For thousands of years, humans have use onions as a medical treatment, and that’s worldwide.
Studies have confirmed that onions have antioxidants, which kills bacterias and other types of radicals in the blood, and many other benefits like strengthening the immune system.
So you may wonder, does this apply to animals.
And to be more specific…
Can goats eat onions? Some might say that onion is harmful to goats, which is true if given in large doses due to its toxicity like most bulbs, but it won’t harm your goats in small doses.
Do onions benefit goats?
Onions, traditionally used by humans both in cooking and in medicine for their antibacterial properties, can also be used with the same benefits in goats.
Onions have:
Anti-hypertensive
Anti-hyper lipid emic
Anti-oxidant
Hypoglycaemic
Anti-thrombin and also used against inflammatory reaction.
You may like: Can Goats Eat Lettuce?
Do you recommend giving onions to goats?
I don’t recommend goats eat onion, garlic chocolate, or any source of caffeine.
Sure they may eat them by mistake, but you shouldn’t offer it as a primary source of food.
Another thing to consider is that onions can change the flavor of your goat milk.
And this could affect goats babies.
Can an onion poison a goat?
Feeding onions (A llium cepa) to livestock is practiced in onion growing regions around the world.
While sheep can tolerate onions in their diet, cattle and goats are prone to toxicity.
Many onion poisoning cases have recently been reported in many locations worldwide, so it is not something new.
So it’s possible if they eat it in large quantities.
Can goats eat onion plants?
I don’t recommend you feed them onions plants, neither these types of plants:
Monkhood
Boxwood
African Rue
Ilysanthes floribunda
Azalea
Calotropis
Andromeda
China Berry Trees, all parts
Flixweed
Choke Cherries
Datura
Cassava (manioc)
Dog Hobble
Avocado
Madreselva
Dumb Cane (diffenbachia) (Houseplant)
Euonymus Bush berries
False Tansy
Choke Cherry Leaves
Fiddleneck
Larkspur
Lasiandra
Fusha
Lilacs
Holly Trees
Burning Bush berries
Japanese pieris ( toxic)
Lily of the Valley (Pieris Japonica)
Lupine
Japanese Yew
Lantana – appears on both lists
Milkweed
Mountain Laurel
Oleander
Maples
Rhododendron
Rhubarb leaves
Maya
Wild Cherry,
Yew
Pieris Japonica (toxic)
Nightshade: not edible in the fall.
Conclusion: Can goats eat onions?
In general, goats love a variety of foods.
The goat is a natural explorer and loves to walk around and forage for food.
The state of wandering and foraging is strongly related to their well-being.
With this in mind, goats can eat onions but in a small portion. But I don’t recommend you use it as an alternative food.