Goats plus chickens?

[kristalb]

Does anyone have experience housing goats and chickens together? I have a small barn, and was thinking of combining the two....

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My goats and chickens are in the same shed, the chickens can go over or under gates and wooden fencing so I am able to feed my chickens without the goats getting any, which is the key to doing it successfully, too much or sometimes any grain if a goats not used to eating it can be deadly. We give our goats hay outside in a feeder which keeps the chickens from pooping in their hay. The nestboxes are also where the goats can't get at them. So you can keep them together but in separate areas.

 

[kristalb]

Thanks! Sounds like a great way to co-habitate. I'll definitely consider your scheme while re-designing the old barn... Any other advice for setting up the area?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What kind of goats and how many are you keeping and are there going to be some kids, the smaller the goat the harder it is to keep them from slipping under and through things. Also how small is your barn.

 

[CLSranch]

Old hen is right But also remember to keep things away from the gate that they can climb over. It doesn't take much for a goat to get through or over after it learns that it can. My kids run through the hot wire fence, go through a less than 1 ft tall, and eat my chicken feed out of the feeder in the chicken coop.

 

[kristalb]

My barn is about 20x15. I am thinking about keeping the chicken feed outside in a runn that only the chickens can get too. I guess that I'll just need a door that is too small for kids in the future. I've always had a chicken feeder inside of the coop, but really a treadle style feeder in a chick only run should keep the feed from the goats.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You hope, some goats are greased pigs sliding though the tiniest crack, and I'm sure a goat would get the feed out of the feeder, do the best that you think, than spend time trying to out smart them as they figure out new ways to get out or in.

I had one goat who would casually jump over a five foot tall gate, eat feed than jump back in, I finally caught him doing it, we had to raise the board height up to seven feet, I also tried to keep goats out of my chicken run by building a ramp system with the pop hole up two feet, they quickly learned to climb and squeeze through. Goats are an adventure.

 

[kristalb]

Ha! Ok, so I guess I should be ready for an adventure when I try it! I'm still in the early planning stages with the bsrn, so I probably won't be ready for the goats until at least next summer. But thanks for the advice!

 

[CLSranch]

If ya have a set up goat pen. If you have a solid pen such as chain link or cattle panels the goats usually 99% of the time they won't jump like old hens but they will climb anything. If you use the cattle panels the goats will stay in and the chickens can come and go. But you will have to dehorn the goats, or they will get their heads through and can't get em back out. And if it's in a small barn you can nail up cattle panels 2 hi and just have to worry about the outside fence.