Keeping goats busy can be one of the greatest challenges of goat ownership.
People don’t always think of them as being such intelligent animals needing so much stimulation, but they really will get restless very quickly if they don’t have a lot of fun stuff to do.
Knowing what to give them as toys can be tricky, so today we’re going to help you out with that.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best toys for goats, from the simplest DIY job to the fanciest, store-bought accessories that your goats can keep busy with.
Whatever you decide on, your goats will appreciate it!
Trampoline
To kick things off, one thing that goats will certainly love is a small trampoline.
One that they can easily climb onto, that isn’t too large, and that they can gently bounce on.
Goats love to jump and bounce around, and you can be sure there will be trampolines appropriate for your breed of goats.
A trampoline is an easy way to keep your goat busy, and it won’t break the bank either.
Pallets
One you might not even need to buy, but your goats can still love, are wooden pallets.
Again, they make great climbing frames for your goat if you can stack some, or even lean one against a wall.
They are great for climbing and balancing on, and are pretty easy to find virtually anywhere.
Make sure there are no nails or splinters sticking out of the planks anywhere, and make sure it’s all clean—especially if you picked it up on a roadside somewhere.
The great thing about goats, though, is that they’ll not know the difference between a store-bought toy and someone else’s trash!
Straw bale
Whether decorative picked up from a goat supply store or a real straw bale, these again make great climbing frames for your goats.
They might even enjoy chewing small bits of straw off them.
Decorative straw bales are good for smaller goats, and they also won’t degrade as quickly.
So, decorative ones are certainly a great choice.
For larger goats, though, I would suggest real straw bales.
Unless you can find very large decorative straw bales.
Either way, they’re another great choice for goats of all sizes.
Seesaw
Who doesn’t love a seesaw?
Goats are just like human kids in a lot of ways.
They love playing with just about anything, and are especially fascinated by playground toys like seesaws.
The great thing about seesaws is that your goats can play on them cooperatively.
This may even positively impact herd behavior.
Pet seesaws are available in most large pet stores, and the smaller ones can hold up to 100 pounds.
For heavier goats, you may be able to find stronger seesaws.
That said, they’re also not that difficult to make yourself!
Pool
Depending on the climate in your area, or at least the time of year, a pool can be a really great choice.
In the warm summer months, your goats are going to want to cool off in water, and a pool is a great way to do this.
They will also have some fun while they’re in there, splashing around and playing with one another.
You can get cheap pools, fancy pools, or you can just dig a whole in the ground and fill it with water!
Climbing frame
As you’ve seen, a lot of the toys we’ve talked about here look to satisfy a goat’s desire to climb.
Especially small goats love to jump on things, climb on them, and get a higher vantage point.
Given the right apparatus, larger goats will, too.
So, one other toy you can potentially put together yourself or buy is a climbing frame.
You could make this out of waste timber, pallets, or you could buy one from a pet store.
You could even have one bespoke made.
If you have heavy goats, they will need to be heavy load-bearing.
But a climbing frame of any kind is a great idea for your goat.
Slides
Slides come in many forms, and they’re often a fantastic addition to climbing frames.
If you’ve got small goats, you can also use kiddy, plastic climbing frames with slides on them.
Goats will love running down the slides, and they make a quick and easy way to get down.
Adult goats might be less interested in slides, but it depends on how easy it is for them to get up there.
If you can put together a strong enough frame, any goat will love a slide.
Tires
The universal, most tried and true toy of the goat: tires.
For goats of all shapes and sizes and to fill all sorts of different play desires and needs, tires are perfect for your goat’s pasture to keep them busy.
They can jump on them, headbutt them, bounce on them, roll them around.
If you’ve got big goats, there’s going to be a tire big enough for them to jump on.
Barrel
Another great addition to a jungle gym of climbing frames, the barrel.
Again, while better suited to smaller goats, a barrel turned on its side can still be great for larger goats.
They are fun to roll around and jump on, and a sturdy wooden barrel can last even the rowdiest goats years.
Tetherball
Finally, another universally adored goat game and human game: tetherball.
Easy to pick up from any department store, or again even quite easy to make yourself, your goats will keep themselves entertained for hours smacking the ball back and forth between them.
Tetherball is a great toy for your goats.
So there you have it! We hope that this list will give you some ideas of what toys to buy for your goats!