Free ranging with livestock as predator protection?

[cyfarian]

Greetings! I just spoke with a regenerative ag farm manager. He said that he uses almost no feed, but rather day free ranges his chickens with his livestock for predator protection. He said that the chickens run under the livestock if they see any sky predators and that the ground predators stay away as well. Since he added a light brahma rooster, he hasn't lost a single bird. He said that the brahma running with his wings spread looks like a hawk to sky predators. He added little play structures for the goats that also serve emergency shelters for the chickens when danger arises. He puts them in a coop at night. He sells 30 dozen eggs a week on almost NO feed.

I have horses and goats that are in the same pasture together and would love to day range using this method. Has anyone else tried something similar? I think I would need an older free range hen to teach the rest of the flock.

 

[Perris]

I haven't tried it but it sounds interesting; your hens would benefit from the horses and goats pooh too!

 

[cyfarian]

your hens would benefit from the horses and goats pooh too!

They would eat down the fly larvae, which is a HUGE win for us AND the poor horses.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

Sounds good in theory but, goats are easily preyed upon by coyotes. The horses may be somewhat of a protection as they might chase off coyotes or foxes. When we had sheep and goats we had donkeys with them and it worked pretty well until it got dry and the donkeys went away from the sheep to find better grazing and left the sheep unattended.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Get a Donkey. Those things have some kind of psycho-natural-programming to go beserk on coyotes and other dog-like predators (fox, etc). They pretty much stand around doing nothing all day and then a coyote comes by and they run full speed at them ready to roll some heads. They're insane... but effective.

 

[Studabird]

Get a Donkey. Those things have some kind of psycho-natural-programming to go beserk on coyotes and other dog-like predators (fox, etc). They pretty much stand around doing nothing all day and then a coyote comes by and they run full speed at them ready to roll some heads. They're insane... but effective.

I would love to see that. Any video??

 

[Folly's place]

My chickens range in our winter horse pasture, and the horses ignore them. Hawks, and one time a fox, killed chickens out there and the horses could have cared less.
I have never had a donkey, so don't know about them.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

We also have cattle in separate fields, and neither the horses or the cattle pay any attention to foxes or coyotes wandering around. The horses will chase deer out of their field, but that's about it.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

How big is your pasture? Do you think there is any chance the horses and/or goats will be in the same area your chickens are in very often? The pasture across the road is maybe 20 acres, probably more. The guy runs a horse, a donkey, and several cattle in it at times. The horse and donkey stick together. They are often no where near the cattle. That donkey is not offering the calves much protection when it is at the opposite end of the pasture. I sometimes see coyotes in that pasture but usually not near the donkey. The horse doesn't seem bothered by coyotes or dogs at all. The donkey ignores dogs.

A lady on the sister gardening forum added a donkey to her goats for coyote protection. Instead of bonding with the goats the donkey tried to kill the kids. Sometimes you can get a donkey to bond with goats, sheep, whatever, but sometimes you can't. I'd expect it to be a challenge to get a donkey, horse, or goat to bond with chickens to the point of protecting them. A tremendous challenge.

If you have good forage chickens can pretty much feed themselves in the good weather months. They often enjoy scratching in poop, they get partially digested bits plus the creepy crawlies that live in it, like fly larva. That part of the story is correct, in good weather months you don't have to feed the chickens if you have good forage.

People have been free ranging chickens on small farms for thousands of years. Sometimes you can go years without predator attacks, even without guard dogs or good fences. But sometimes predators attack whether there are goats, horses, donkeys, cattle, guard dogs, or anything else around. When you free range like that you take your chances.

 

[cyfarian]

Thanks for the great info!

The goats have been free-ranging here for 6 years without any issue from predators. They aren't restricted to any pasture. They can go anywhere on the farm they want, but they usually stay near the horses or by my house. They are all male. I am not concerned about them being attacked. I am asking if their presence will help deter predators from the chickens, including sky predators.