How do you Keep Goats out of the Chicken Coop?

[cluckingheck]

This is humorous, really, but my brother recently got two Pygmy goats and I’m pretty sure one of them figured out how to get into the chicken coop via the chicken door. Both people doors were shut and that’s the only other way they possibly could have gotten in. I didn’t see them in there, but their droppings were and it looked like the chicken ramp had been pushed to the side some. My chickens free range and shutting their door isn’t much of an option because most of my hens are laying and that’s were their food & water is, so what are my options to keeping the goats out? Would I have to make the chicken door smaller somehow?

 

[Studabird]

I would make a chicken chute. Use chicken wire or hardware cloth just big enough for a chicken and have a 90 degree turn so the chicken can turn but the goat likely not. Then for a few days put it up before you let them out so they know what’s going on then leave it there after.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We always tied our goats when they weren't penned up so they couldn't bother the birds. Take a leash, attach it to their collars and attach the end to a tire rim (or four)

 

[hmarg06]

You'll have to try to find a hole size that's small enough the goats can't get in, but the chickens still can. Pygmy's can get through surprisingly tiny holes. You need to figure it out sooner than later though because once they start, they won't stop if feed is involved. The problem becomes when they find the feed. Most of the time they will eat themselves sick which can lead to bloat, and sometimes death. If they have no access to where you store the bags of feed you probably won't run into them eating themselves sick, but your chickens will never have any food lol.

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

I put a fence around my coop to keep out my goats

 

[SulkyBantam]

Can the pygmy goats live outside without supplemental heat? What temperatures can they stand?

 

[hmarg06]

As long as they have a shelter from the wind/draft just like poultry they can withstand some pretty brutal temps. We have Nigerian Dwarves which are similar to Pygmy in Minnesota in the USA. Our winter temps can get down to around -30 F in the winter and ours do just fine as long as they have hay to eat to keep their rumens moving and making heat. Typical temps for winter here are anywhere from about 30 F to -30 F. They get very fuzzy coats that keep them toasty.

 

[KingD]

Electric Fence?

 

[BigFuzzball]

We have ranch style doors on our run and now keep top one closed and have a 'porch' we slide into place for chickens to walk in its small door, turn left and they're in, and mainly to prevent wild birds flying in for a free meal followed by a beating-up by our smallest most placid cuddly Cream Leg-Bar (fierce protector of their home) then the top of the pecking order Welsummer if she gets there soon enough lol.
They've so far had and adult crow (screaming like a baby as they had it pinned to the chicken wire and were flying at it feet first) and a wood pigeon which lost all its tail-feathers by the time my son got to rescue it lol.
Also don't want the dirty things in there passing on diseases as we've had before !

 

[lomine]

I had the same problem with my meat sheep and turkeys that kept killing chicks in the coop. I just screwed 2 2x4s across the opening. One going horizontally and another vertically. You can adjust the hole sizes that way.