# Toys for crazy destructive buck???



## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Does anyone have ideas for "horn toys" for my buck? He loves destroying things with his horns & even hooking them into tall fences or trees so he can dangle by his horns. The other day he finished abusing some poor tree & then hooked his horns into the branches & jumped off a 4 foot retaining wall. He kind of hung there bobbing for maybe a second till the tree snapped. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing! :shocked: Does anyone else's buck enjoy hanging by his horns?Anything he can get his horns into, metal or wood, he yanks around as hard as he can. Not only is he wrecking everything, he's grinding away the surface of his pretty horns too. They have become visibly thinner. I'm afraid he'll break them, especially hanging his entire weight on them like that. He has climbing toys & other goats to interact with, but I guess he could still be bored...

:ram:


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## spidy1 (Jan 9, 2014)

wow, my buck doesn't do any thing like that, he has a hard horse jolly boll, about as big as a small exercise ball, it is solid so it can not pop, he loves it!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

They can be weird and bad boys.

How about a big tractor tire, just the rubber part not with rim?


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Those are really great ideas! Thanks! Is the Jolly Ball the red one that hangs from the ceiling of the stall? I imagine the hardware store has really strong rope. 

How would I install the tractor tire, & where would I get a used one? Do farmers use regular tire shops, the same kind cars owners use?

Also, can the surfaces of his horns regenerate? Are they like our toenails & hair, where once they grow out of the body they're not alive any more & can't repair themselves, or are they more like our skin which can replace damaged surface?

Thanks for your advice!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

My buck also loves to scrape and tangle his horns in things (although I have never seen him do the hanging you mention!) We cut down some very scratchy cedar trees, about 6 footers, and bolted them to the top of one of the wooden cable spools horizontally. He LOVES that. He gets under those and goes to town rattling his horns in the cedars. The cedars have some flexibility so they don't snap despite all his efforts. And the spool provides enough weight that it stays upright.


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## spidy1 (Jan 9, 2014)

no, it is not the hanging kind, but that may work, I don't have a pic to show you, I'v never seen another one like it so I can't tell you where you can get one. goats can not re grow horns, like fingernails when it is damaged it is damaged :tears:


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

Deleted, wrong thread sorry


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

catharina said:


> Those are really great ideas! Thanks! Is the Jolly Ball the red one that hangs from the ceiling of the stall? I imagine the hardware store has really strong rope.
> 
> How would I install the tractor tire, & where would I get a used one? Do farmers use regular tire shops, the same kind cars owners use?
> 
> ...


Sometimes you can go to a farmer and see if they have used tires laying around. They are heavy though. May have to get them to move it for you. The tire will just sit on the ground and he can bash it, rub on it ect. You can call around to tire shops. Put an add in craigslist or look in there for one.

It all depends on how deep the wear went. But it can regenerate some. But as well, might not, only time will tell.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Go to a place where they repair tractors. They will have some hanging around, or will get one, especially this time of year. Car repair shops also charge people to take their tires, you should be able to get those for free. 

He sounds like a pistol!!! Fun from this end of the computer!


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

How about a punching bag? For a cheap punching bag, I've seen people hang a car or truck tire from a tree branch. Just make sure the tire is big enough for him to get his horns in and out easily. As much as he seems to like hanging by his horns, it isn't exactly a safe activity and you don't want him to break his neck.

The stories about your goat hanging by his horns reminds me of this news item from last spring: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/goat-powerlines-greece-video_us_56fa32c2e4b0a372181ae02d


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

I better not let Sam see that story! He'd try & figure out something even more outrageous to top that goat!

I'll see how huge of a tire I can find & try to attach it upright to a fence post or something. There are already 2 car tires in there lying flat on the ground & I've never seen him pay any attention to them. I'll have to see if any tree branches would be strong enough to hold him when he used his punching bag as a tire swing, because he probably would.

Or maybe I can send him to Hollywood to be a stuntgoat & get rich...


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

How do you get cable spools still made of wood? That idea really sounds like something he'd go for. He could attack it or he could climb it.

Thanks for all these great ideas, & I'd love to hear more! When we talk about goat toys we usually mean climbing toys, & I think my goats would enjoy a little more variety & challenge. Only 2 or 3 generations ago they were bouncing around on cliffs & rocks, & exploring caves beside the ocean on San Clemente Island, while skillfully & usually sucessfully evading trophy hunters & helicopters. They're kind of like big monkeys with giant horns. Sometimes I forget they're goats.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Like these: https://bakersfield.craigslist.org/for/5811382892.html


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## spidy1 (Jan 9, 2014)

my big boy's ball...


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

We got our wooden electrical spools from our local electric co-op. They have a huge yard filled with spools in all sizes and they let us come load up our trailer for free. So I say call your electric company and ask.


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