I'm a newby! Have horse and chicken question...

[Here chicky chicky]

If a horse and a chicken both cross the road...
just kidding LOL!

I really do have a horse and chicken question though.
I am on the verge of actually taking the plunge and buying some hens. I have two wonderful horses, and the chicken coop would be located inside the horses area. It would be fenced for the chickens safety, but I wonder about disease the horses could get from the chickens, their poop, the dust etc.
Does anyone know if I shoud be concerned? And what the biggest area of concern is?
Thanks!

 

[Mahonri]

I suppose it depends upon how many chickens.

Chickens can create a lot of dust, but I've never heard of any diseases that horses can get from chickens.

Perhaps there are some more horse people here.

 

[Here chicky chicky]

I am planning on 6 chickens right now. Just to get my feet wet, so to speak.

 

[arllcountrygirl]

Your horses will be fine. You will have to be careful where you feed your chickens at. You don't want your horses getting into the chicken feed. Major NO NO.

Watch the type of door you put on your chicken pen, our horses have been known to open doors

. We keep a snap latch on all of our doors - to keep horses out.

 

[Here chicky chicky]

Ahh... yes. We have a magician, too! I know what you mean and will do.
Thanks for the info!!

 

[ibpboo]

Three sides of my chicken pen are in the corral. The gate to chicken pen is outside of corral on fourth side. Horses do like to scratch their butt on the chicken fence, so perhaps a corral board that height will help.

 

[ibpboo]

Oh and

I have not had a problem with chicken dust etc making the horse sick. I have 9 hens in an area around 16 x 20, but I'm not sure, I'd have to go measure!

 

[TheTeenyTinyFarm]

my horses love to scratch their butts...I would definitely put something to keep them from ruining the chicken wire...and they are quite capable of getting their necks as long as a giraffe just so they can reach the food...

 

[ausamerican33]

My 2 horses share their pasture with the chickens - everyone seems to get on quite fine. The horses have tried to get IN the coop through the people door, so now we only leave the chicken size door open. And they did knock down the crates that had the chicken food and scratch in it. Luckily they were caught quite quickly after they did it. I dread to think of what would've happened if they ate their way through 50 lbs of oat and corn scratch!! So the food is no longer located at the coop - it's locked up elsewhere.

Overall, I think the horses quite enjoy the chicks company - they never kick at them or anything else untoward.

 

[miss_thenorth]

The only downer is tha the chickens poop on the hay.