Goats killing two month old chicks?

[fourhorses44]

Has anyone ever heard of a goat killing a chicken, maybe by head butting it?

In the last week, I have found two of my ten-week-old chicks lying dead inside the chicken coop with not a mark on them. Both were killed in the morning, after I fed. My daughter found each of them around noon, when she went to collect eggs. The first one was under the nest boxes, but kind of in the open. The second one was clear back in the corner, against the wall, and under the roosts which go all the way down to about 18" from the floor, which is pretty hard to get to really.

I feed my two Nigerian Dwarf goats inside the chicken coop as well. The mama goat is pretty bad about head butting but I've only seen her head butt our half grown puppy (1/2 Lab, 1/2 Great Dane) who pesters her constantly. Mama goat weighs about 45 lbs. Baby goat weighs about 25 lbs. (Puppy weighs about 65 lbs at five months!) Both of the goats can both fit through the pop door.

I am just bewildered as to how on earth these chicks are being killed. Maybe the chicks are trying to eat the goat food and the mama goat head butts them? Seems far fetched, but...

The puppy might be the culprit as well, but I tried to call her into the coop with the big door shut, and she couldn't/wouldn't fit through the pop door, so that seems unlikely. Also, my chickens are all free range, so why would she bother to crawl into the coop when she could get one in the pasture or barn?

Any other ideas?

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Hi,

Sorry you lost two of your chicks! Interesting question about the goats. I've had my chickens around my goats for several years now and have never lost one to the goats. I guess if the Doe would pin the chicken against the wall of the coop - it could happen. I'm just not sure. One thing I wanted to share with you though, you need to be careful that your goats don't get into the chicken feed. It could really make them sick and even cause them to die. It would be best to feed the chickens where the goats can't get to the feed. Overeating is never good for goats.

I hope someone on here helps you figure out what may have happened so you don't loose any more. Good luck.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

YES!!!! those darn goats WILL kill chickens! they probably head butted them or stomped on them

yet another reason why i am a 'goat liker' not a goat lover.

but first - i'm really sorry for your loss. i know its very hard to find them dead
:-(

so here's our stories:

1. found Little Rooster upside down and limp stuffed between bedding and the door - silly mini's stomped on him. thankfully when i picked him up he sprung to life

2. older bumblefooted hen, Barnee, got cornered and mid sized goat was stomping around her

3. Big Pansy - my enormous rooster was trying to scoot thru the fence (big enough for chooks but not for goats) and got stuck - and there was my mini stomping on him!!!! i practically ripped the gate off getting to him!

not sure what set them off but i've seen it with my own two eyes

sorry
:-(

 

[fourhorses44]

Thanks for the replies.

The worst thing is that the two that were killed were pullets! Not that I would have been any less upset if they had been roos, but still...

Since I stopped feeding the goats in the coop the last few days, so far so good. No more chicks have turned up in there.

I didn't know that chicken feed would harm goats! Thanks for that! I do put the chicken feed up on top of the nest boxes, but the goats have gotten into it a time or two.

Of course, rhodies are bad for goats too, but they won't leave mine alone! I finally tried birdnetting and that seems to have fended them off for the most part.

So much for the idea of keeping the goats in the coop with the chickens during the winter nights. I thought that was a GOOD idea!

 

[Camelot Farms]

I never thought of my Pygmies being dangerous to my chickens. My goats are often penned in the barn and my chickens go in there to peck up the cracked corn.

I have one pullet who roosts ON my Billy.

Of course, some of my chickens are BIGGER than my goats....haha!

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Hi Fourhorses44 - So glad that you haven't lost any more of your babies! I'm glad you're keeping the chicken feed away from you goats. I don't want you to have to go through any more disappointment. Take care...


Camelot Farms: Yes, my chickens roost on my goats too - sometimes they roost on the ponies in the winter and actually snuggle down into the heavier winter coats the ponies enjoy and "ride" around for the day. Pretty smart!

 

[Love my Critters!]

Sorry for your loss. To answer your question, Yes they can and will, especially when it comes to feeding. My chickens free range with 2 nigi-dwarfs. I make sure to feed the chickens inside their coup where the goats can not get. The goats like the chicken feed and will head butt the chickens out of the way. My goats will also get rowdy with each other which causes chickens to get stomped on. I suggest feeding them seperately. When everyone is just free ranging all is well, it only happens when I throw scratch or treats on the ground.