Yes, the goats can eat tomatoes but in moderation. Too many tomatoes can be the cause of many gastrointestinal issues in goats. You have to be careful about what parts of the tomato plant your pet goat devours, and how much they consume.
This of course begs the question “Can goats eat tomato vines?”
My best answer is tomato vines are also not suitable for goats . It is because they contain alkaloids, which are toxic to animals, including goats. You probably don’t want your tomato garden to be ruined by goats.
Goats usually get into this problem when a pit fruit plant has leaves fall or blow in, or a branch come down, into their pen or pasture. Consumption causes oxygen in the bloodstream to be unusable, which causes suffocation. Cherries, plums, prunes, peaches, nectarines, pluots, apricots, and chokecherry in wild or domestic forms are all offenders.
Are Tomatoes poisonous to goats?
The leaves and stem of a tomato plant contain high levels of alkaloids which are highly toxic to goats. They are part of the nightshade family, which is very toxic for many animals. However, in very small quantities, most goats will not get life-threateningly ill.
One answer is that there are many landscaping plants and flowers that are poisonous plants for goats. Some of those are boxwood, cotoneaster, all types of laurels, oleander, many types of lupines (bluebonnets), larkspur, delphinium, daffodils & narcissus. Consuming a quantity of green leaves, acorns or blossoms on black, red or yellow oak trees can be disastrous.
What happens if a goat eats a plant?
Even good plants can develop into a dangerous toxic condition called enterotoxemia if goats overeat on any plant they are not used to. I avoid problems by taking ten days to change feeds or slowly introduce new ones, as well as examining all hay for unknown or known problem plants.
Oak leaves, piling up in stock waters, can leach enough tannins to cause the same problems. My well-fed goats used to eat fall leaves and acorns from white oaks without problems other than reducing their milk production because white oak still has a tannin content, but not as high as the others.
Leaves in any stage of wilt from prunus species plants are cyanogenic. Goats usually get into this problem when a pit fruit plant has leaves fall or blow in , or a branch come down, into their pen or pasture. Consumption causes oxygen in the bloodstream to be unusable, which causes suffocation.
How do I know what to feed my goats?
Knowing what to feed goats involves education . Even good plants can develop into a dangerous toxic condition called enterotoxemia if goats overeat on any plant they are not used to. I avoid problems by taking ten days to change feeds or slowly introduce new ones, as well as examining all hay for unknown or known problem plants.