Goat playground ideas come in many shapes and sizes and can be constructed out of many different things. If you’re raising goats, here are five fun and safe goat playground ideas for your herd to explore.
Why Build a Goat Playground
Goats are fun-loving, adventurous, and full of life, but when bored, they can get into trouble. Goat playground ideas help to keep your herd out of trouble by providing them with fun, enrichment ideas while helping to instill natural behaviors such as jumping and climbing.
No matter the goat breed, goats who live enriched lives have reduced stress levels, live longer lives, and have fewer health problems. An enriched life also means you have less chance of your favorite caprine becoming bored and leaping the pasture fence to nibble on your neighbor’s garden. Goat playground ideas also work perfectly for getting your animals outdoors during goat barn cleaning time.
Goat Playground Ideas: Safety First
Goats can be destructive and love to chew and butt anything they can get. When browsing for some new and enriching goat playground ideas, always be sure that they are safe for your herd. Even though ideas may look fun, some goat playground materials may be harmful or even fatal if ingested. Before creating a goat playground, be sure to check to see if tree limbs and stumps (more on that later) and any material on man-made playground accessories are safe for goats.
As goats age, they may not be as sure-footed as they were in their younger years. If older goats are in the picture, be sure to remove any playground equipment they may fall off of to prevent injuries and accidental deaths.
Always be sure to allow plenty of space between the playground ideas and the fence to prevent goats from jumping the pasture fence.
1. Stumps and Limbs
If you have access to forests, tree lines, or have a tree planted in your yard that has been damaged by a storm, you can use these limbs and branches for some fun goat playground ideas.
Lay large branches that can hold up to the weight of several goats at a time in the pasture and watch the fun begin. Goats love to climb tree branches and perch in the top branches, surveying their surroundings.
If you have small apple trees that your herd can safely and easily climb, don’t be surprised to see your goats climbing trees. Goats love to climb and will even climb their fence if bored.
Safety Tip: When selecting tree limbs and branches for goats, stay away from red maple, oak, cherry, apricot, peach, and plum trees, almond trees, and yew, as these varieties are toxic to goats.
2. King of the Mountain
Playing king of the mountain on tree stumps is not only one of the simplest goat playground ideas, but it will probably be one of your herd’s favorite pastimes.
Goats love to jump on tree stumps, push each other off, and some will even lay on a stump to take a nap and chew their cud. For more fun, lay some tree stumps on their sides for a more difficult balancing exercise for your herd to master.
While tree stumps are a hit with goats of any age, they are especially popular with kids and young adults. There is nothing more fun than watching kids kick up their heels and do a little victory dance on top of their favorite stump.
3. Agility Equipment
Dog agility equipment is the most often overlooked of the goat playground ideas discussed in this article. From agility teeters, ramps, and A-frames, goats will enjoy trying out your dog’s agility equipment.
Have a goat who is super intelligent? You may even be able to teach them to walk through the weave poles or leap over jumps. Just be sure to make the jumps low enough to avoid injuries.
Safety Tip: Most agility equipment is safe for goats, but stay clear of agility tunnels, as goats will chew and eat them. Ingesting even just a small bit of a tunnel may result in your goat requiring expensive and risky surgery. Err on the side of caution and always leave the tunnels to the dogs.
4. Old Tires
Old tires provide several goat playground ideas. Stand the tire on end for goats to climb on, or place them in a pile for young goats to leap on.
Tires are a fun enrichment for goats, so if you have any tires you no longer want, why not repurpose them into a goat playground?
Safety Tip: Tires are hard for goats to nibble on, but if you have an especially curious goat, check the tires every few days and remove them if goats try to chew on them.
5. Build a Goat Tree
If you are looking for some fun DIY goat playground ideas, look no further than a goat tree. Just like cat trees, goat trees can be built with multiple levels, ramps, and even steps. However, unlike cat trees, goat trees should be built without the use of fabric and other materials, as goats will chew and ingest them.
Use your imagination and have fun, but don’t forget, when building a goat tree with multiple levels, make it tall enough to prevent your herd from getting stuck between levels.
Safety First: Never use pressure-treated wood to construct a goat tree, as goats will chew on the wood, ingesting the harmful toxins used to preserve the lumber. Choose a safe wood, such as pine, to construct a goat tree and stay clear of using lumber that is toxic to goats.
These are just a few goat playground ideas you can construct for your herd. With a little imagination and following these safety tips, you can create a fun playground for goats that will enrich their lives for years to come.
This article about goat playground ideas was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
