No, if it were me, I wouldn't give them to the goats, I'd just pitch them in the compost or give to the chickies...


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## freemotion

I'd be more inclined to give it to the chickens, but if I did not have hens, I would wash the outside before cutting it to remove pesticides (most used today are hormones) and give it to them in moderation.


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## Beekissed

Goats must have gotten more delicate since we used to raise them.....    They used to eat any and all veggie and fruit scraps and enjoy every last morsel.  Never had any problems.  

Why are today's goats so incredibly difficult to raise, I wonder?  Is it breeding?  Have we bred the resiliency out of the animal?  Until being on these forums, I had never even heard of goats having a fragile and delicate digestive system!


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## Mini-M Ranch

Bee, maybe goats are stronger when living in these WV Hills.  I fed them the cantaloupe after washing the skins with veggie wash.  They LOVED it and had absolutely no ill effects because of it.  I think they thought it was smooshy tree bark.

I know I am no expert, but I think *sometimes* we are a little too paranoid about their diets.  How did goats thrive for thousands of years without Noble Goat pelleted feed and alfalfa hay?

I fed them the cantaloupe and I would do it again!  There, I said it. lol


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## trestlecreek

It's not just goats whom have systems that can not tolerate large diet change. It is all ruminants.
I do not consider that goats are delicate, I just consider that they have their own unique diet. All animal species require a varying degree of difference in feed. 
By general rule, simple stomached animals can handle more because they do not require microbes to break down the food.


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## cmjust0

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> I know I am no expert, but I think *sometimes* we are a little too paranoid about their diets.  How did goats thrive for thousands of years without Noble Goat pelleted feed and alfalfa hay?


I did some math on this once..  

If you viewed man's keeping of goats from the very beginning until now as one 24-hour day, we've been using commercial 'bagged' feed for about the last 15 minutes.


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## trestlecreek

Goats in the wild will search out the feed that they need. They spend most of their energy finding this feed. That means that the goat is spending all of their time/energy walking around, which means that even if the goat is getting the ideal feed, it has metabolized all the extra off.
When a person puts a goat in captivity, you have limited the ability to seek for the ideal feed. The goat is forced into eating what you or the land provides. 
Captive animals need to be supplemented to achieve a complete diet.


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## cmjust0

trestlecreek said:
			
		

> Captive animals need to be supplemented to achieve a complete diet.


I'm not sure anybody would disagree with you on that, but "supplement" comes in a lot of forms..  Hay is supplementation.

I was just talking about bagged commercial feed..


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## trestlecreek

Yes, but bagged feed is a supplement....most people would prefer the goats live off the land,...so when you look at hay, bagged feed and minerals, they are all supplements to the land(browse available).


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## cmjust0

Not sure what you're getting at here..

Did you somehow get the impression that I didn't think bagged feed was a supplement?  If so, that's odd, because I specifically mentioned bagged feed in terms of supplementation..  I even said, quite specifically, that I didn't think anyone would disagree with you that goats need supplementation..  

All I said was that if you look at the history of goats and people as a 24 hour period, bagged feed has been around for 15 minutes.

That's all.

I don't get it...  Almost seems like you're trying to pick a fight with me...what am I missing here?


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## trestlecreek

I was elaborating Chris,..sorry that you took it wrong.


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## cmjust0

Ummm...who's Chris?

Now I'm _really_ confused..


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## trestlecreek

Your name is not Chris?? For some reason, I thought that was your name,...must of been a brain fart.


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## kimmyh

I think the whole point here is captive goats (goats that are not give hundreds of acres on which to browse/wander) are subject to the good/bad feeding regime of their owners. A consistent diet for a captive goat is healthier, than table scraps. If people want to feed scraps they might be better off buying a pig, or chickens. Just as dog owners have by and large discovered feeding people food to their dogs is not a good thing, many goat owners are discovering it is far cheaper to throw that table scrap in the trash, than it is to doctor a sick goat. Will there be those people who insist on using their goats as garbage disposals, absolutely, just as there will be a host of others who want to do what is best for the animal.


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## cmjust0

tc said:
			
		

> Your name is not Chris?? For some reason, I thought that was your name,...must of been a brain wind.


Nope.  

Check this out, though..  My brother's named Chris, so it wasn't uncommon as I was growing up for people in my family to call me Chris and then correct themselves..  

I think all those oopsies must have cosmically rubbed off on me somehow, though, because then people _outside_ my family started accidentally calling me Chris -- _even people who didn't know my brother!_  I've even asked people who seem to want to call me Chris all the time why they feel compelled to call me Chris....invariably, they have no idea.  They just want to call me Chris for some reason..  If someone blanks on my name, they'll say "Hey there!...uh...it's Chris, right?" almost every time.

This, however, is a first...never has someone called me Chris across the internet..  

Not only do you not know my brother, nor that his name is Chris...you didn't even know MY name...nor have you ever seen me...nor have you ever heard my voice..  

Yet...you just called me Chris.  

Freaky, huh?


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## mossyStone

I grow extra stuff in my garden just for my goats and chickens, they all get extra goodies ...  Along with good hay and minerals ,baking soda and browes...


Mossy Stone Farm


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## Mini-M Ranch

kimmyh said:
			
		

> I think the whole point here is captive goats (goats that are not give hundreds of acres on which to browse/wander) are subject to the good/bad feeding regime of their owners. A consistent diet for a captive goat is healthier, than table scraps. If people want to feed scraps they might be better off buying a pig, or chickens. Just as dog owners have by and large discovered feeding people food to their dogs is not a good thing, many goat owners are discovering it is far cheaper to throw that table scrap in the trash, than it is to doctor a sick goat. Will there be those people who insist on using their goats as garbage disposals, absolutely, just as there will be a host of others who want to do what is best for the animal.


Umm...WOW, just WOW!  

I think feeding fresh fruit and vegetable matter occasionally is a whole different matter than what you are talking about where people are only feeding their goats "table scraps"  (incidentally, IMO, table scraps are not fresh fruit and vegetable matter, table scraps are bits of leftover tuna and cheese sandwiches and half-eaten frittatas- which I do give to my chickens every now and then but wouldn't CONSIDER giving them to goats, but I digress).  I am not sure how you made the jump from one to the other. 


It SEEMS as if you are lumping together the people who are only feeding garbage with the people who are occasionally feeding fresh veggies and fruits.  And it SEEMS as if you are saying that people who are feeding fruits and veggies do not care about or want what is best for their animals...I hope I just have the wrong impression here.


CM:

My dear husband's name is Justin.  His brother is Jason.  EVERYBODY around here mis-calls him Jason because he is the younger brother.  It really creeps him out when we go places (like on vacation - staying in hotels and the like - and people call him Jason.  Weird.


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## cmjust0

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> It SEEMS as if you are lumping together the people who are only feeding garbage with the people who are occasionally feeding fresh veggies and fruits.  And it SEEMS as if you are saying that people who are feeding fruits and veggies do not care about or want what is best for their animals...I hope I just have the wrong impression here.


My wife chucked a small watermelon out of the garden over the fence to the goats yesterday..  They love it, rind and all.  I'll occasionally grab a pumpkin and toss it over onto a rock so it busts open...they love those, too.  I've _heard_ that pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer, and I know folks who grow pumpkins just for their goats..  

I don't see the harm in it, so long as you're not going "No hay for you today...here are 25 pumpkins instead!"  I'd probably feed more of them myself if not for the fact that we have a resident wether in that herd, and pumpkins are high in phosphorus/low in calcium..



> My dear husband's name is Justin.  His brother is Jason.  EVERYBODY around here mis-calls him Jason because he is the younger brother.  It really creeps him out when we go places (like on vacation - staying in hotels and the like - and people call him Jason.  Weird.


It's almost like everytime someone calls you the wrong name, it leaves this little psychic energy stamp on your forehead, ever so slightly improving the legibility of the wrong name to everyone else's intuition..  If you get called the wrong name enough, I swear that little psychic tattoo begins to manifest in a snowball effect, feeding on itself..

It _is_ weird..  :/


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## kimmyh

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> kimmyh said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the whole point here is captive goats (goats that are not give hundreds of acres on which to browse/wander) are subject to the good/bad feeding regime of their owners. A consistent diet for a captive goat is healthier, than table scraps. If people want to feed scraps they might be better off buying a pig, or chickens. Just as dog owners have by and large discovered feeding people food to their dogs is not a good thing, many goat owners are discovering it is far cheaper to throw that table scrap in the trash, than it is to doctor a sick goat. Will there be those people who insist on using their goats as garbage disposals, absolutely, just as there will be a host of others who want to do what is best for the animal.
> 
> 
> 
> Umm...WOW, just WOW!
> 
> I think feeding fresh fruit and vegetable matter occasionally is a whole different matter than what you are talking about where people are only feeding their goats "table scraps"  (incidentally, IMO, table scraps are not fresh fruit and vegetable matter, table scraps are bits of leftover tuna and cheese sandwiches and half-eaten frittatas- which I do give to my chickens every now and then but wouldn't CONSIDER giving them to goats, but I digress).  I am not sure how you made the jump from one to the other.
> 
> 
> It SEEMS as if you are lumping together the people who are only feeding garbage with the people who are occasionally feeding fresh veggies and fruits.  And it SEEMS as if you are saying that people who are feeding fruits and veggies do not care about or want what is best for their animals...I hope I just have the wrong impression here.
Click to expand...

It takes 2.5-3 weeks for a goat to build the proper bacteria in its gut to properly digest a new food. I have never heard of anyone feeding table scraps/left over vegs a little every day for 2-3 weeks to help the goat build the necessary bacteria. Since that is the case, throwing this and that at them seems ill advised too me. A treat, well I'm all for treats, and the safest treat is something they are already eating-hopefully goat food. 

Your impression is indeed wrong, if you are taking offense at the simple facts I have presented. But don't take my word for it, call your vet and ask if this and that, here and there is GOOD for your goats. Don't ask if they can survive the thing you are thinking of giving them, ask if it will help them thrive, because isn't that what we all want?


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## Mini-M Ranch

kimmyh said:
			
		

> Mini-M Ranch said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> kimmyh said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the whole point here is captive goats (goats that are not give hundreds of acres on which to browse/wander) are subject to the good/bad feeding regime of their owners. A consistent diet for a captive goat is healthier, than table scraps. If people want to feed scraps they might be better off buying a pig, or chickens. Just as dog owners have by and large discovered feeding people food to their dogs is not a good thing, many goat owners are discovering it is far cheaper to throw that table scrap in the trash, than it is to doctor a sick goat. Will there be those people who insist on using their goats as garbage disposals, absolutely, just as there will be a host of others who want to do what is best for the animal.
> 
> 
> 
> Umm...WOW, just WOW!
> 
> I think feeding fresh fruit and vegetable matter occasionally is a whole different matter than what you are talking about where people are only feeding their goats "table scraps"  (incidentally, IMO, table scraps are not fresh fruit and vegetable matter, table scraps are bits of leftover tuna and cheese sandwiches and half-eaten frittatas- which I do give to my chickens every now and then but wouldn't CONSIDER giving them to goats, but I digress).  I am not sure how you made the jump from one to the other.
> 
> 
> It SEEMS as if you are lumping together the people who are only feeding garbage with the people who are occasionally feeding fresh veggies and fruits.  And it SEEMS as if you are saying that people who are feeding fruits and veggies do not care about or want what is best for their animals...I hope I just have the wrong impression here.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It takes 2.5-3 weeks for a goat to build the proper bacteria in its gut to properly digest a new food. I have never heard of anyone feeding table scraps/left over vegs a little every day for 2-3 weeks to help the goat build the necessary bacteria. Since that is the case, throwing this and that at them seems ill advised too me. A treat, well I'm all for treats, and the safest treat is something they are already eating-hopefully goat food.
> 
> Your impression is indeed wrong, if you are taking offense at the simple facts I have presented. But don't take my word for it, call your vet and ask if this and that, here and there is GOOD for your goats. Don't ask if they can survive the thing you are thinking of giving them, ask if it will help them thrive, because isn't that what we all want?
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your help.  I do appreciate the information.  You are obviously knowledgable...


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## freemotion

I hope you still give those drooling goaties that cantaloupe.  

Mine got green bean ends, carrot peels and ends, brocolli stems, apple cores, and chard stems, all chopped up, today in their feed.  Earlier throughout this week they got more of the same, along with drop pears and apples, asparagus, brussels sprouts, a cauliflower center, cooked pumpkin peels, and who-knows-what-else.  We eat excellent, healthy food in our house, and our scraps are mostly organic and wonderfully healthy foods.  No white bread or processed garbage.  No one can convince me that the rumen differentiates between the above vegetable matter and what they eat all day long:  grass, clover, dandelions, birch, maple, touch-me-not, raspberry leaves, multiflora, goldenrod, and who-knows-what-else.

Sure, if your goats only get dry hay and processed feeds, maybe the sudden appearance of a large chopped apple each could throw them for a loop.  Even so, I cannot see that distributing that same apple to 3-4 healthy goats, even on a "dry" food regimen, can be dangerous or harmful.

Hasn't hurt mine in over a decade.  Use common sense.  

cmjust0, (Notchris!) you have to admit, your brother's first name is somewhat common, and your first name is rather unusual....both start with the same letters, and both one syllable.   But pretty interesting that strangers call you Chris, too!   How about this, I will call you Chaz, and let's see if anyone calls you that now.....


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## broke down ranch

You know what mine like? Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower plants! When mine were done for the year we pulled them up, rinsed all the dirt and buggies off (I do not use insecticide) and threw them in there. I swear, they went so crazy for that yummy crunchy stuff that my herd queen sounded like she was BARKING at the other girls while running them off it. Was quite comical to watch!

I think garden stuff is OK in moderation. Like when we run out of hay and money I will go cut a bunch of swiss chard, stuff that down in their hay bag and they love it as much as their hay. Maybe it's not the "proper" thing to do but my goats don't get the runs, none of them are starving and none have died. So I guess I'm not screwing up too badly....


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## Mini-M Ranch

free motion and broke down ranch....

You guys obviously do not love your goats.


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## broke down ranch

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> free motion and broke down ranch....
> 
> You guys obviously do not love your goats.


Obviously. You can tell by the way I trip over the little beasts when I walk into their pen that my lack of love is returned in full....


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## kimmyh

It is not about how much you love your goats. Most of the men who beat their wives love them. It is about understanding how a goats rumen works. Sure throw this and that, it probably won't kill the goats-and after all, like small children who will over eat candy, the goats like it.


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## Mini-M Ranch

kimmyh said:
			
		

> It is not about how much you love your goats. Most of the men who beat their wives love them. It is about understanding how a goats rumen works. Sure throw this and that, it probably won't kill the goats-and after all, like small children who will over eat candy, the goats like it.


I appreciate the information.  I really do.  It is something to definitely think about.  But likening feeding your goat a few bites of cantaloupe to a man beating his wife is, frankly, outrageous and inappropriate. 

Knowledge is a beautiful thing, but using it to beat someone over the head is usually not affective.


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## broke down ranch

I honestly have to wonder how our forefathers ever managed to raise goats without Purina. I would be willing to bet that what the pigs and chickens didn't get the goats and cows did. I give mine a "normal" feed but I do treat them with garden stuff (not cooked kitchen scraps) which gives them a little something extra to look forward to. 

As long as someone uses moderation (key word there) then garden scraps would probably actually be good for them. It certainly shouldn't kill them unless the plant is toxic to begin with. But I don't believe I have heard of anything dying from eating cantaloupe peelings. Worst thing I would worry about is them eating the seeds then little sprouts of cantaloupes everywhere...oh wait, I'm gonna run out and feed them some seeds right now! LOL!!


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## freemotion

The feed companies really want you to believe that you are too stupid to figure out how to feed your animals properly.  Manufactured feeds are yet another "value added product" which means, to the manufacturer.....move the decimal point on the profit margin in their favor.  So if they convince most people....which they have....that your animals cannot be healthy unless you feed them mostly from a bag, you will buy more and more of their bags.  And they will profit.

How can a fruit or veggie be bad for anyone?  Sheesh.  We are not talking about taking a goat who is used to dry foods and putting a gallon of rotting vegetables in front of them.  We are talking about using our brains, here.  No one will ever convince me that I am doing dangerous things by feeding the best I can get my hands on to my critters.  They are marvelously healthy.  

You all realize, don't you, that vets get a VERY short nutrition class in all their years of schooling, and it is usually taught by a guest....a rep from a major feed company.  They can sum the class up in two sentences:  Don't worry your pretty little heads about animal nutrition, we will take care of that for you.  Feed our feeds and your animals will be at their best.

I prefer to think for myself.  I am confidence in my intelligence and ability to read and learn.  Bring on the cantaloupe!


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## kimmyh

Like with everything you read on the Internet take what works for you _graciously_ and leave the rest.

Edited to remove reaction to sniping.


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## Mini-M Ranch

kimmyh said:
			
		

> Defensive are we? Like with everything you read on the Internet take what works for you _graciously_ and leave the rest.


Ok.  Thanks.

***edited because I don't have the energy to argue***


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## Beekissed

I often get a little puzzled over this debate....it happens a lot on BYC and happens even more when discussing goats.  There are those who are big on feeding formulated diets that are recommended by vets, scientists, and feed companies.  

This is fine and, though some feel it lacks initiative and a memory that goats have been here since the beginning of time without the help of Purina, it still is touted as being the intelligent and caring choice for animals.

Then there are those who learn from history, do not take every morsel that is spoon fed by big agribiz companies and the scientists on their payroll, have proof that their methods yield healthy stock who have thrived on their individual animal husbandry methods......

And the former's only reply is to give dire predictions and accuse the latter of mismanagement and lack of caring for their livestock.  

How is this considered appropriate at all?  If we were to blurt out to the former party that, to only feed formulated feeds and hay is denying your animals the variety of nutrients they would forage themselves in a natural setting.....why they would take high offense and say we were picking a fight! 

 But the former group, described above, feel it is not only their right, but their _duty _to "correct" and to insult anyone with a different method of animal husbandry.  Happens every time.  

The OP asked if cantaloupe is dangerous or harmful to feed to goats.  The truth of the matter is....it isn't.  As a goat in the wild forages over wide terrain, they encounter all types of food sources, they rarely have a prescribed length of time to "develop the proper bacteria to digest" this variety.  And, lo and behold, the Creator has designed them to adapt!  Imagine that.....  

As previously mentioned, the question did not imply that the OP was going to make cantaloupe a regular supplement to her goat's diet and I think everyone....er..._nearly_ everyone understood this fact.


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## trestlecreek

The only thing I will add to this is in defense of all LA vets and their knowledge regarding nutrition.
No, reps do not teach vets animal nutrition. 
They are taught by professors whom specialize in the science of animal nutrition. 
I've taken animal sciences courses, including nutrition and they are well taught and are correct. No opinions; straight facts. 

When goats start having a single stomach is when I will come back to reconsider this cantaloupe issue.


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## Mini-M Ranch

trestlecreek said:
			
		

> When goats start having a single stomach is when I will come back to reconsider this cantaloupe issue.


  Well, I won't be here.  I'm done considering cantaloupes.  Fruit is too inflammatory.  I need something more calm.


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## trestlecreek




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## freemotion

Well said, Bee.  So true.  Who knew that feeding fruit and veggies to ones animals could be so inflammatory.  (Actually, they tend to be anti-inflammatory, but that is a different use of the word...  )

Mini-M, please don't get chased off.....

And Trestlecreek, I will be the first to run to you when I need pharmaceutical advice....really, honest.  I absolutely would consider what you have to say.  As for vets and nutrition, you are fortunate indeed if all LA vets know animal nutrition.  It is far from my experience here on the East coast.  I have many vets and MD's that I speak to in social settings, and the story is very different from the one told in a client/physician relationship.  I hear about the lack of nutrition training from many, many physicians and vets.  Many.  

I brought my dog in to a new practice for emergency surgery a couple of weeks ago, and had a conversation with the intake person about not feeding grain-based cooked foods to my dog, and I brought food for him.  I'd been to 6 vets before I found one who knew there were nutrition options outside the major grain-based foods, and found one that helped my dog survive into adulthood.  Not just survive, but finally thrive.  I did not want him to be fed food that would make him sick when he was fragile from surgery.  I was "yes'd" and ignored.  He was fed Hill's garbage.  The nurse who was giving me his post-op care instructions tried to assure me that it was the hypo-allergenic formula.  I actually brought her over to the display and made her look at the label.  Corn and soy.  How is THAT hypoallergenic?  Sheesh.  What coyote or wolf would eat corn or soy?  So pardon me if I am a bit cynical and don't blindly trust.  She may know how to bandage and inject, but she knows squat about nutrition.  

I have taught nutrition courses for both my vet and a number of doctors, to their patients.  I am currently teaching a continuing ed course for licensed massage therapists, focusing a lot on the role of nutrition in inflammation and pain management.  I know what I am talking about on this subject.

Bee, I don't get the either/or mentality I see on forums.  I enjoy discussions where many different viewpoints are presented intelligently.  You and I feed our hens quite differently.  Neither of us has criticised the other for it.  I have learned a lot from you, and I hope the reverse has been true.  I won't be feeding layer mash anytime soon, but we can still be friends, can't we?


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## Mini-M Ranch

freemotion:

I'm not going anywhere.  There is a lot of good info and lots of good people on this site. It is obvious that EVERYONE on this site cares about their animals  Otherwise, they wouldn't be here getting info and connecting with other goat owners.  We don't all have to agree on everything.  And none of us should be attacked because we do things differently.  I have several friends who do not raise their human children in the way that I think is the best, but that doesn't mean I go around calling them bad parents and saying they don't care about their kids.  

 This thread has been very educational.  I have made my decision about this fruit and veggie thing.  But, more importantly,  I have learned that feeding is a topic to avoid, unless you feel like arguing (which I don't.  I have a 4 and 5 year old,  I hear them arging enough for a lifetime   )


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## freemotion

Oh, don't avoid it, we can all use some spice in our lives!  Just be ready to


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## 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.


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## kimmyh

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> 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.


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## 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.


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## ksalvagno

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


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## kimmyh

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> 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?


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## 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.


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## 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.


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## 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..


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## 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


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## Beekissed

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> 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.


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