How to Keep Your Goats Physically Fit

By Cheryl K. Smith from Raising Goats For Dummies

Raising goats can be a great way to achieve a sustainable lifestyle, but you want to keep them healthy and happy. Goats are into exercise by nature because they're browsers, which means they're always on the move. As long as they have each other and ample space to move around, they can stay physically fit, but exercising your goats can make your life and theirs more fun.

Walking with your goats: Exercising with your goats can be as simple as taking a walk around the pasture or any other convenient place.

Practice walking with a lead around the pasture and kill two birds with one stone — exercise and training! Or if you're in the city, take them through the neighborhood on a leash (giving a wide berth to the neighbor's prize roses).
Furnishing your yard or pasture with toys: Kids love to play and, like all baby animals, are bursting with energy!You can give them a place to expend that energy by putting goat toys in your pasture.

Some suggestions for pasture toys include
- Wooden spools, like those used for electrical wire. Kids love to jump on them. Make sure to cover the hole in the middle or someone will get hurt.
- Old tires, the bigger the better. My dad found a huge used tire and immediately thought of the goats. I have videos of them playing king of the mountain, jumping on and off, and running in circles around that tire.
- Wooden ramp structures. These are easy to make with a wooden base and a 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 ramp to walk up to the top.
- Old Little Tikes plastic playground equipment. You can sometimes find these cheap at garage sales.
- Rocks. Goats have fun jumping and climbing on large rocks, which offer a secondary benefit of helping wear down hooves.
- Plastic storage tubs. Turn the tubs upside-down and kids can jump on them. Put them on their side or right-side-up and kids will sleep in them.