Species sharing spaces...an old time question

[ThreeBoysChicks]

My barn has horses, goats, chickens, geese and ducks and they all live very happily together. My goats have theirr own housing, but they spend a lot of their time in the horses' stalls. I did have to make some alterations to keep the chickens from roosting on the hay rack and then pooping in the feed boxes. And I had to come up with a way to feed the chickens without allowing the horses and goats to get at the food. I will have to take a couple of pictures and post. My roosts are high. I build a feeder into the corner of the barn and put up a couple of boards to keep one determined belgian from getting to it.

 

[Zola]

This thread is really helpful, thanks. We're getting goats in a few months, and based on what I'm seeing here, I think I'll let them share with the girls--it will probably keep things more comfortable for all of them when it's cold out!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Quote:
The greatest warning I received when I posted about getting my goats, was "Don't let the goats get the chicken feed" It is really not good for them.

 

[chica-z]

Three Boys, pictures are ALWAYS great!!!!!! I'd love to see how you make it work. How do you keep the chickens from pooping/drowning in the water trough, etc, etc.

Beekissed, I'll have to check it out in my "spare time"... HA! All of us have alot of that around the holidays, eh??? Thanks for the tip.

All I've heard is that goats are always wherever you DON't want them to be.... Like climbing on top of your car hood.

That's why I want a cow. Can't see a cow doing that.


Okay, that's not the ONLY reason I want a cow!

 

[texaschick-a-dee]

I keep my 2 pygmies in with my chickens. The chickens will actually ride on the backs of the goats and they all sleep together. When the chickens "fly the coop" they usually end up in the pen with our heifer and there haven't been any problems there either. The only thing that you may need to watch would be if you feed goat feed, it contains copper and that's not good for some other animals, especially horses.

 

[LynneP]

Apparently pigs and chickens cohabiting is a no-no because they share many of the same respiratory viruses. It all depends on the style of flock you are supporting and what you are prepared to do should a problem pop up. I chose 'closed flock' model because I had new ground and vaccinated chicks and wanted to keep the flock as pristine as possible.. But my cousins used to free-range their birds with horses, goats and cows on their mixed farm to control insects. They provided suitable roosts where the birds would not foul the other livestock. Their birds seemed very healthy but I have no idea of the survival rate because they had woodlots close to the fields and predation may have been an issue. During warm months the animals came under cover in a lean-to area beside the barn and in winter they were stalled (or culled).

 

[Zola]

Quote:
Part of the reason we decided to get chickens in the first place was because we have a lot of deer, and we knew that the chickens would help protect the goats we planned on getting from meningeal worm by eating the snails and slugs that are the intermediate host.

Given that I've kept a herd of cats for most of my adult life, I always, always, ALWAYS look for natural ways to control pests--poison is always a last resort here.

 

[scooter147]

My SO mother had horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks and geese all housed in one barn. She never had any real issues. She had it configured so that the chickens could only get to one part of the barn to be feed, lay eggs and roost. Although they preferred the hay loft for roosting. The one issue she did have is that some of the chickens figured out that the horses where warm and roosted on them in cold weather.
The horses didn't really seem to mind, maybe they liked the back scratches.

 

[chica-z]

I guess that means no winter bareback rides.

Bareback butt, but 10x worse!