If you want to soften the skin, coconut oil. Yep. That stuff is good for everything.Would a large table very low to the ground help, for feeding chooks underneath? Depends on whether or not you have huge chooks or tiny goats I guess.
Advise against it. Plain petroleum jelly toughens injured skin and by itself impedes the healing. It may soften uninjured skin, I don't know, but I do know it's not good for damaged skin. I have used it on wounds once a preliminary layer of pawpaw ointment has been laid down, but using it as a first layer is counterproductive.