Goats eating things not allowed ..

[KrisW]

Hello All,

Anyway, I hate to admit it, but have had my goats eat some things their not suppose to.
(New goat owner for 1 month now, and still learning all I can)
All “objects” are from visitors (might have to strip search everyone LOL).
So far it been a very small, thick, plastic tag from a mans glove, a quarter inch piece of twist tie from a gals jacket (this worries me a lot!), a bite of paper from the neighbors grocery list, a paper sticker someone had in their pocket and a bite of cardboard from a “Brand Name” take away coffee cup.

Oh, and they knocked over my diet soda and drank about 3 Tablespoons worth before I noticed, bad goats!
They made a yucky face, but seem none the worse for it.

I’m wondering what all everyone else goats have eaten and lived to tell about it ….


Kris

[goatkid]

Some of my goats have eaten paper with no ill effects. I've also had a couple of kids sucking pritchard nipples swallow almost a half inch of one after it fell apart when they were drinking. The things that would most concern me if a goat got hold of them would be the twist ties, plastic bags or baling twine.

[KrisW]

That’s the thing that’s bugging me the most, that quarter inch of twist tie that one ate.
I just wish there was a “back in time” button that I could push,

The plastic, cardboard and sticker are not that big a deal, but the twist tie ….
I have a feeling that going to come back to haunt me in the future.

Do you have a suggestion as to what I should do about that?
Other than keep an eye out for distress?

Kris

[Alice In TX/MO]

Keep an eye out for it in the goat berries!

[BlueHeronFarm]

I think that 1/4 inch is fine - it's longer lengths that would worry me. Like, long enough to contract or slice through the intestine if it wasn't moving through normally.

I would try not to worry.

[goatsareus]

Originally Posted by KrisW

Hello All,

I’m wondering what all everyone else goats have eaten and lived to tell about it ….

Kris

cayenne pepper plants, entire cayenne pepper plants, including mature cayenne peppers. They did not even blink.

[sugarbush]

Originally Posted by goatkid

plastic bags or baling twine.

Plastic bags are really bad. I bred a goat when I was younger for a 4H project. I picked the doe, then ordered the sperm and artificially inseminated the doe and registered the kid with the ADGA. Out of the 15 goats I had she was the only one that I registered myself with our farms name on the registry.

Anyway; a friend brought some bread over to feed to the birds and left the bag in the barn, the goat ate it and dropped dead. By the time I noticed that she had bloat it was too late. I found the half eaten bread bag near her.

[Rowdy]

One winter I tried shredded paper for bedding. It was free, it was warm, and I figured I could try to compost it in the spring.

The goats loved it... at least to eat it. At first I was not worried, as that they always are curious about new things in their world. But, they kept messing with it, and more and more of it just vanished. No matter how green the hay, or how fresh the oats, they loved that shredded paper. It didn't seem to hurt them any, but dang...

[bgraham]

My husband was working on something in the barn and had a bottle of beer with him. He only drinks about 12 beers A YEAR so it was unusual for him.

Anyway, he set it down while he was doing something and my buck picked it up and leaned his head back and drank the beer. It was like he new exactly what to do with the bottle.

I freaked out thinking the carbonation would bloat him or something but he was fine.

My husband is no longer allowed to take anything but water to the barn!!

Beth

[hoofinitnorth]

I've met quite a few people that give a little coffee to their goats (right out of their own cup and not as a pick-me-up, but a treat).

[crazygoatgal]

my brother and my mother both smoke cigerettes and when they visit, I make them smoke outside because of my lung disease. Well, I have seen my goats go after those like they were candy!!! I think they smell horrible and I got so tired of doing a hunt every time I would let my guys out loose, that I make them do the cleaning and disposing. They also love my Snapple raspberry iced tea.

[Harmony_Meadows]

LOL When I moved my Nova to her current home, a horse boarding stable, the owners had never experienced a goat before. So while they were out doing renos on some of the stalls they figured they would let her have the run of the place....after all...what could a goat get into that horses couldnt Lets just say they learned REAL QUICK as it took four people wrestle away three drywall screws out of one "innocent" little goat.......hehehehe...I told them so!!!!!! Needless to say although she still gets to come out to play, they WATCH her....like a hawk....no, like a GOAT!!!!! LOL

[the mama]

Lucy loves tea, she had one off day as a bottle baby. I held her, rubbed her tummy, but she was better after drinking my hot tea. I let her have it as she was refusing her bottle. To this day she loves tea. My DD's horse will drink soda from a can. Also eats any foods left in reach like hamburgers, fries, cheese sticks.

[dkdairygoats]

It seems like goats will try anything. I've had some that liked dog and cat food. I did lose one really nice yearling last fall though, the vet was thinking blockage but I don't know what she might have eaten. Twine maybe.....she was really painful. I try really really hard to keep them from getting anything but what they are supposed to get. Paranoid, I guess.

[KrisW]

Glad to hear I’m not the only one with goats eating stuff!
I’ll keep an “berry” eye out for the twist tie wire.

The funniest thing that’s has happened so far is goat lips drinking my OJ!
Seems the gals like Oranges, didn’t know that, lots I don’t know really.
I really got a lot out of the Watermelon thread.

Gaots R Us – A pepper plant, that’s just amazing! Have had a skunk eat an entire plant, didn’t know goats would also.
Sugar – That is just so sad, sorry about that.
Rowdy – That’s funny about the paper, they do seem to gravitate towards that.
Beth – My neighbors horses LOVE beer! The owner gives them a bit every summer, “Whiskey for my Men, Beer for my Horses”
Coffee, drywall, cigarette butts,
Harmony, What could a goat get into .. that’s funny … they get into everything, it’s like living with a set of 2 year olds.
(Which I can’t complain about cause I have 2 Golden Retrievers which are just like 2 year olds themselves)
Dkgoats, it’s almost next to impossible to keep goats from getting onto everything.

I’m trying very hard to keep them safe, but, they are intelligent animals and kinda get into trouble now and again.

Thank you all for responding and helping me!

Kris