This question is for anyone who has CHICKENS AND GOATS

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Hi ya'll!

I have chickens and goats, literally in my backyard. We have a standard privacy fence and I have a run (not the best right now) that my goats keep braking into. My question is: Is there anyone out there that has goats and chickens that just free roam? If so, how do you keep the goats out of the chicken feed? I am thinking about just taking down the run until we can put up the better one. I have no trees in my backyard but there are shade areas we created in their run... Or maybe just taking down the netting that covers the run so it at least makes it easier to get the goats out when the break in. I worry about the flying predators, not the others because I shut them in their coop at night. So please, tell me how you keep your goats out of the chicken feed?

Thanks!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes I do - and I don't. I wish I could say otherwise, but I've found no practical way to keep the chickens from eating the goat food, and the goats from trying to eat the chicken feed.
I feed once daily, in the eenings, for a head count, and feed them in different locations, but both groups are all too happy to follow me as I cross the pasture with 5 gal feed buckets, and snatch whatever they can.

Its not as dangerous to them in small quantity, once they've aclimated to it, as the various websites warn. If I offered my chickens feed free choice, the goats would stand there and eat, would likely never graze the pasture. THAT would be very dangerous to them.

 

[Yardmom]

I keep my feed in the coop. It took a little be of "oops still to big" but finally got a board placed that kept out goats but roosters can get through. My goats are full sized. I have seen where people have used bucket feeders with 45 degree pipes and a design using a shelf but I'm not sure of the details.

 

[Nenad]

I don't have goats but my friend does and he free ranges them, he doesn't give anything to goats except scraps and hay, chickens also have rich free range area and they lay normal. They roost at trees in night and he closes goats. He doesn't have problem with just free ranging and I don't think its big deal if goats or chickens try to eat each others feed if they free range.

 

[Yardmom]

I don't have goats but my friend does and he free ranges them, he doesn't give anything to goats except scraps and hay, chickens also have rich free range area and they lay normal. They roost at trees in night and he closes goats. He doesn't have problem with just free ranging and I don't think its big deal if goats or chickens try to eat each others feed if they free range.

If goats are not already grained, getting into chicken feed could make them very sick. My neighbor had a goat that died according to the vet of to much grain. It was not a one time eating, but the way she was fed daily.

 

[NatJ]

how do you keep the goats out of the chicken feed?

People who raise goats or sheep sometimes use a "creep feeder" that lets the babies in to eat extra food, but keeps the adults out. Something similar might work in your case, letting chickens in but keeping goats out (this depends on the goats being a certain amount bigger than the chickens. If you have giant chickens and tiny goats, it might not be possible.)

I guess I didn't realize the chickens didn't need access to feed all day long. So I could just let them free roam all day and give them chicken feed in the afternoon? I just want to make sure they get enough to eat to be healthy.

Chickens do need to be able to eat during most of the day.
For most people and most chickens, it works better to keep chicken food available all day long.

@U_Stormcrow has chickens free ranging in a large area, with many things available for them to eat. So those chickens have something to eat all day, even when it is not purchased food. He also butchers chickens regularly, and checks how much fat they have, and provides more or less of the purchased food according to what he sees. (It is really hard to tell how much fat is on a live chicken, but pretty easy when you are butchering the chicken.)

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

If goats are not already grained, getting into chicken feed could make them very sick. My neighbor had a goat that died according to the vet of to much grain. It was not a one time eating, but the way she was fed daily.

My goats do get some pellets everyday and access to hay.

 

[Stellasmomma]

Hi ya'll!

I have chicken and goat, literally in my backyard. we have a standard privacy fence and I have a run (not the best right now) that my goats keep braking into. My question is: Is there anyone out there that has goats and chickens that just free roam? If so, how do you keep the goats out of the chicken feed? I am thinking about just taking down the run until we can put up the better one. I have no trees in my backyard but there are shade areas we created in their run... Or maybe just taking down the netting that covers the run so it at least makes it easier to get the goats out when the break in. I worry about the flying predators, not the others because I shut them in their coop at night. So please, tell me how you keep your goats out of the chicken feed?

Thanks!

Hi! I have both chickens and goats and I do let the goats out to free range the property for a couple of hours per day they are out with the chickens, however I do have to put away the chicken feed! The goats go into the chicken run and eat it as fast as they can! There is no good way to keep the goats out of it! They love it had one of my Nigerian dwarf goats get a chicken feeder stuck on her head! The vet tells me that chicken feed will cause pancreatitis in goats so its important to keep them out of it. If your chickens are free range maybe put the feed away and then put it back in when you lock the chickens up at night? sorry I don't have better advice but I do understand goats just love chicken feed! I am trying a different feeder for the chickens that will be harder for the goats to get into Ill let you know how it works out!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you! I have a Nigerian dwarf mix and I think she is too big to get in the coop but this is the same goat that came through our medium size dog door so... she will probably attempt it. Lol. It would be so great if I would just put their feed out in the evening, then the goats would never get to it.

My newest goat is smaller than my chickens. His mama goes thru the door (or did, I made it smaller) of my grow out pen - it was all of 21" tall and 16" wide at the time. Her horns would stop it now - but I still find all of my goats in my raised hen house, routinely.

Two days ago, first thing in the AM:

 

[lomine]

I've got both but they are separated by a fence. Sometimes the chickens can get to the goat side but there is no grain left out, so the chickens usually just make a mess of the stalls or lay eggs in weird places.

It is important to not let goats overeat grain. There is of course the danger of them bloating if they eat a large amount in one sitting. Bloat can kill in a very short amount of time if it's extreme.

However, it is also important that you not overfeed grain in terms of the goat's general/daily diet. You need to maintain a balance of calcium to phosphorus (1.5:1 to 2:1, ie more calcium). Grains are much higher in phosphorus, so it wrecks the balance. This can cause problems when it's done over a longer period of time. Some common examples are goat polio (also deadly if not treated in time) and urinary calculi ("kidney stones" most often occurring in weathers). Sometimes these are things that can happen over a month or two, but sometimes it will build up over the years. Grains aren't really needed unless for something specific, like pregnant/milking does or those that need to gain/keep weight. Even in those cases the majority of their diet should be roughage and the balance maintained.

Sounds like you already know it's bad for them, but I just wanted to share that it could become a very serious issue.