Hey Goat People--Are my goats bored??

[tiffanyh]

Okay. I have had my goats 2+ years. Pygmy/Mini Mixes and whatnot. In their paddock area, they have two goat house (one is a extended dog house they prefer to the $500 shed I built), a silde, stumps to play on and tires. I have noticed they are starting to destroy things more lately. Are they bored???

I know I can shift things around to try to make things new again, but what do you all do to keep your goats thay can roam around a large pasture all day from getting bored?

 

[wynedot55]

have they grazed their pen out.if so you may want to give them a new area to graze.

 

[Chatychick]

How big is the area they live in? Is it too crowded and they cant run like they want too. Also do you keep hay out for them? goats by nature are natural chewers and they live to chew things up. Mine chew alot and it does help to keep the teeth wore down also. If mine see something thats new they taste and chew on it. If the pen is larger enough they should be fine if its not too crowded. Remove a toy and wait a while and then replace it.

 

[goatkeepers]

I agree, how much of an area do they have? If they are too crowded, they can get destructive. But like chaty said, they are chewers.

Mine love the toy we built for them: 5 big cable spools (ask electric companies) connected with bridges and ramps.

 

[helmstead]

Yup, time to change things around a bit. Look around garage sales for plastic kid's lawn stuff, like those toddler slides and tables. Mine LOVE them and I got mine for free

I also like to hang treats up every now and then, like a head of cabbage or lettuce, where they have to really work at getting at them.

 

[tiffanyh]

They are 4 minis--in a 60ish by 60ish foot area...they also have an 8x8 shed outside that area and a 4x8 doghouse to play in.

I really cant move them anywhere else. I have considered making a second small pen on the other side of the goat shed (it woulbe be only 50x30 or so) and trying to grow grass hay in it then put them in there occasionally for grazing. Some variety.....Problem is, I get very little sun in that spot so I probably could grow anything--although the soil is beautiful!

They have eaten down their pen area and they do have free hay from bales all day long. I throw brush in also for munching.....

I put a kids slide in there. Problem is, if I brought anything like kids toys home to put in there...my kids would take them! lol

Ill try the hanging thing...maybe I could do a pully and hang branches full of leaves on them once in a while.

Anyone else with small paddocks?? What do you do??