# Goats and chickens



## knightrider (Feb 28, 2012)

I seem to remember something about not feeding goats and chickens near each other? Is that right? I can't find it again and not sure where I saw it. But I'd like to have my goats and chickens in the same area...will that work out ok? Anything I need to know? Thanks!


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

since my chickens are free range, they run with the goats and eat next to the goats. I've even noticed that a few nest in with the goats at night.


----------



## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

I would think the most important thing would be to make sure that the goats don't get into the chicken's feed and vice versa. Our chickens are free-range but they have their own coop separate and away from the goat pasture and that's where they get their feed, but they often wander down into the goat pasture because they find all sorts of yummy things to eat there.


----------



## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Yes I think you will be fine as long as your goats don't get your chicken feed.....


----------



## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Yep don't want your goats getting chicken feed. I don't think it will make any difference if your chickens get into the goat feed but I feed COB. I intentionally throw my rooster who lives with the goats Cob. I have a rooster in each goat pasture. I figure it gives them a place to live, they clean up the bugs and they also clean up any grain that has dropped which helps keep the mice population down and away from my goats.


----------



## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I have my chickens in the same 'area' as my goats... but the chicken poop makes me a bit crazy... They have their own coop - that the goats cant get into, but I find myself kinda hating the chickens cause they seem to be always in the way. Next place I get, the chickens will be separate (I hope).. then I can like them again.


----------



## SandStoneStable Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

Kinda feeling the way you are at the moment... always under my feet,no grass left, poop on hooves. Wasn't an issue when we had grass.
I want to move them out of the barn, need to build a new coop b/c this one is attached to the inside of one of the stalls.... Just another summer project that needs to get done :/


----------



## knightrider (Feb 28, 2012)

ok...so how do you keep the goats out of the coop though? I have a small door to the room where I want to keep the chickens, but I'm sure the ND's could get into it if they tried hard enough...and the coop I want to buy will have a door as well for the chickens...couldn't they get in that as well?

Trying to logistically figure out how to do this...I'd like to have the chickens and the goats in the same area as I'd like them to eat the bugs and such near the house...


----------



## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

knightrider said:


> ok...so how do you keep the goats out of the coop though? I have a small door to the room where I want to keep the chickens, but I'm sure the ND's could get into it if they tried hard enough...and the coop I want to buy will have a door as well for the chickens...couldn't they get in that as well?
> 
> Trying to logistically figure out how to do this...I'd like to have the chickens and the goats in the same area as I'd like them to eat the bugs and such near the house...


Place the chicken coop outside of the area you have fenced in for goats. But let your chickens free range. That way, the goats cannot access the coop at all (since they're fenced away from it), but your free ranging chickens and eat all the scrumptious ticks and other bugs in the area. Would that work for you?

My chickens free range over a wide area. Their coop is always in the center of their range area, since it where food, water, and shelter is. I can close my chickens in a separate run attached to the coop, but most days I open them up to do whatever they want in the morning, and in the evening, they put themselves to bed and I close them up.


----------



## knightrider (Feb 28, 2012)

ok...well right now its all kind of combined...I'll have to figure out a way to separate it...thanks.


----------



## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

There was another thread a while back and some people thought up really neat ways to make the coop door chicken access only. Maybe try a search on coop doors here. 

I free range our chickens and coop them only overnight well we have had them cooped up now for 3 days. The chicken poop everywhere was annoying but then they decided the dirt around the foundation was a perfect dirt bath spot. Dust flying in windows and all the mulch for feet around the house all kicked everywhere. Have to figure out a way to stop them from that before they get to go free again.


----------



## EandEBoersWV (Dec 12, 2011)

The only problem I've had with running chickens and goats together is lice :angry: The chickens are a pain. I'm just not a big fan of chickens and they get in the way all the time.


----------

