Kelp for Goats
Is seaweed good for your goats?
Kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) is a seaweed in the algae family used by many goat keepers as a feed supplement. It’s the most common seaweed used for animal feed. Kelp for goats is a good source of minerals, iodine, iron, selenium, and other trace elements. And goats love it!
Much of the kelp meal fed to livestock comes from Iceland, but it’s also harvested or gathered from beaches after storms in Canada, Ireland, France, Norway, and other Atlantic locations. Harvesting is done either by pruning seaweed beds during low tide or using mechanical means and loading it onto boats. To harvest it sustainably, some of the seaweed must be left to grow back, sometimes for as long as 3 to 5 years. After harvesting, the kelp is dried to about 18% moisture, then milled and packaged.
Pat Coleby, the author of Natural Goat Care, recommends kelp to prevent and treat a variety of deficiencies. She advocates feeding to goats that exhibit signs of iodine deficiency, such as dandruff, in mild cases, and goiter (thyroid swelling). She also recommends offering it free-choice because goats will eat as much as needed. There’s a potential risk in feeding too much kelp if added to the feed ration because of its iodine content; overfeeding can lead to iodine toxicity.
Kelp for goats is sold as a standalone product, as a component in mineral mixes, and in feed. Some goat keepers prefer mixed minerals or pelleted feed that contains kelp. One company recommends giving one pound of kelp meal for every 50 pounds of feed if you’re mixing it. I tried the pelleted feed with my goats once, but they turned up their noses (it may be because they weren’t raised on pellets). They do love the kelp meal I put in a mineral feeder. I have to dole it out not just because of the iodine but because of the expense.
Studies have shown that kelp for goats aids in the digestibility of feed, improves immune function, provides resistance to stressors such as transport, and reduces the level of bacteria and other pathogens due to its prebiotics. However, studies done on various ruminants to determine whether kelp would help with their growth during periods of heat stress have provided conflicting results. A 2010 study on fertility and growth in heat-stressed Boer goats found the only difference between controls and goats supplemented with kelp to be greater sperm concentration but not motility. And despite claims by some in the industry, studies in dairy cattle have found no difference in milk production or quality — good or bad — in those fed kelp.
Overall, kelp meal is a good supplement for goats. It provides them with iodine (which is especially important in pregnant does), some protein, vitamins, and many trace minerals. And goats love it.
Cheryl K. Smith has raised mini dairy goats in the Coast Range of Oregon since 1998. She is the owner of karmadillo Press, and author of Raising Goats for Dummies, Goat Health Care, Goat Midwifery, and the first two books in the Hidden Creek Farm cozy mystery series. www.GoatHealthCare.com
References:
- Brito, AF. “Effects of Seaweeds on Dairy Production.” https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/72e08088-d98c-447c-98af-b8058f5bd86a/content
- Coleby, Pat. Natural Goat Care. 2024.
- Evans, FD, and AT Critchley. 2014. “Seaweeds for animal production use.” J Appl Phycol 26: 891–99. doi: 10.1007/s10811-013-0162-9
- Harvesting Seaweed for Cattle Feed. www.allaboutfeed.net/all-about/new-proteins/harvesting-seaweed-for-cattle-feed/
- https://modernfarmer.com/2022/04/how-to-harvest-seaweed-sustainably
- Yates, DT, et al. 2010. “Effects of Tasco-14 Supplementation on Growth and Fertility Traits in Young Male Boer Goats Experiencing Heat Stress.” Texas Journal of Agricultural and Natural Resources 23: 12-18. https://txjanr.agintexas.org/index.php/txjanr/article/view/58
