# sheep and chickens



## hikerfrog99 (Jan 31, 2014)

Hi there! I am wondering. I have chickens and I would like to get 2 sheep. How big of an area should I have for all of them? Can they be together during the day? and how large should their housing be for sleep? Thank you!


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## SheepGirl (Jan 31, 2014)

Industry standards state 30 sq ft of lot space for a sheep, 8 sq ft of lot space for a lamb, 12 sq ft of shelter space for a sheep (double that if the ewe has lambs), and 6 sq ft of shelter space for a lamb.


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## hikerfrog99 (Jan 31, 2014)

SheepGirl said:


> Industry standards state 30 sq ft of lot space for a sheep, 8 sq ft of lot space for a lamb, 12 sq ft of shelter space for a sheep (double that if the ewe has lambs), and 6 sq ft of shelter space for a lamb.


 Thank you so much! Can they roam together with my chickens during the day or have two separate fenced areas. Thanks again for your help.


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## D1 (Jan 31, 2014)

why not goats and chickens do


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## Womwotai (Jan 31, 2014)

Before our pasture was fenced, we had to keep our 6 lambs in a small fenced area and to give them more forage, I put them in the chicken yard at night (when all the birds were in the coop).  It took them no time to figure out that chicken feed tastes GOOD, and the auto chicken door opening in the morning was an invitation for them to squeeze in and help themselves.  I got the sheep to keep our pasture grazed, not to eat my expensive chicken feed so I found myself running out there in the dark each morning to move them back to their day time area before the chicken door opened.  (So glad when the fencing was finished and we could turn them out on their pasture.)  For that reason I will never try to keep them all together again.  That said, the chickens free-range and there have been no problems with their interactions with the sheep.  And when the sheep and goats get their small scoop of grain every morning, there are several chickens who are right there next to them, eating as much of the sheep grain as they can get before it is all gone.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 31, 2014)

My chickens love pecking hay off my sheep


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## Beekissed (Feb 1, 2014)

My chickens and sheep loved cohabitation, though they did not live in the same shelter, they ranged in the same fencing.  And I had a chicken that would ride and sleep on a sheep like the goat and chicken pictured above.  They seem to compliment each other very well and graze on the same type of grasses....and,unfortunately, will eat the same feed if you don't catch the sheep sneaking into the coop when your back is turned for any reason at all.


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## hikerfrog99 (Feb 1, 2014)

D1 said:


> why not goats and chickens do


 My first choice was goats but many people have scared me out of getting them telling me horror stories and in my area many people are giving them away which made me think why even more


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## hikerfrog99 (Feb 1, 2014)

hikerfrog99 said:


> My first choice was goats but many people have scared me out of getting them telling me horror stories and in my area many people are giving them away which made me think why even more


 I love the pic of your goat by the way!


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