# Can horses eat goat feed?



## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I would compare ingredients, but my gut says no. Goats are ruminants, therefore can digest "crap" easier than a non-ruminant horse.


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

Purina goat chow is basically a sweet feed mix. I would moderately mix it in so you don't upset your horse's stomach. Otherwise, I think it's alright.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

riccil0ve said:


> I would compare ingredients, but my gut says no. Goats are ruminants, therefore can digest "crap" easier than a non-ruminant horse.


i found the ingredients on their site Goat Chow
and i'm still clueless lol i'm hoping TSC will take it because i can always use horse feed and then i won't have to worry about what to do with the goat feed(they don't want it to go to waste which is why they want to feed it to the horses)


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

you could always sell it on craigslist for a low price?
lots of hungry goats out there.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

You could donate it to the SPCA, or sell it for cheap. Maybe see if the local feed store will trade it in for horse feed. I wouldn't feed it to a horse, though...if you could, it would be called "goat and horse food" ;-)


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

google tells me that goat feed is lethal for horses

Goat Food Lethal

For the price of the 2 bags, I would rather donate it than risk it.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

meeee to!

I agree...if it was meant for horses it would say so on the bag.

Goats can eat a lot of things horses can't and well I don't know what is in the goat chow but I wouldn't feed it to your horse. I would donate it to some hungry goats,sell it,or ask to exchange it for some horse chow.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

If it is 'non-medicated', it is just fine. There are a limited number of feed ingredients and 'almost' all of them are suitable for any livestock. 

I tend to stay away from cattle feeds (especially cheap ones) because they are ALL formulated on 'least cost' formulation. That means that if Cottonseed Meal is cheaper per unit of protein on Monday morning, it will replace Soybean Meal that week. Right now corn is astronomically high priced so it has been pulled from most cheaper cattle feeds. 

Livestock feeds and minerals 'MAY' contain medications and additives. They will all be prominently labeled and usually have a red tag. These can range from antibiotics to 'ionophores' like Remensin and Bovatec. The ioniphores, particularly Rumensin, can be deadly n very small amounts. Purina has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims on two different occasions for horses lost because of Feed Mill errors that put Rumensin in horse rations. Feeding horses out of wooden feed bunks that recently held cattle feed with Rumensin can kill or cause permanent kidney damage. Ionophores would only be added to 'growing rations' for goats fed out for meat because they enhance weight gain and they would be prominently labeled so. I would not ever keep a goat or cattle feed on the ranch that had Rumensein in it just in case a horse got out or a human mistake was made. I would not even want the chance here to use the same grain scoop -- don't want the stuff around. 

If it were me, I would check the label good and then, mix it in with my regular feed and feed it. But, I am not one to throw money away.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

As long as it's not "medicated" feed, you should be fine. Goat feed is just a sweet feed mix. I have goats and didn't see any real difference between it and a "stock mix" that's made for multiple species of animals.

After doing research, I no longer feed "goat feed" though. I feed mine a mix of alfalfa pellets and crimped oats, with free choice loose minerals. They're much healthier now and not nearly so fat.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

It's not medicated, i double checked this afternoon for any of the ingredients you guys listed, tractor supply won't take it back with out a receipt because the bags i have expire in november of 2011 and theirs expire in september 2011, there is a possibility that my picked it up from somewhere else, but i figured as long as i didn't want money back it wouldn't matter, but of well, i'm still not completely comfortable feeding it to the horses so i'm going to use it to feed the deer that visit our house, they can always use extra food during the cold winter


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

I think you are right to err on the side of caution if you are not sure. I would have no problem feeding my goat horse feed, but not the other way around. I have winessed goats eat terrible things and be none the worse for wear. 
Years ago when I worked at a trail riding establishment there was a goat there that would eat anything. One day a guy dropped a pack of cigs and they all scattered on the ground, and the goat ran over and ate as many as he could before the guy could pick them up! Filters and all!


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