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Yes, goats love blackberries, and blackberries are one of the best things you can let your goats eat. The fruit, the leaves, the canes, and even the thorns are all fair game.
Goats are actually one of the most effective animals for clearing out overgrown blackberry thickets.
Can Goats Eat Blackberries?
Goats can eat every part of a blackberry bush. The berries, leaves, stems, and thorny canes are all safe and nutritious for them.
Thorns that would tear up your hands don’t bother goats one bit. Their mouths are lined with tough tissue that handles thorny browse without injury.
If you’ve ever watched a goat strip a blackberry cane clean in seconds, you know what I am talking about.
Things to Watch Out for When Feeding Blackberries to Goats
The main thing to keep in mind is moderation with the berries themselves. Blackberries are high in natural sugars, and too many at once can cause digestive upset, especially loose stools.
If you’re feeding store-bought blackberries, wash them first to remove any pesticide residue. Wild blackberry bushes growing on your property are generally safer since you know what has and hasn’t been sprayed on them.
The same herbicide caution applies to dandelions growing in treated lawns. Introduce blackberries gradually if your goats have never had them before, just like you’d with any new food.
Baby goats can nibble on blackberries once they’re eating solid food, usually around two to three weeks old. Other safe starter treats include strawberries and small apple slices.
Keep portions small for kids since their digestive systems are still developing. A few berries at a time is plenty for the little ones.
the Benefits of Eating Blackberries for Goats
Blackberries are packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and antioxidants that support your goat’s immune system. Blueberries offer similar antioxidant benefits if you want to rotate berries.
The fiber content in the leaves and canes also helps keep the digestive tract moving properly.
Blackberry leaves have natural astringent properties that can help firm up loose stools during mild bouts of diarrhea. Old-time goat keepers used to dry blackberry leaves and keep them on hand for exactly this purpose.
It’s one of those simple remedies that actually works.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Goats are commonly used as living brush clearers for overgrown blackberry patches. Farmers and land managers bring in herds specifically to mow down invasive blackberry thickets that would cost thousands to remove by machine.
A small herd of goats can clear an acre of blackberry bramble in a few weeks. They eat it down to the roots and come back for more when new growth sprouts, just like they strip honeysuckle and bamboo in overgrown areas.
Breeds like Spanish goats, Boer goats, and Kikos are especially popular for brush clearing because of their size and appetite for rough browse.
How Often Should Goats Eat Blackberries?
Let your goats browse blackberry bushes a few times a week if the bushes are available in their pasture. There’s no need to limit access to the canes and leaves, since goats naturally rotate between different plants and won’t overeat one thing.
For the berries themselves, a handful per goat a couple of times a week is a reasonable treat amount. Their main diet should still be quality hay or pasture grass, which makes up about 80 percent of what they eat.
Blackberries are a supplement, not a meal replacement.
Final Thoughts
Blackberries are one of the safest and most beneficial plants you can offer your goats. Let them go to town on those bushes without worrying.
Your goats get a tasty, vitamin-rich snack, and you get free brush clearing out of the deal. If you have an overgrown blackberry patch on your property, turning your goats loose on it saves you hours of backbreaking work with loppers and a brush hog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many animals enjoy blackberries, including goats, sheep, birds, and deer. Goats are among the best at eating every part of the blackberry bush, from berries to thorny canes, without injury thanks to their tough mouth tissue.
Yes, sheep can eat blackberries too. However, goats handle thorny blackberry canes better than sheep because their mouths are lined with tough tissue. Both animals benefit from the vitamins C and K in the berries.
