We’ve talked about giving a goat a good, dark beer before, so what about coffee? Goats can be picky eaters, but they also eat anything that lays on the ground.
It is perfectly okay to give your goat a cup of coffee. One of the main reasons you should give your goat a coffee is so their rumen can regulate itself again. Just how coffee helps a person to go to the bathroom, it will do the same for a goat.
I’m sure you have many more questions about the benefits of coffee and how it really helps a goat, so, this article is perfect for you! Keep reading to learn more about the benefits and side effects of coffee for a goat.
Benefits of Coffee
Balance the Rumen
If you’re a regular goat herder, then you will know the purpose of the rumen. If you don’t, let’s just learn about it together. The rumen is one of the other stomach’s of a goat, where it takes extra fibrous foods and regurgitates it back into the goat’s mouth for extra chewing. If your goat isn’t regularly chewing it’s cud, then there is something seriously wrong with your goat. The rumen is the part of the goat that helps regulate their poop, in a way. If your goat is backed up, then they made need a little coffee to help push things out quickly and effectively. It doesn’t need to be a lot, such as an entire cup, but enough to help push out excess poop and regulate.
Helps Regulate Body Temperature
Believe it or not, the coffee helps to bring out the cold blood that is being kept in the core of their body, and out to be warmed and regulated. When a goat isn’t feeling well and it’s body temperature is low, then it won’t be active and acting normal. A goat’s personality comes from being healthy, and if they’re cold, then they won’t have the energy to keep up. Of course, goats are hardy creatures, but if you live in an extremely cold or hot climate, then you will notice the difference in their personality and energy. It will be instantly noticeable, in which a sip of coffee may be the perfect remedy for them.
Counteracts Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar is lower than normal, which can again impact mood, energy, productivity, the flora in their gut, and so much more. It often comes with diabetes; goats can get diabetes, but it isn’t very common. Coffee has a certain amount of caffeine in it that encourages a bit more energy into a goat, which gives them the energy they need to continue to be their happy and energetic selves. Just to reiterate, again, caffeine isn’t normal for goats to consume often, so a little bit of coffee will be just fine for them in order to help impact their digestive system and hypoglycemia. It could be something in their diet, so make sure to check their dietary needs and what could be changed in order to benefit their health.
Does it Have to Be a Specific Brand of Coffee
You may have a regular coffee order at your local coffee shop or Starbucks, but your goat certainly doesn’t. Goats don’t necessarily have the capabilities to have taste buds that tell them that the amount of sugar and milk in their coffee is spectacular and which will become their favorite. It’s not necessary for a goat to have a flavored coffee in order for it to work properly. In fact, consider skipping anything involving sugar, as that will disrupt the flora in the gut. A plain, black coffee will be just fine.
The coffee simply serves the purpose of cleaning out the gut or reviving the cold out of their blood to help regulate their body temperature. The taste may be a bit bitter for them at first, but they will eventually get used to the taste. Their body isn’t used to the caffeine, so don’t give your goat coffee everyday. If it looks like your goat needs a lot of coffee in order to perk up or to have a normal body temperature, then it is time to go to the vet and seek a medical opinion.
How to Give Your Goat Coffee
If you’ve read our other article about how to give a goat a beer, then it will be just as simple as that. When first giving your goat a drink of coffee, either allow them to explore it first through a bowl, or give it to them through a syringe. If you allow your goat to explore the coffee, then that is fine, but sometimes it takes a bit of a more forceful approach in order for your goat to actually drink and get used to the taste of coffee. Your goat most likely doesn’t need an entire cup of coffee, maybe half a cup. Just to reiterate, your goat doesn’t need a lot of caffeine, as that isn’t normal for them. If you just want to give it to them fast, syringe it and then wait for them to perk up. Don’t ever give a baby goat coffee, it will definitely kill them, it’s not necessary. If nothing seems to change in your goat, go to the vet immediately, there might be an underlying issue that requires medical attention.
Can it Be Coffee Grounds
It is normally advised to avoid coffee because of the caffeine. If you’re a composter, and you choose to compost your ground coffee beans, then that is fine! In fact, totally encouraged to compost. However, if you regularly feed your goat your composted materials, then consider not putting your grounds coffee beans into your compost for your goat. If you’re considering giving your goat some coffee beans instead of trying to syringe half a cup of coffee into their mouth, then that should be totally fine. It might be more difficult because of the taste, so don’t be surprised if your goat spits out the coffee beans right away. Goats aren’t always conscious of taste, but coffee beans aren’t exactly delicious to taste, for anyone or any animal.