# Poultry and Livestock



## marvun22 (Dec 17, 2013)

How do they do together? I have lots of poultry right now, and I'm pretty sure I'll be getting livestock this summer. Are chickens, ducks, and geese smart enough to stay away from cows/sheep/pigs/goats/etc? Are the livestock smart enough to not step on/trample the poultry? My geese are quite loud and defensive creatures. I hope a cow wouldn't get ticked off and try to kill it.


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## peachick (Dec 17, 2013)

I have  goats,  1 sheep  and 1 donkey...  they  live  with  chickens  peacocks  and  sebastopol geese.  The  larger animals  never  seem  to even notice  the chickens...  I  have  one Phoenix rooster  that  likes  to sit on their backs...  nobody seems  to  mind.
The  worst  problems  is....  the  chickens will  eat the corn  in  the livestock feed....  soo  they  have  more potential  of getting trampled.....


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## marvun22 (Dec 17, 2013)

Oh, I guess they'll learn either the easy way or the hard way. I'm already jealous. I want Sebbie geese, but for one, they're expensive, and for two, they would look more brown around my farm.


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## boothcreek (Dec 17, 2013)

I keep the geese with the Sheep, my pilgrim gander rules the pasture and will claim a whole feeder full of grain for himself and his flock and give the sheep a run for their money. When free ranged the geese spend their time between the horses and cows  as well but each group goes their own way and ignore the other. The Muscovy ducks have the run of the place with their ducklings too and are always very aware to give the horses/cows ample room to pass.
Only ever had 1 injury to a young rooster who was at the wrong place the wrong time. Horse spooked in the paddock and a whole bunch of 4-5 month old chickens were dust bathing right in the gate to the pasture, the young roo was the only one who didn't get the "Uh-Oh maybe I should move" moment like the rest of his siblings..... result was a broken thigh bone in the bird but he healed just fine.

Most critters naturally know to give the other species their own space when possible. Always amazes me how even tho there is a language barrier between species and even body language differs they get the gist of it and are very responsive to it(horse puts 1 ear back and the sheep vacate the hay pile, or a particularly heaving breath from a cow(usually a sign you are annoying it, not quite pissed yet) makes the chickens back off of the grain.


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## Kitsara (Dec 17, 2013)

I have chickens that hang around the goats. Especially now after some of their number have gone missing. Occasionally a chicken would get stepped on, but they typically learn to keep out from under hoof. A lot of them like to sit on the goats. The goats don't seem to mind. I think the like the extra scritches.  In fact, the chickens have taken to sleeping with goats out in their shed. Everyone seems happy with the arrangement.

Now ducks, the ones I've had aren't near as fast as moving as the chickens and were more apt to have their feet stepped on. I had one that really got a foot mangled. The geese. Well, the geese typically stayed away from the goats, but again, were more apt then the chickens to get a foot placed wrong if they tried to get in with the feed as the goats were eating.


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## Beekissed (Dec 17, 2013)

I had a chicken that liked to ride on my sheep and sleep on her back....it's a great symbiotic relationship for both species as the sheep love to slip in and steal the chicken's feed and the chickens like to steal anything the sheep have!  

They like the same food scraps, the same grasses, they share fermented pumpkins, apples, etc.,  and they seem to love flocking together.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 17, 2013)

My geese will bite the goats if they get too close. 
For the most part they all get out of the way for each other. 
The chickens steal everyone's food. The goats _try_ to steal others food.


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## kittie_kat (Dec 18, 2013)

peachick said:


> I have  goats,  1 sheep  and 1 donkey...  they  live  with  chickens  peacocks  and  sebastopol geese.  The  larger animals  never  seem  to even notice  the chickens...  I  have  one Phoenix rooster  that  likes  to sit on their backs...  nobody seems  to  mind.
> The  worst  problems  is....  the  chickens will  eat the corn  in  the livestock feed....  soo  they  have  more potential  of getting trampled.....



Wow, I've loved to see your rooster on the back of your cows!


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## kittie_kat (Dec 18, 2013)

peachick said:


> I have  goats,  1 sheep  and 1 donkey...  they  live  with  chickens  peacocks  and  sebastopol geese.  The  larger animals  never  seem  to even notice  the chickens...  I  have  one Phoenix rooster  that  likes  to sit on their backs...  nobody seems  to  mind.
> The  worst  problems  is....  the  chickens will  eat the corn  in  the livestock feed....  soo  they  have  more potential  of getting trampled.....



Wow, I've loved to see your rooster on the back of your cows!


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## kittie_kat (Dec 18, 2013)

Kitsara said:


> I have chickens that hang around the goats. Especially now after some of their number have gone missing. Occasionally a chicken would get stepped on, but they typically learn to keep out from under hoof. A lot of them like to sit on the goats. The goats don't seem to mind. I think the like the extra scritches.  In fact, the chickens have taken to sleeping with goats out in their shed. Everyone seems happy with the arrangement.
> 
> Now ducks, the ones I've had aren't near as fast as moving as the chickens and were more apt to have their feet stepped on. I had one that really got a foot mangled. The geese. Well, the geese typically stayed away from the goats, but again, were more apt then the chickens to get a foot placed wrong if they tried to get in with the feed as the goats were eating.



Hey Kitsara! I'm planning to have pigs soon too and I currently have chickens. 

How did you train your chicks to stay away herds? Or did you just let them mingle with the herds and let them learn by themselves?


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## Kitsara (Dec 18, 2013)

They mingled and learned on their own. They went out at about 6-8 weeks, depending on the weather. So far, all  of our chickens have been hatchery. It's been the older ones that generally get underfoot. The younger tend to be wary for a little first.

I can't wait till I can have some pigs. But that'll be another year at least. Gotta get a place set up for them.


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