how often to feed

[catdance62]

We have goats and chickens. Our chicken enclosure and coop adjoins our middle pen where we put the kids we want to wean and sell (we dam-raise our kids). Our chickens are about 14 weeks old so we now let them out to run around in the kids' area and eat bugs, grass, etc. To do this we made a little flap kind of like a "cat door" so they can come in and out at will during the day. They all come in at night to roost in the coop.
Our problem is that a couple of the kids can squeeze through the flap (one is a pygmy buckling and one is just a Houdini!) and get in and eat up the feed that is in the chickens trays. It is bad for the goats and of course then the chickens don't have food all day. HOwever, I told my husband that the chickens are old enough to just get fed in the morning and at night and during the day eat "off the land". There is lots of grass and loads of bugs (they do help with fly control!) Is it OK to just feed the twice a day like that? my hubby thinks they are still too young. Plus, once the goats figure out there is no food to be had, they will quit trying to get in there. I know most people let their chickens just run with their goats, but I dont' know how they work the feed situation. Or is there something we can rig up so that A) the goats can't get in there, or B) only the chickens can get to the food? I think that feeding twice a day is good enough. Here pretty soon we will hopefull have sold all the kids and the chickens can have that area to themselves.

 

[CUDA]

You can feed that way with no problem. I regulate my feed as soon as they are on the ground at 3 to 4 weeks. You can also put your feed up high, so the birds have to fly up to it, and the goats can't get to it! This will also help keep your birds in shape at the same time.