After publishing our article going over if goats can eat chicken feed, we have noticed more and more people reaching out with various questions about keeping pet goats.
Due to many people who keep a goat as an organic source for milk also keeping chickens for organic eggs, we have noticed people asking if goats eat eggs or not either as a regular food source or as an explanation for their chicken’s eggs disappearing.
Although rare, some goats will eat eggs but it is not recommended that you give a goat eggs as they have evolved to be herbivores.
There is some speculation that the proteins in eggs can cause various problems with a goat’s digestive system with most of them being mild and based on digestive upset but we have seen some people report more serious problems.
Goats can be a curious species and if you keep your chickens and goats in the same area where your goat has easy access to chicken eggs, it may eat the odd egg or two.
We commonly see people reporting that their chicken’s eggs go missing when their chickens are kept with goats and although the majority of this will be down to various species of snake eating the eggs, in rare cases, it can be your goats.
Are Eggs Safe For Goats To Eat?
Eggs tend not to present any serious long term health problems in goats but they are not considered to be safe for goats to eat as they can cause issues such as vomiting and digestive upset.
Some people have claimed that egg consumption has caused their goat to randomly shake for a day or two after eating egg in addition to vomiting suggesting a reaction to the protein in the egg.
There are plenty of different food types available that you are able to give your goat instead of eggs that present no risk to the goat at all while often being cheaper than eggs.
Most people who keep a pet goat also have access to a grassed area where they can leave their goat to graze for food too rather than having to be actively fed by the person who keeps the goat.
This is why we recommend against giving your pet goat eggs to eat if possible as we just don’t see the point.
The potential upside is minimal as the various plant based food options you can give a goat are often better options for your goat in most cases when it comes to the vitamin and mineral profile when compared to eggs.
Do Goats Eat Eggs?
Some goats will eat eggs if they are given the chance but the majority of goats tend to pay eggs minimal attention if offered them to eat.
There seems to be something that goats can instinctively detect telling them that eggs are not a good food source for them and that they can cause problems if the goat eats them so the majority of goats tend to just leave eggs alone.
As always though, there are exceptions to the rule and a small number of goats will eat eggs.
This is usually freshly laid eggs when a goat is kept in the same area as a chicken as there are various videos on social media of different goats walking up and eating eggs on the ground after a chicken has laid them.
Some goats will eat the full egg where as others tend to eat small amounts and then leave the rest once they workout that they don’t like the taste of the egg.
We have seen some people share photographs of them intentionally sharing boiled eggs with their goats but we would never recommend that you do this.
As we mentioned above, eggs can cause vomiting and digestive upset in goats, even if only eaten in small amounts and there are theories that eggs can cause more serious problems, especially in larger amounts so it is just best to avoid using them as a food source for your goat.
What Should You Feed Goats Instead Of Eggs?
Goats are herbivores so there are a range of plant based foods that you are able to feed your goat instead of eggs that are much better options.
Hay and grass tend to be the most common food types for goats but some people have managed to feed their goats leafy greens as the bulk of their diet with minimal issues too.
For the vast majority of our readers, going with either hay or grass will always be the better option as they offer some excellent benefits with minimal downside for your goat while also usually being much cheaper than the various other suitable food options for goats.
You can then add a small number of leafy greens or goat supplements to their diet as required but for the most part, grass or hay will be plenty.
Some goats do develop a particular taste for certain types of flowers or plants that they have access too with this being a pain if you have to keep your goat in your garden where it has access to your flower beds.
Just keep in mind that some flowers can be toxic to goats so you should usually do your best to try and minimize the access that your pet goat has to them.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over if goats eat eggs or not to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you better understand that eggs really should be avoided from your goat’s diet if possible as the downside is high where as the upside of feeding your pet goat eggs is close to none existent. There are plenty of alternative food options available that are much better options than eggs that you should focus on that have a very similar nutritional profile without the potential downside for your goats.
