Keeping goat kids out of the chicken coop

[Kadjain]

As if it's not hard enough to keep the adult Nigerian goats out of the coop, now I have dwarf kids. A couple days ago they realized they can get a meal in there. I was anticipating this happening and thought I knew how to fix the problem until I realized my solution for keeping the kids out would also keep the ducks out. I was going to cut chicken doors a couple of feet up and make perches they would have to fly up on to get in. Then I realized most of my ducks are horrible flyers and might not figure it out.
Now I'm thinking of fixing a small piece of 2x4 wire fence around the feeders so the chickens head can still get in but the kids heads will be too big to fit.
I know plenty of people have to deal with this problem. Anyone had genius ideas of how to save their chicken feed from the kids?
Anyone with duck experience know if the ducks would figure out how to get in if I cut the doors a couple feet up? I have a Musc. that would do it no problem, I'm worried about the Khaki's, 300 and Runner.

 

[Kadjain]

The 2x4 wire solved the problem. It looks ugly but I was just trying to get it done before dark. I'll probably make them look better sometime.

Right after I put the feeders back in the coop the kids came running in and tried to get at the food. They were bummed and looked like they were thinking "what the heck, it wasn't like this earlier...?"

 

[bloom_ss]

Great idea!!

 

[Kadjain]

Big mistake using the type of wire fence I used. The spot where the wire is connected has a sharp point that cut someone and cause blood to spread over the feeder...oops.

Also on the smaller feeder they could move the fence over and get some of the feed.

So I change the type of wire fence piece I used and drilled holes and fed the wire through to lock it down.



FINISHED!

 

[Provident Acres]

Thanks for posting this! In November I purchased 2 pregnant PB Nubian does. The kids are due in March. I hadn't thought about the kids being able to get at the chicken's feed with my setup and you just saved me some aggravation.

 

[Cowgirl71]

I had the same problem. What I do is I let the hens out late in the morning (9-10am) to free range and I hang their feeder on a hook on the ceiling of the coop. By letting them out late I figure they've all had a good chance to eat. During the day the hens still can go in the coop for shelter, a drink of water, or to lay an egg. Then about 30 minutes before they want to go on the roosts I take their feeder back down. Of course they all come for the feed, and I close the door behind them. If the day's weather is not all that good for free-ranging (rainy all day or snow on the ground) I'll leave the hens locked up in their coop and run all day and leave their feeder down.

Not saying this is the best option, but it works for me. I'm trying to keep baby goats AND Guineas out, otherwise I'd try your method. I can't think of any method to let in chickens but not Guineas. Our Guineas are supposed to forage for their own food, we only give them supplemental feed when there's snow on the ground for more than a day. They do get to clean up the grain the cows spill every day. We've never had one starve to death, and I catch one now and then and they've always been of a good weight. They eat a ton of ticks.

 

[Kadjain]

A little video that sorta proves it works

 

[irtehun]

Check out this thread for how to keep them out completely

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/146273/how-do-you-keep-goats-out-of-chicken-feed#post_1775656