# free ranging poultry with goats and sheep



## farmerJohn (Jan 23, 2011)

I currently have 2 pygmy/fainting goat crosses, a wether, and a bred doe. I am planning on adding 2 dorper ewes, 1 dorper ram, about 10 chickens 8 ducks 2 geese and 2 turkeys, and 2 pigs. The pigs will have their own pen, the ram and the wether will be in another pen, i am curious if i can free range the poultry with the females, i am having a 12 ft wide 22 ft long 6 ft tall Quonset hut delivered next weekend, i was planning on putting it right over the fence row, 8 ft on the animals side, 4 feet on mine for hay and grain storage, and chicken wire across the back 10ft for a chicken coup. The pen is 30 ft wide, and about 200ft long. Is this enough room? will i have problems with the animals fighting?

HELP


----------



## ksalvagno (Jan 23, 2011)

I do free range my chickens in the same pasture as the goats but that is all I have. I'm not sure you will be able to keep it all in one area though with so many different types of poultry. But hopefully someone with several types will come on and be able to tell you more.


----------



## freemotion (Jan 23, 2011)

I free range my poultry with my goats, but I have two acres of securely fenced pasture.  There are some problems in a small space.

The waterfowl will make a mess of the water and the goats won't drink it.

Unless you plan things carefully and prepare to keep changing and adjusting things, the roosting birds will poop on the other animal's hay, feed, minerals, and on them.  We finally resolved all but the guinea, who manages to roost in spite of our attempts at blocking access to the rafters, and he'll poop on a sleeping goat occasionally.  Guinea poop is NAAAASTY!

With the heavy snow, my available area is much smaller.  The goats will not let the turkeys off their roost and I have to hold up food and water for them.  They won't let the chickens out of their coop.  One goat in particular will wait at the coop door to bonk any chicken who tries to leave.  She is bored.

I would have separate pens if it were this way year round.  In the spring/summer/fall, things are  fine with so much space.


----------



## Mo's palominos (Jan 23, 2011)

My geese are BULLIES! All the poultry free range together and get along well except the geese. They pick on the chickens ducks and even the turkeys!! I'm sure they wouldn't mess with sheep or goats!! I think you would have to find a way to feed them separately because goats and sheep can't have tha poultry feed. You could free range them together and pen them up separately at night .


----------



## farmerJohn (Jan 23, 2011)

I do plan on roosting the poultry seperatly, i want to use the back 10 feet of the barn for a coup and run chicken wire floor to ceiling blocking it from the rest of the shed


----------



## freemotion (Jan 23, 2011)

Just remember that they may not choose to go to their own area in the evening after free ranging together for the day....ask me how I know.  

And I am happy with the "everyone lives together" concept.  Just sayin', be prepared with extra poultry netting, boards, and patience.

I will not get waterfowl unless I have a separate space for them, and I do keep my meat chickens in their own separate pen.  There is a limit to how many different animals you can run together, and a lot of it depends on the individual personalities.


----------



## Mo's palominos (Jan 23, 2011)

That should work. When the geese get older you may have to leave them whith the goats if they start picking on the other poultry. You will be surprised how much the geese will graze. I even give mine hay in the winter.


----------



## ohiofarmgirl (Jan 23, 2011)

hey farmerjohn!

great idea about straddling the fence line. i run my poultry with the goats also. right now a couple of geese, a gaggle of ducks, and a herd of hens all roam around with the goats during the day. at night everyone is locked up separately. 

the only squabbles we've had was from a rambunctious young doeling who 'rammed' some of the hens. she got one pinned against the fence but i got to the hen before any damage was done. we noticed she liked to chase the hens - but they learned to stay out of her way.

to Mo's p's point - we have a gander who has killed hens...i've seen him in action. so we keep him (and his horde) separate from everyone else. a low fence keeps them in. if you 'rotational graze' geese you can get them to 'mow' your lawn for you!

its my personal belief that the poultry help keep the parasites in check for the goaties, and they clean up any hay the goats dont/wont eat. 

some folks are concerned about goats getting cocci from the hens. and as others have said, you need to keep the hens out of the goats hay. you might consider putting some kind of top on the goats feeder?

also, you know to keep the goats out of the layer mix and that the goats will do anything to get it, right? it can be poison to goaties.

we feed our hens and goats separately so we dont have a problem, but if any of those goats get out they run directly for the hen chow. also you dont want the goats to eat feed/chicken scratch off the ground.

and as Free said, the goats wont drink water the geese/ducks have messed up (they clean their nostrils in the buckets). so we hang the goat buckets (flat sided buckets) higher than the geese and ducks can reach - and keep poultry water buckets out in the yard where the goats are less likely to drink from.

great planning!


----------

