# Playground ideas!



## Kfin

We have recently purchased three goats, they are all Lamanchas, and we are wanting to build a playground for them. Something fun looking and that they can have a ton of fun on. I have seen the spools of wire and stuff but for one have no idea where to get them, and I really want soemthing bigger with more levels.

Anyhow what do you use for playgrounds? I am looking for good ideas for these girls. We are having a blast with them and I just bought them a big ball to play with, but I know they have a climbing instinct and want to let them have their fun.


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## liz

I have a dirt pile, a sliding board with a platform for lounging and a tractor trailer tire half buried in the ground for stabilty...my girls and babies love jumping on it as well as launching off of it...the hole is also perfect for them to go through and scratch themselves.


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## logansmommy7

Mine have two big stumps to jump on/stand on and a rock pile with tires around it. They love all of them...a platform might be a good add though...Thanks Liz!


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## 4hmama

We have some tree stumps from a lumber yard down the road, and old concrete steps that were torn off of a porch. We will be adding concrete slabs from a driveway also.... I'm thinking it has to help wear the hooves down a little bit!


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## SterlingAcres

Our goats have leftover childrens outdoor toys; including a little girls castle, a play gym with a slide and a tall slide. They also have tires, 2 dog houses, wire spools and an old table.

In the new enclosure for the barn, we'll have a slew of boulders and leftover cinder blocks as well.
You can use just about anything for goats


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## AlaskaBoers

There are a few spools in the bigger pens for mine, though mostly they just hang out near the feeders :doh:


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## mrs. lam

You can get spools from the power company or electrical installer. You can get old wooden stairs from moble home places. They love them.


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## Epona142

old coffee tables that you can buy on craigslist. Kids love to sleep under them, adults love to sleep on top.


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## DebMc

We have clusters of different sized cable spools that I use as training stations for my goats. They like to jump around on them in addition to doing tricks for treats on cue. We got the spools free of charge from an electric supply shop. Then we have some Little Tike's playground equipment: the climbing cube w/slide, a free-standing slide, a playhouse and a princess bed - all purchased used but in excellent condition at a fraction of the cost of new. I recently added an X-large dog Igloo that the mini goaties like to mount and balance on. I turned a large galvanized wash tub upside down and all the goats like to jump and balance on that, too. Likewise, they take turns laying inside an empty stock tank and for some reason seem to find that amusing. We converted a 6X8X8 turkey coop into a two-story loft as another playhouse and shelter for the mini goats. And last but not least, my goats play with dog squeaker toys and balls.  

Deb Mc


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## citylights

Deb I remember your post about your goats playing w/ squeakie toys: I'm still amazed!


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## DebMc

citylights said:


> Deb I remember your post about your goats playing w/ squeakie toys: I'm still amazed!


It all started w/Katie the Queen but turned infectious! Now all my goats play with dog toys. Sadly, I'm having to rehome the 3 Angoras  ; all their squeaker toys and balls are going with them. The standard doeling preceded the others and is already at their new home and guess what? Her very first day there, she taught her new goat pal to play with dog toys, too. It just tickles me to see goaties playing with dog toys.


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## Zero

how do you set a tire up in the ground and keep it from falling over when the goats get on it?


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## goinggoaty

I have 3 tractor tires stacked on thier sides not straight on top but lopsided and the goats jsut love them, they great for rubbing oon jumping on and playing king of the tire pile on.


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## HoosierShadow

I thought about making a playground area too, but my goats entertain themselves pretty easy. We have a large stack of firewood <2 rows wide>, and they LOVE it. I pulled a huge unsplit piece from the side of it today, and it rocks back and forth, the 3 kids were playing on it soooo much this morning, they all went into the shelter to nap HAHA! 
We also have large tree trunks from trees that my husband has cut down that the kids love to play on. 
And...the goat kids have taken interest in my old muck bucket, which is just a regular tall bucket....they knock it over and climb inside of it!
One of our does isn't entertained unless we are out there. We are her entertainment!


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## Zero

Gah where would I find one. We do have a tractor out there and they love it...its shot and not going any where any time soon.

though where can I find a cheap tire that size


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## Mon Reve Farm

We have a two level platform so far that when the babies were smaller they would lay underneath in the shade. It's made out of pallet wood and free pieces we got at a trailer place nearby. The plan is to build a third level that is higher than first two.

I also have a stump of tree we pulled out that is roughly 3+ feet long - trimmed all the small branches and put that in the pen.

Love the tires! Hmmmmm... might have to start checking out the tractor places and farms for a couple of those...


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## Zero

Mon Reve Farm said:


> We have a two level platform so far that when the babies were smaller they would lay underneath in the shade. It's made out of pallet wood and free pieces we got at a trailer place nearby. The plan is to build a third level that is higher than first two.
> 
> I also have a stump of tree we pulled out that is roughly 3+ feet long - trimmed all the small branches and put that in the pen.
> 
> Love the tires! Hmmmmm... might have to start checking out the tractor places and farms for a couple of those...


can I see your plat form and get a idea please  
I have been dieing for a new idea for them. I think the kids are getting board with the old jumping stuff


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## glenolam

I have a balance beam I made with 2 stumps the same height and a 2x4 - just nailed the 2x4 to the top of the stumps and viola! I also put 3 stumps of different heights in a line so they can do king of the moutain and have some littly tykes kid toys (like a castle climber and slide cube) to play in/on.


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## Mon Reve Farm

The platform is nothing fancy and not quite complete yet. The first level is barely 6" off the ground and the second 12" off the ground. The babies are too big now to get under the second level. We are planning a third level with a ramp coming off the back end.

You can see some pix in our goat album on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 31dfcc34c9

We haven't done much work as we have been working on a lean to for the buck pen until we can build/buy shed for them this winter.

Amika
Mon Reve Farm - Lower Slower Delaware


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## liz

The truck tire I have was given to me by a friend who drives semi...2 actually, haven;t got the other to the buck pen yet.
The one for the does is buried in the ground, up to the rim of the tire center...hubby drilled holes into it so it wouldn't hold water then filled it with pea gravel and back spaded the dirt around and in it...hasn't moved in the 2 years since it was first put in.


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## HoosierShadow

That's a good idea liz on how you did the tire! Thanks for sharing! We have SEVERAL car tires in the back behind our goat pen, and no clue what to do with them. I thought the kids would enjoy them if I buried them half way in the ground side by side, something for them to climb.
Thankfully it doesn't take much to entertain my goats. Bring the wheel barrow in, and they are all over it! Nothing more funny than a couple trying to figure out how to climb the ladder today when I was trying to work on some temporary shelters! 

I'd keep an eye on local craigslist for stuff you can use for a playground. Check out the 'free' section on there, or if there is something that comes to mind - search words like kid, toys, etc.

Oh, and pallets are FREE and you can do a lot with them, make platforms, etc. My goats LOVE pallets. I have 2 stacked up on the ground near the barn where I was working tonight, and they were all trying to get on them - then the buck came over and ran them off, and has taken up residency on them.


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## dtincoelemari

A lot of times you can just ask a tire shop for their scrap tires if you don't have any laying around and they are happy to give them away. I have some huge 24" wide by 40" tall that I used to feed my horses out of. Im not really sure what they came off of but they make great toys. Also, tiny tires are great!! lol My husband works on ATV'S and side by sides among otherthings so, we get the junk tires all the time and the kids love to curl up in them. 

Something else I have in my pens that the goats love to play on and sleep under are old truck canopies. I seems to run across them all the time with broken out windows and so people are mostly willing to just give them away. I just set them on the ground for the kids. Then I make stands to set and bolt them on for the adults, then I just put a set of stairs to the side. They seem to enjoy jumping off them just as much as the kids. plus it another shelter =)


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