How to keep goats entertained

How to keep goats entertained

It seems like goats are always up to some antics. They love to climb, chew, and explore. So how do you keep them entertained?

There are several things you can add to goats' living environment to help them stay active and fit. Here are a few ideas to consider.

Add things that they can climb on

Goats love climbing on all sorts of things. They enjoy this and it allows them to show which ones are the dominant ones in the group. You have several options such as tables, benches, tires, pallets/crates, wooden cable spools, large rocks, or a kid's playhouse.

Use food enrichment toys

We all know that goats love to chew. Consider adding some fun toys that allow them to work for treats. There are creative DIY projects online if you want to create your own or you could purchase something such as a Kong toy made for dogs.

Give them areas to hide

The goats that are a little more skittish and aren't on the top of the chain will appreciate some hiding spots. A tunnel designed for children or even tires lined up in a tube-like fashion could be entertaining and offer security to your goats.
Provide an outlet for them to show off their head butting skills
Goats aren't just climbers and chewers, they also like to headbutt, as you probably know. Consider installing a heavy-duty ball in their pen or one of those punching bags that will pop back up after being slammed down.

Add flashy and colorful toys

Goats are entertained by new, exciting things. Since they're curious by nature, they like shiny, vibrant toys and even ones that make noise, so consider this when choosing new toys to add to the environment. You could even put up a rust-free piece of metal (with smooth edges) for your goats to look at. They also enjoy different textures like a sandbox to dig their hooves into. Also, keep in mind that goats like new things, so try to cycle out toys periodically.

Provide scratchers

Your goats will have itches they want to scratch, so remember to add some kind of scratcher into the environment. You could add a scrub brush, equine scratcher, a bristled welcome mat or a scratch pad to posts in their environment.

As you can see there are plenty of ways to keep your goats entertained, and these are just a few ideas. You could also consider a kiddie pool, see-saw or even putting in an old plastic water bottle to push around.

You can see some fun DIY projects here and additional ideas. Just keep in mind that you want these items to be safe for your goats to put their mouths on. You need to avoid things that could be toxic for them, have sharp edges or could break into several pieces with rough play.