Help your goats beat boredom and live their best lives with these fun ideas. Transform their enclosure into a goat playground with a few inexpensive additions. Something to climb on, rub on, or a change of scenery is all a goat needs to stay occupied and out of trouble.
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Goats are notorious for getting out and getting into trouble!
If yours pick locks or scale walls, it could be because they are lonely, hungry, or just plain bored. Never fear, there are a few easy things you can do to give your goats a life of contentment.
We have a lot of goats on our farm and have very few escape artists. My theory is that happy goats stay in their fences, and we strive to give all of our animals a life that is safe, comfortable, and engaging.
Here are the 6 ways we keep a happy herd:
1. Goats are Happiest with a Buddy
A goat will be miserable by itself. As herd animals, they need at least one other animal to satisfy this primal need. Goats can be happy in a herd of two, twenty, or two hundred. They learn their place in the hierarchy and this social construct guides their behavior and gives them a sense of security. They know when to eat, where to lay, and who to follow.
They prefer to hang out with their own kind, in a multi-species grazing situation the goats will stick together. However, if they are the only goat, it is not uncommon for them to befriend and bond with horses, sheep, cattle, or other animals.
Not only will a buddy keep your goat from being lonely, he or she will help them stay warm in the winter when they snuggle.
2. Goats are Happiest with Something to Eat
As ruminants, a goat’s digestive system is set up for grazing most of the day. This means that to keep your goat happy, and healthy, they need access to food. I am not saying that you should provide grain to your goats 24/7. Instead, your goats should have access to pasture, browse, or hay much of the time to keep their rumen operating properly. They will eat their fill and then lie down and chew their cud peacefully.
Like dogs, goats enjoy treats and your goat will be delighted to receive a piece of watermelon, banana, carrot, apple or the occasional animal cracker. These treats can be helpful training tools or a reward for a shy animal that gives you a chance.
Eating can be a way for a bored animal to pass the time, to spice things up for them in the summer, cut off some mulberry or sassafras boughs and throw them in their pen. Goats love leaves! Just watch out for cherry and ornamental shrubs, they are poisonous to goats. After Christmas, your goats would love to munch on your non-sprayed, undecorated tree.
In addition to adequate roughage, your goats need unlimited access to minerals. Salt (sodium), selenium, copper, sulfur, and magnesium are among the minerals that your goats need to stay healthy and thriving. On our farm, we provide loose minerals in homemade PVC feeders, for directions on how to make these feeders, click here. For other ideas of how to provide minerals for your goats, click here to read our related article.
3. Goats are Happiest with Something to Climb on
As a descendant of mountain goats, your domestic goat can’t resist the urge to climb and explore the heights. Goats will use stumps, landscaping pavers, wooden spools, or anything similar to play king of the mountain on.
The structure doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. When our human kids outgrew their backyard playset, we moved it into a goat enclosure for them to enjoy… and they really do! You can get a good deal on secondhand swing sets and playhouses at garage sales or on Facebook Marketplace. You can also get creative repurposing unwanted tires or lawn furniture as goat obstacles, and save them from going to the dump, a win/win!
4. Goats are Happiest with Something to Rub on
Our goats love their scratching posts and use them all the time. We made ours by screwing brushes to a wooden post or their playset for them to rub on. For the tutorial for making a simple scratching post for goats, click here!
Not a DIYer? You can also buy a nice scratching brush that I’m sure your goats will love.
5. Goats are Happiest with a Change of Scenery
You know the saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side”? Well, I know goats think the same. They are always trying to get the elusive plant on the other side of the fence, just out of reach.
You can prevent your goats from getting discontent with the forage in their enclosure by moving them periodically to a new area. This can be achieved through building multiple paddocks or using portable electric fencing. The practice of rotational grazing is good not only for helping your goats beat boredom, but also as an effective means of reducing parasite exposure and improving the quality of your pastures.
6. Goats are Happiest with Something to Play with
Goats are playful animals and will mess with whatever they have in their pen to pass the time. We have a Jolly Ball, made for horses, that our goats play with. They also have fun opening and closing the windows in their houses.
You can buy balls and other toys for goats on Amazon. There is a ball that you can hang and fill with hay or treats that I would like to get. Since goats play with whatever they can reach, make sure that your enclosure is free of wires or sharp objects because they will find them!
If you have other ways that you keep your goats occupied and happy, I would love to hear about them in the comments below.
Mother, farmer, author, and teacher by trade… She loves tending to things and watching them grow!