# Housing Mini's with my chickens/ducks?



## katlovesaandw (May 30, 2013)

Ok, our chickens and ducks have a huge pen that is 100% covered for all year comfort. Cool and shaded in Summer, and waterproof in Fall/Winter during the rainy season.
We are thinking about expanding their pen slightly so the 2 mini's share the giant pen with my chickens/ducks and have a complete dry area....

As long as they get along ok, is there a problem housing them together during the day and having seperate sleeping areas at night?

Do I have to worry about goats snarfing the chickens food? Etc?

Even if we do not do this, on days that I have zero daycare kids....they would all be free-ranging in the yard and that means the chickens pen gate is open for them for come and go access.... would THAT be an issue?


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## precious (May 18, 2013)

Hi. The only con I have heard is the flea and other mites that the goats could get from the chickens. In the article it recommended not even having them share a fence. We have 15 chickens and 25 goats and we keep them about 10 feet apart for their housing and their yards.


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## katlovesaandw (May 30, 2013)

Our chickens/ducks are flea and mite free.....and they would all have free range of the yard on Fri-Sun when I no kiddos are here for childcare....so would have to share at some point. My thought was that we have a huge roofed pen for the chickens where goats could stay dry, etc. since being wet is an issue....
Still processing this....
I would worry about the food....esp. if the goats snarfed the poultry feed....


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You would definitely have to worry about the goats eating the chicken feed. Also, you really don't want them laying around in chicken/duck poop and drinking water that has poop in it.


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## charlottebcarroll (Apr 7, 2013)

My minis sometimes get in with the chickens. - Ive got the chickens and goats both treated with DE for mites and fleas etc..... Have their feed and water separate from chickens by small doors into their coop- haven't had problems yet. But I don't see a problem with it.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

The worries for me are eating the duck/chicken feed and ingesting poop from the chickens/ducks from drinking dirty water or eating hay with poop on it or laying in it and then licking themselves.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

The chicken food can cause serious illness, and the chicken poop can transfer e-coli to the kids.


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## charlottebcarroll (Apr 7, 2013)

I just saw you have ducks- I wouldn't house them with ducks. And that's a lot of chickens to be housed with as well- depending on the space. Ducks are just very messy.


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## enchantedgoats (Jun 2, 2013)

You may think your chickens are mite free, ithought so too. But they werent. So after having to shave and dust everybody to get rid of them it is a lesson learned.


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## MrKamir (Nov 2, 2009)

Sometimes no matter how many feet you seperate them, they can still get in the goat pen. The mites and fleas like to travel in your clothes. 

I know of someone who has horses, goats, chickens, pigs, and whatever run around together in the same huge penned up area. It may look cute that they all get along but they are just asking for trouble and I would never buy something from them.


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## mirage_mp (Jun 29, 2013)

Yet I have heard that ducks and geese can help eliminate the parasites that goats have by cleaning up slugs/snails that can carry them. And I'm sure she's taking into consideration the grimy water and the chicken feed issue. There are ways around both. It's all in how clean you keep things, and what kind of space you have... I've seen places where multiple animals were occasionally together (in very large spaces) and it was clean and healthy. And I've seen where only goats were housed that was grungy and unhealthy. I mean, are we talking acres here? Or more like square feet?


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