Keeping Hens with Goats?
- Thread starter lipazron
- Start date
AdoptAPitBull
Ridin' The Range
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2010
- Messages
- 270
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 59
They'll be fine. It'll give them a jolt and they'll go about their business.
Pearce Pastures
Barn Babe
The fence should be okay but you will need to be sure that the goats do not have any access to the chicken feed whatsoever.
elevan
Critter Addict ♥
Pearce Pastures said:
KWAK
Ridin' The Range
I have chickens and ducks in with goats, I dont give any chicken feed at all. Just goat feed.
The chickens still lay eggs and are fat and healthy.
The chickens still lay eggs and are fat and healthy.
You mean your chickens eat the goat feed only? No chicken feed at all? I know my chickens are always cleaning up after the goats, but never thought of feeding goat feed exclusively, that would make life so much easier as I am constantly shooing the goats away from the chicken feed. Do you supplement the chickens with oyster shells or anything?
Pearce Pastures
Barn Babe
Goat feed does contain high levels of copper and is not designed nutritionally for chickens, but like lots of critters, can live on what is available. It may not provide them with ideal levels of the minerals, proteins, and such that help them to thrive, resist illness, and produce and could be giving them more of certain elements than are good for them. It would be easier but still you may want to consider what you are wanting from and for your chickens before providing only goat feed to them.
ragdollcatlady
Herd Master
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2011
- Messages
- 2,237
- Reaction score
- 2,875
- Points
- 353
You might choose to feed a mixed grain style of feed, which would be OK for chickens (instead of goat pellets)......as long as the chickens get grit/oyster shell and have access to higher levels of protein (like dry cat food, hard boiled eggs, or calf manna) while molting or during times of extreme cold or distress. Also, the goats really need loose minerals out all the time, especially if minerals aren't included in their feed ration. And Hay.
That being said...it isn't ideal........... If you want the best nutrition for each type of animal, the specially formulated feeds take all the details and needs into consideration for you....... But it is practical and if done with a careful eye to the condition and consideration of all your animals, would definitely be easier than trying to keep goats out of chicken food. There was a time when all chickens on most farms had to eat straight grains and/or forage for most of their feed. We just made it easier by having someone else do the math and mix it up for us in #50 bags so we don't have to!
Unless you have a goat pellets out all the time, you could also feed the goats just a bit of their feed 2 times a day in raised feeders or buckets, to keep the birds out, and goats tend to eat their grain/pellets up pretty quick if limited.
You can look in nearly any chicken/goat raising book to find samples of best ways to mix grains if you want to develop your own mix.
"Scratch" grain around here has a lot of corn and in my efforts to reduce our use of corn I am trying to stay away from it, but my goats are thriving on oats, BOSS, alfalfa and calf manna as their ration. The birds (chickens, ducks, geese) do steal some of this as well as clean up whatever spills. My goats have loose minerals in raised containers that the chickens don't even notice and couldn't reach if they did, since they are short and the chickens have dishes of oyster shell and grit around the yard. I also feed alfalfa hay just FYI.
I do feed my birds a specially formulated poultry ration that I love (because they keep in such nice condition most of the year on mostly just that and foraging through the compost) , but my goats rations are bird friendly and my birds do eat it, just not exclusively.
Hope that helps.
That being said...it isn't ideal........... If you want the best nutrition for each type of animal, the specially formulated feeds take all the details and needs into consideration for you....... But it is practical and if done with a careful eye to the condition and consideration of all your animals, would definitely be easier than trying to keep goats out of chicken food. There was a time when all chickens on most farms had to eat straight grains and/or forage for most of their feed. We just made it easier by having someone else do the math and mix it up for us in #50 bags so we don't have to!
Unless you have a goat pellets out all the time, you could also feed the goats just a bit of their feed 2 times a day in raised feeders or buckets, to keep the birds out, and goats tend to eat their grain/pellets up pretty quick if limited.
You can look in nearly any chicken/goat raising book to find samples of best ways to mix grains if you want to develop your own mix.
"Scratch" grain around here has a lot of corn and in my efforts to reduce our use of corn I am trying to stay away from it, but my goats are thriving on oats, BOSS, alfalfa and calf manna as their ration. The birds (chickens, ducks, geese) do steal some of this as well as clean up whatever spills. My goats have loose minerals in raised containers that the chickens don't even notice and couldn't reach if they did, since they are short and the chickens have dishes of oyster shell and grit around the yard. I also feed alfalfa hay just FYI.
I do feed my birds a specially formulated poultry ration that I love (because they keep in such nice condition most of the year on mostly just that and foraging through the compost) , but my goats rations are bird friendly and my birds do eat it, just not exclusively.
Hope that helps.
KWAK
Ridin' The Range
I have not had any problems at all.
But I do throw table scraps into them, and let them free range with the goats... (Outside of the pen. they return at night...)
But what works for one person may not always work for others, I'd do your research and see what you think...
But I do throw table scraps into them, and let them free range with the goats... (Outside of the pen. they return at night...)
But what works for one person may not always work for others, I'd do your research and see what you think...
elevan
Critter Addict ♥
KWAK said:But what works for one person may not always work for others, I'd do your research and see what you think...
You must always do your homework and decide what will work best for you.
