Seriously. The chicken food isn't good for the goats, but they will fight me to exhaustion to get it. I currently have ALL the food locked up in a dog crate, and they somehow got the bag of scratch open and ate every bit THROUGH THE BARS. Magic! They got the crate open today too! I"m going to have to put a caribiner on it. Plus, I can't feed the chickens when they're out in the yard, because they'll run off the chickens and eat the food. Obviously i'm going to have to separate them into their own area (I have 1/4 acre fenced off for all the animals and tehy live communally), but until then, does anyone have any ideas for a goat proof feader so I don't have to wait until night to feed the chickens? un
Besides for completely seperating the goats and chickens about the only other thing you could do is put your feeder up on a platform thats maybe 5 feet up or so with a few perches or maybe a very slim ramp that would allow the chickens to either fly up or walk up the ramp and not allow the goats. I just keep mine seperated where the goats cant get to the food it seems easier for me.
Unless to could make a square of gates or something the chickens can go under that the goats cant. I know that is almost impossible. They are sooo limber. And if they think you have food LOOK OUT!
Welcome to my world! My girls are smart though, when Im pushing one out of the way the other will slip past me and start eating it behind my back. When I turn to move her the other slips in around me and starts to eat while Im busy with the other. They are very smart, and Im not.
The platform idea will work. I have to feed my barn cats on top of a tall rabbit hutch to keep the goats out of the cat food.
Whatever you do, do not put in a ramp... as small as it may seem, a goat has wonderful footing and will find a way to climb it.... I find that if I feed the goats then while they're eating throw out the chicken food scattered on the ground then that has stopped the issue somewhat.... As soon as DH finishes the coop, then the food feeder will be in the coop and hopefully I estimated that the chicken door is small enough to keep the goats out..... Good luck...
Here's what I did in the barn at my old place. I bought a cattle panel and cut in half to give me 2 8' pieces. I put them together in the corner of the barn to make a box. I put the feeders in the back to middle of the 8' box, the chickens could get thru the squares but those pesky goats couldn't. At that time I had leghorns and RIR's. My current goats have no probs getting on top of their house that is almost 5' tall. If a goat wants something bad enough you really have to work hard to outsmart them. Good luck, smiles Jul
