# Goats, Cows, and Pigs.



## Bhmntpacker (Apr 10, 2010)

Refining the Barnyard planning and wanting to know if there are any disease or other complications with housing goats near other animals. I am not planning to have them in the same pen, just next to each other using runs out of a common barn. For example, Bob do you have goats and pigs out of the same junk VW bus. One using the side door and one out the back?
Thank you,


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

I only have goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, cats and fish. 

Yours is a most interesting and complex question. The simple answer is that healthy animals do not transmit disease.

If you have a sick animal, the answer has many variables. 

In southern China there are places where they thought it was clever to design a farm where the feces of one animal was fed to another. This is clever only if there is no disease or disease forming organisms in the whole system. Otherwise it enhances the opportunity for transmission and viral mutation.

The opposite is that when clean barnyard practices are adhered to, (i.e. the soil is not burdened with excrement, clean food, clean water, good housing, etc.) in a farm where there is not a lot of new animals passing through, there is little risk of disease transmission.

I may offend pig people, but there is a reason they are called 'pigs'. Pigs may be a bit more difficult to keep clean than goats.


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

Goats and chickens aren't very messy if they have some space. And they do quite well sharing their space. You just need to keep the goats out of the chicken feed and keep things reasonably clean. But cows are really messy. I think chickens would find lots to eat if they could browse thru the cow pen. 

One thing to watch out for with chickens in the goat or cow pen is drowning in the water tank. I had this happen until I put an escape ramp in the goat water tank.


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## Bhmntpacker (Apr 10, 2010)

Thank you for the response's. Just to clarify I was not going to have them in the same pen just next to each other sharing a common barn. The way it sounds overall cleanliness is the key, not who the neighbors are.


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## 4-Hgoats (Feb 6, 2010)

HI-
I keep my pigs pen right next to the goat/horse stall and have had no problems. I even have the pig pen as the fence that seperates the two animal groups, I mean the horse stall has a back and a side and a front but otherwise the other side is the hog panels. We even have chickens that get let out once in awhile and they wander into the barn. I think it's fine to have them together as long as you keep them in seperate pens and there is no way they could get into each others pen. Also make sure you keep the water and feed of either animal out of manure areas in either pen. But as far as disease goes, you should have no problems.

P.S. In case you did no know never keep pigs with any other animal except for pigs. They are very aggressive and will kill and even eat other animals if they feel a need to. They are omnivores.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Bhmntpacker said:


> . For example, Bob do you have goats and pigs out of the same junk VW bus. One using the side door and one out the back?
> Thank you,


I think you may of been a bit confused. Bob has a goat named "Pig"
does not have a accuall pig. 
He got the name from the movie BABE. 
Telling his new baby goat, "that'll do Pig"


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## 4-Hgoats (Feb 6, 2010)

OH!!! :lol: :lol: My bad!! I never thought of a goat named pig- I guess i'm so used to calling pigs pig. No offense to that name though!


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

ryorkies said:


> Bhmntpacker said:
> 
> 
> > . For example, Bob do you have goats and pigs out of the same junk VW bus. One using the side door and one out the back?
> ...


And I call the rabbits "Dog, "Drake", "Duck" and "Dick", 
The Ducks are called "Kitty", "Kitty", "BlackKitty" and "Emu"
The hen is called "Fish"

When kids come over to play petting zoo they are confused.

And I tell people that "Pig" the goat is my seeing eye dog.

If they protest, I tell them they shouldn't tease blind people.


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## Cazz (Jun 9, 2010)

We had an older piglet in our goat yard for a few weeks and she was fine, although would nip at the goats if they tried to butt her. 
As I mentioned in another post, our two calves are fine with the goats as well. 
Cazz


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

I would be very careful about putting anything in the same pen with pigs. They can be vicious. I've seen them kill chickens and turkeys. I sure wouldn't put my goats in the same pen with pigs.


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## Cazz (Jun 9, 2010)

I think it depends on the pig and how old it is and what breed as well. Some breeds of pigs (or here at least) live with bottle kids and lambs, some with chickens and some inside with little children. If you get a young pig or one that is very gentle and quiet then it should be fine as long as care is taken to monitor their interaction and steps taken if things look to go awry. Putting any animal that is known to be vicious or mean in with goats (or any other animal for that matter) is obviously not very wise.
Cheers,
Cazz


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