Keeping Chickens & Goats together

[Their Other Mother]

Thanks everyone, Lots of great info! Who'd have thought I'd need an engineering/arcitecture degree to build a chicken coop / goat pen!

My Goats are 3 year old Alpines with no horns so they can't impale any chickens, thank God. Never thought of that one either.

I'll keep everyone posted on our progress so check back and if any other ideas can be included I'm all ears!

 

[itsazoo]

I originally contemplated putting my few hens (that I don't have yet) up with my 2 pygmy/alpine goats. Mine are in a 15' x 15' building (that was used as a chicken coop before I moved in) with a decent size run. The goats use the door that was made for the chickens to get out into the pen even though it's a tight fit. I figured that since the goats are so territorial that they won't even let my cats in the door that they would be good protectors. Then it occurred to me that they might not let the HENS in! I also figured that the chickens would seriously "muck up" the goat pen... they're messy enough on their own!

I'll be curious to hear how your goat/chicken cohabitation goes so keep us posted please!

 

[Their Other Mother]

Quote:
It might be OK if you put roosts high enough that the goats can't get to them. How high is the building they are in? What are the goats being protective of if they are in a pen?

We are stalled on building already because my husband and I can not see eye to eye on how to build this. He thinks the chickens & goats are safest from preditors in the barn. I want a proper Chicken Coop for them and let the barn be for the Horses. Why can't we build something safe outside the barn?

 

[Solsken Farm]

Quote:
It might be OK if you put roosts high enough that the goats can't get to them. How high is the building they are in? What are the goats being protective of if they are in a pen?

We are stalled on building already because my husband and I can not see eye to eye on how to build this. He thinks the chickens & goats are safest from preditors in the barn. I want a proper Chicken Coop for them and let the barn be for the Horses. Why can't we build something safe outside the barn?

Hahahaha! My Dh and I had this conversation for weeks! no, wait, MONTHS!!!!!!!!

We now have the chicks separated from the goats and horses, but the chicks are free ranging in with them during the day. I am thinking this is great protection as I have never never seen a predator in with my horses.

I would worry about poo from the roosts going all over the goats, unless you built roosts over the nest boxes. Goats eat chickie food to and can colic, or worse....

Good luck with your DH.

 

[Their Other Mother]

I never thought that the horses & goats would protect the chickens. Coyotes would probable stay away, Hawks? I don't know....It's my own dogs that I worry about too. They seem OK while I'm right there, but if I left them unattended those stupid great danes migh get them, especially the female and the horses and goats are used to the dogs so I dont think they would even bat an eye. Guess what has been coming around the last few days? Crows! I don't think that they are after the chickens but probably their food. Dogs have a ball chasing them off!

 

[Solsken Farm]

Well I know someone will flame me for calling the goats and horses protectors, but honestly, the only predators we have ever had in around the horses are groundhogs. And they are far away and aren't predators.

I think our electric fencing and the bigger animals discourage predators. Coyotes have never never come near our horses. I don't know why because they have been close to our house. We do lock the chicks up at night and I only just started free ranging them while I am home to supervise. We have a chain link pen reinforced with hardware cloth and chickenwire for a secure pen when we need it.

 

[Chirpy]

My goats and chickens share the chicken run. The goats have their own house for protection from the weather but it's open so they can come and go as they please.

The chickens go in and out of the chicken coop and are locked up in there at night - the goats cannot go in there now. (See my post on the last page to see pictures of how we FINALLY kept them out!!) I wouldn't want my goats and chickens sleeping together as the chickens would probably poop all over the goats (at least in my situation). I also make sure that the chickens can't perch on the goats feeder to poop into the goats hay/feed.

 

[Their Other Mother]

My goats and chickens share the chicken run. The goats have their own house for protection from the weather but it's open so they can come and go as they please.


That's what I want for my run. I have a bunch of pallets to tear down to build with and we have tons of extra roof tile sitting around so I can make the Chicken coop look really nice and match the house.

 

[flyingtnh]

Quote:
The reason it works is that the goats backs can't bend down to under the first 2x4 and then immediately back up to get over the 2x6 and through the little 'maze'. We had to add the four 2x4s on the sides as they would just worm in on their knees and go through the sides. (Little twits!

)

My chickens figured out how to go in the first day, no problems. It took three days for a couple of my girls to figure out how to get out from the inside. I had to help them several times before they learned to jump up and then crouch down. Now they are all doing great with it.

Chirpy,

Thanks TONS!!!

We got our two Boer breeder doelings last week, and Tuesday evening while I was still at work, my wife opened the human door of the coop to find both of them (the larger of the two is ~100lbs) inside, having squeezed through the 11"h x 8"w chicken door, breaking the Lexan panel of my auto door in the process.

That night, I did a search of BYC, found your pics, and built my own version. Since we've got full-sized birds, I adapted it a bit, making a 9"w x 12"h maze with 2x6s, and the top barricades with 2x4s. The next morning, it took some education to get them out the door, and only 2 of the 11 figured out how to get back in that evening - I think the 1' hop up to the entry door was intimidating the rest. I put a temporary ramp in front of the door to give them an easier walk in, and 8 more popped in on their own. The last Araucana, obviously not particularly bright, didn't make it in until my son and I chased her in.

So far (it's only been a day), it seems somewhat goatproof. My wife says one of them got her horns stuck in the door briefly in an attempt to thread the maze, cried loudly until she was able to free herself, and then backed out. They're still very interested, but hopefully this keeps them out and they don't keep trying to stick their nuggets in the door.

Again, thanks again - I think this is promising.

Pat

 

[mcjweb]

My poor pygmy and his identity crisis. We got him 3 months ago at 9 months age. He cryed all the time until we put him with my boxer, so he became a dog. Had to put the 14 yr old boxer down for illness so the crying goat found my 5 cats and became a cat, but they beat him up all the time, now he has become a chicken and free ranges with them and sleeps in the shade with them and believes he should roost with them. Its kind of funny watching him be a chicken.