all one big family?

[Barn Mama]

Hi I was just wondering if its possible to have goats, ducks, pigs and chickens all live together or am I better to have seperate pen`s for each. I would have seperate ``coops`` or living quarters for each, but can they all frolic together?

 

[marilyn1]

My duck lives with the goats just fine. Not sure about pigs and chickens.

This is there penned area when I'm not home and at night. I've had Donald for about 10 yrs. They keep him company. Just got the goats in july of 2012. They are pets and back yard animals. Donald lost his buddy duck a few years back and has been rather lonely. I have 2 nigerian dwarf goats. The people I got the goats from had large boer goats and had geese in with them and they got along fine

 

[Marty1876]

Well, I've done a bit of experimenting here too. I must first strongly caution against pigs with other animals. They like us, are omivores, and I've seen them kill and eat hens and roos and ducks alike. (and turtles and injured cats and.....) Thats a no. Little goats (like my nigerians dwarfs) are ok with geese. Probobly ok with ducks. Probobly ok with chickens. Probobly not ok with any turkeys, or if the geese are too unfriendly (like in mating time) bad news maybe. Geese can really hurt a goat.

Waterfowl should not be kept with chicens or turkeys. The reason is that waterfowl are natural carriers of AI (Avian Influenza) and they can and probobly will give it to your chickens. Now, they don't just give it too them once, they can give it to them over and over, messing up layers and killing the weak, and weakening the strong. Now, that said, if you have a few birds (a dozen geese, a dozen ducks, and a dozen chickens) in a 2 acre+ yard year round, you might be ok. If your keeping them confined in a pen smaller than that with 30 or more mixed species, you're gonna have AI problems. I learned this from our stap NPIP inspector when they tested our waterfowl and chickens a month ago. For the winter I put them togather. When we NPIP tested (I ship eggs and birds) they also AI test chickens and turkeys. Mine had it from living with waterfowl. Now, they come back 3-5 weeks later and retest. If mine still have it, I will have to seperate them permanently, and keep the waterfowl away from turkey/chicken areas. Total seperation always.

If I had known that, when I brought the free rangers in from being spread out all summer, I'd have seperated them all into two different pens for sure.

 

[donrae]

No on the pigs, yes to everything else. As stated, pigs are omnivores. Think of it this way, if you think a bear would eat it, so will a pig.

I keep chickens and duck together and do fine.
We've free ranged with goats, no problems EXCEPT........goats will gorge on the chicken feed. If they can get to it--and they'll tip things over or tear up fences---they'll truely make themselves sick. So you just need a very secure goat proof place to feed your birds, or have some other feeding plan in place.

 

[Barn Mama]

Thanks guys ...alot of help...

 

[nzpouter]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=4093602373390

 

[Caitlin2013]

I would never house pigs with other animals. They'll eat just about anything. I witnessed a pig attack, kill, and devour a hen within a matter of minutes. Sadly I was to late saving the hen, she died quickly but I didn't dare to go in with a pen of excited pigs to take the dead hen away.

I used to keep ducks and chickens together but I ended up splitting them up. The ducks make a mess with their water and my chickens hated dealing with all of the wet sawdust. The ducks also used to pick on the chickens and wouldn't let them eat the food. At one point I had six food dishes in the coop so the chickens could get a bite to eat. I also had chickens trying to swim with the ducks in their little pool. I just found it easier to split them apart. Then again, I just have very protective drakes that don't like anything near their mates. It just all depends on your own animals.
My chickens are happy living in their pen that is nice and neat and my ducks are happy in their pen which has a nice big swimming pool for them to swim in.

Goats would be fine to live with them as well depending on the goat's personality of course. My friend's goats are petrified of her chickens for some reason so she had to build them separate pens.