Commingling Chicken & Horses

[DoctorGoose]

Our chickens and horses live in tight quarters, and they've both been fine. I don't know what the big deal about salmonella is--it's an ubiquitous organism....it's EVERYWHERE!! Unless you have your horse eating hay infested with chicken poop, it's not going to be a problem.

 

[Michael&Anna]

Wow - Thank you all for taking the time to offer us such useful information, sound advice, and funny stories. This is our first time having chickens and horses - 48 Buff Orpingtons, 2 large Paints and a Tennessee Walker, plus our outside/garage cat (in her own cat condo) had four kittens. Yes we tend to jump right into things, but we're loving it and it's been great as a family with our two kids (10 & 12). Thankfully our kids don't mind mucking out stalls and the cats are scared to death of the chickens and the horses hooves.

I'm sure we'll be on this forum frequently asking for more advice and sharing our own stories. Thanks again.

Warm regards and Happy Holidays... Michael & Anna from Crete, IL

 

[V Chic Chick]

Just a thought (bearing in mind I know nothingness about horses) if a horse was spooked then it could kick a chicken (especially in a confined area like a stable), which would probably be fatal.

 

[jkcove08]

I think it is great to have chickens scratching through the horse poo. That way you dont have the big piles to go around, the chickens scatter it everywhere so it dries so quick and is gone. Also you always have those darn little flys around the poo and nothing is funnier then watching guineas around the piles jumping at the flys. I am hoping to get pics or a little video this summer. They also give my horse a little exercise and the other way around too. When Jack gets bored he will chase the chickens and guineas around the pasture. He never actually trys to step on them and they know it because the just run a short distance and then go back to eating until he comes by again. I think they kinda enjoy playing together. Jenn

 

[apbgv]

they aren't horses but my dogs ingest a large portion of chicken poo on a weekly basis cause the chickens free range in the dog yard(when the dogs aren't out) and I have had no problems, the chickens likewise sift through the dog poo also. Oh what fun

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I wish I had had a camera yesterday, but my "bottom of the totem pole" rooster, Urkel, lives in the barn with the horse - he doesn't mingle, cause every one of the other chickens tried to beat the crap out of him. Anyway, yesterday I fed the horse and went to feed the calf, and walked back into the barn to see Urkel standing in the horse feeder, munching away, while the horse ate her food. It was too cute <g>.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[miss_thenorth]

For 7 months now, my chickens have lived with my horses.--not having any problems. My sil, however, has lost a rooster to a horses water bucket, and I believe a broody chicken, who decided to set in the horses stall, was lost also. She and I both have our chickens and horses intermingling--her longer than I. she also has a goat and a llama.

 

[arwmommy]

I have no horses, so feel free to totally disregard this possibly uneducated opinion, but.......

......I would be careful about letting the chickens dig through the poop after you worm your horses. I am a crazy organic gardener/composter, and know that as great as horse poop is for the compost, that you should make sure it is not from recently wormed horses.

I would imagine that that would apply to the chicken-egg cycle as well, as you are not to eat eggs for a while after worming chickens (if you need to-- it is certainly not routine).

JMHO.

 

[GwenFarms]

Alot of my culls, the ones that don't go in the pot, are turned out for poop duty. They keep the piles scattered in the pasture so that we don't have to drag so often. These birds couldn't be healthier. They eat from the poop and eat pellets that the horses drop. I have one hen that has been out there for about five years now. I've never put them up when we were worming, or done anything at all. They do just fine.

As far as salmonella, or coccidia, or any other concerns over birds making the horses sick, I would think wild birds would be more of a threat than chickens. They are certainly more plentiful.

 

[dragonchild]

Allowing your chickens (or ducks, or guineas) around your horse barn will help keep the flies down, too! Those funny birds will scratch for the fly larvae, and will grab a fly on the wing. They're fun to watch them chase the flies around sometimes! Much cheaper (and more entertaining) than expensive fly spray for your horses!