Chickens with horses; Free range or tractor

[Chris_HV_NY]

I have 19 hens and ideally would like to build a tractor for all of them but 16'x10' (8 sqft/) is a damn big tractor. So I am wondering about free ranging them next to the horse paddock.

Has anyone done this? Benefits or problems?

What about bringing the tractor into the paddock?

We have two 3yo Bashkir Curly Horse Mares, 1 foal almost 6 mos, and an almost feral barn cat which is well-fed in the barn. And a possum who lives under the rear of the barn... No predators have approached the current coop or run (yet - knock on wood).

Also, I used to free range some meat chickens with Shetland sheep years ago. The best thing was they ate all the flies that came after the droppings. Is it safe to assume that my layers will do the same thing with flies in the paddock?

 

[Mrs. K]

The horses and chickens will ignore each other after one or two encounters. Chickens seem to ignore their manure around here. I would not trust the possum, but we don't have them here. The idea of a tractor is fresh grass with out predator problems, but I agree, too big.

I think that if you only free range them, you will have predators show up. I would not worry about the cat, unless you have chicks. Cats will get chicks, even well fed cats.

I have a large permanent run attached to my coop. I let them out to free range on an irregular schedule, if and when I get hit by a predator, they are in lock down for a while.

Mrs K

 

[centrarchid]

We used to do a lot of the horses and chickens bit. Concerns were keeping chickens from spending too much time over hay and not allowing hens to roost with chicks in stalls where chicks and even hen can get stocked. Depending on season and what horses where fed impacted how much interest chickens had in the horse feces. The chickens did particularly well when brambles where allowed to grow around fences and pond areas. Get rid of Opossum for benefit of the horses.

 

[Chris_HV_NY]

Get rid of Opossum for benefit of the horses.

Thanks for the suggestion about the opossum. I just searched and learned about EPM. Will be buying a havaheart this weekend.

 

[Chris_HV_NY]

Chickens seem to ignore their manure around here.

Thanks for your reply. The first year I had sheep I hung a fly trap and it was full by the end of the summer. The second year we got chickens and the same trap was only maybe 20% full at the end of the season. Did you find the chickens help with the flies around horses?

 

[Mrs. K]

I have a tendency to give advice based on my situation. I am rethinking the word "paddock ", as our horse are pastured. Close confinement, could cause a chicken to get stepped on or kicked. I still think that they would both quickly adjust to each other, but space is an issue.

Mrs K

 

[Chris_HV_NY]

I have a tendency to give advice based on my situation. I am rethinking the word "paddock ", as our horse are pastured. Close confinement, could cause a chicken to get stepped on or kicked. I still think that they would both quickly adjust to each other, but space is an issue.

Mrs K

Our paddock is almost 1 acre though I will be dividing it this spring to amend the soil and reseed half of it. But your point is well-taken. Thanks again!

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

One of my chicken flew over to the neighbors side of the fence which had horses.... they paid him no attention.

 

[centrarchid]

Our paddock is almost 1 acre though I will be dividing it this spring to amend the soil and reseed half of it. But your point is well-taken. Thanks again!

I acre with one horse, even with some sort of rotational grazing is going have very short grass for much of the year. You will have what is effectively a feed lot. The chickens will likely spend much of their time outside the area where the horse is located to get at more greens and the insects that congregate there.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well and reseeding will have to be protected from the chickens