# Chickens and Goats in the same barn?????



## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Maybe this has been asked before but do you think chickens and goats can share the same barn???? Seperated of course so the chickens would not foul the goat hay, etc. but they can share the body heat in the winter.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

i used to have mine in the same barn, but separated... the chickens made it REALLY dusty and I'd worry about the goats' respiratory problems


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## Mon Reve Farm (Jun 25, 2010)

This past winter we kept our Silkie chickens and some of the younger ones in the barn along with the goats. It was the toughest winter Delaware has had in 20 years.

They weren't too far from each other but we used one of those chain link dog kennels for the chickens so that they weren't able to get into the goat pen.


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

I only have one barn, and all i have is goats and chickens, so i say 'yes'. They are not running together, but the pens are near each other. 

It does get dusty, but i vacuum every couple weeks, so it isn't too bad. (mostly b/c im milking in the same barn, and i don't want cobwebs, etc in the milk) I didn't worry about it before i started milking. I have not noticed any respiratory problems with the goats.


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## countryboy (Dec 7, 2008)

We have ours together. They are in the same yard with the barn. The only problem is feeding the chickens. The gate is opened and the goats are let loose in my yard to eat grass. I feed the chickens and change water. Chickens finish eating and goats come back in their yard to try and find any feed left over. Close gate and all done.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

This is all good news, thanks guys, I only have one barn and hoped that this would not be a problem.


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## GoldenSeal (Sep 14, 2010)

When I was still deciding on which breed I would keep I went to this ladies house to buy 2 Nigi does and she had the coolest set-up. It was around-30 C (-22 F) that day and in the barn (not heated) it had to be at LEAST 10 C (50 F). All she did was have a small barn with the chickens in stacked cages. (2 or 3 birds per cage and cage was around 3ftx3ftx2) Their part of the barn was enclosed in and the other side was the goats side. She had a small pipe with a fan connecting the two and it was blowing heat from the chicken area into the goats area. Of course you have to have it so the heat can't escape but I thought it was brilliant! The two are separated but the chickens are still heating the goats.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

That sounds like a cool idea. Because of where I live, northern B.C. and very isolated, we don't have power except a small generator that we only run occasionlly and a couple solar panels for our own limited power usage. My idea was to have the goats and chickens help heat each other.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I don't see an issue with it though do keep the goats from the chicken feed and the chickens from the goats hay.
I don't have chickens as I don't care for them personally and it wouldn't be right to have them with a bird dog around....not a good combo and I swap milk for eggs with my neighbor so I still get fresh eggs without raising chickens.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

I had planned on putting a wall part way up and then chicken wire to keep the goats and chickens seperated but still share their body heat. I have 2 english springer spaniels (field lines), so it should prove interesting when I get the chickens. Years ago when I had chickens, I had one springer and and australian shepherd and I trained them both to leave the chickens alone and could even let them out of the chicken run to scratch in the yard. Now I have 4 doggies and don't know if that will work. That pack mentality kicks in...... :shocked:


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## pelicanacresMN (Dec 29, 2009)

We have two golden retrievers that are very good grouse hunters but they don't touch the chickens or even bother the rabbits when they escape. They will run through the chickens but only to chase a mouse or squirrel. 
We have my in-laws chickens in the same barn as my bucks. There are boards that separate the middle of the barn so the chickens can go on either side of the barn but they get fed on their own side so the goats don't get access.


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