Keeping Goats with Chickens

[Somerzby]

Somerzby submitted a new resource:

Keeping Goats with Chickens - A rewarding experience so far

View attachment 76629Our pygmy goat and chickens typically get along very well and they are more than happy to share the backyard and food.

Actually, that's the biggest problem we have is that our pygmy goat loves to steal the chickens feed.

It's no good for him, I've heard the the chook feed can give him diarrhea.

We've just tried separating the chook food, keeping it in a separate area from the the goat, actually it's now inside their...

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[ancient]

I had a few roosters decide to move into the goat run. I however never fed them. My does are so good at wasting their grain since they won't eat any they spill on the ground, I had some pretty hefty happy roosters

 

[Jennbramlett]

I have 3 goats ( one wether, 2 females) 6hens and 2 dogs. Everyone gets along great. My we ther sometimes tries my girls (dogs), but she just gets up and gose lay down in the doghouse. They all eat from Everyone else bowl. I mix my all stock and cracked corn in the bin. But I have caught the goats and chickens eating the dog food and the girls eating the goats food.
Told my husband, next time we go on vacation, we will just fill up the deer feeder with Everyone feed, and put it in the backyard.

 

[Anonymouse]

We have 2 goats housed with our chickens. Up until 2 months ago, they all stayed in the same house... We had a ladder roost in the goat house that the chickens used. This was the setup the previous owner used for many years. However, we built a separate chicken coop because I didn't like the goats having to sleep in there with the chickens pooping from above. Wasn't too bad for the chickens but certainly not very sanitary for the goats. Now they sleep in separate buildings but they still share the same fenced run. Everyone is happy, clean, and sanitary.

I keep free choice chicken feeders in the chicken coop where the goats cannot get to it. The chickens love to steal the goat food every morning when I feed them...ha ha. And likewise, when I toss out the chicken scratch, the goats have a heyday so I guess they all figure it's a fair trade.

 

[docteurmccoy]

I've kept them together for years. Never any issues

 

[Kacrcm]

We have 2 goats housed with our chickens. Up until 2 months ago, they all stayed in the same house... We had a ladder roost in the goat house that the chickens used. This was the setup the previous owner used for many years. However, we built a separate chicken coop because I didn't like the goats having to sleep in there with the chickens pooping from above. Wasn't too bad for the chickens but certainly not very sanitary for the goats. Now they sleep in separate buildings but they still share the same fenced run. Everyone is happy, clean, and sanitary.

I keep free choice chicken feeders in the chicken coop where the goats cannot get to it. The chickens love to steal the goat food every morning when I feed them...ha ha. And likewise, when I toss out the chicken scratch, the goats have a heyday so I guess they all figure it's a fair trade.

What goat food do you feed? Do you worry about impacted crop if the chickens eat the hay? I am in the beginning stages of letting my chickens hang out with the new goats and them food swapping is stressing me out

 

[Alaskan]

The chickens have zero issue with the hay.

I never left any goat feed out.... but none of that would have hurt the chickens.


Goats however can bloat and die if they get into the chicken feed. So... that is the main issue.