Keeping kids out of the chicken coop

[Kadjain]

As if it's not hard enough to keep the adult Nigerian goats out of the coop, now I have dwarf kids. A couple days ago they realized they can get a meal in there. I was anticipating this happening and thought I knew how to fix the problem until I realized my solution for keeping the kids out would also keep the ducks out. I was going to cut chicken doors a couple of feet up and make perches they would have to fly up on to get in. Then I realized most of my ducks are horrible flyers and might not figure it out.
Now I'm thinking of fixing a small piece of 2x4 wire fence around the feeders so the chickens head can still get in but the kids heads will be too big to fit.
I know plenty of people have to deal with this problem. Anyone had genius ideas of how to save their chicken feed from the kids?
Anyone with duck experience know if the ducks would figure out how to get in if I cut the doors a couple feet up? I have a Musc. that would do it no problem, I'm worried about the Khaki's, 300 and Runner.

 

[Beekissed]

Well...there is the old remedy they use to keep goats/cows/sheep from going through fences. A forked stick tied onto the neck(imagine a triangle shape when it is done)....doesn't allow them to enter smaller spaces so easily. Doesn't hurt them if you don't tie it too tightly but it needs to be snug enough that they can't get it off. It works easier on a cow than on smaller livestock.

You can also implement what I call the chicken tunnel....a hooped bit of fencing that creates a long tunnel(chicken and duck sized if they squat a little) entrance into your pop door. Not many other animals will crawl all that way to get to the coop....but a chicken will because they are conditioned to go there.

Or...you could feed from a trough style feeder and only feed your chickens and ducks once a day and just enough that they clean it up right then and there. Anything left over would be minimal and the kids could lick up the dust and welcome to it. I place 2x3 welded wire over my trough so that the chickens can't get in it and scratch nor can they effectively flick out feed. This is also a good way to minimize feed loss to rodents at night....you'd be amazed how much they can pack away from your continuous type feeders.

 

[Kadjain]

I've tried the tunnel before with wood. It worked well to keep the older goats out, although once I was woken by the screams of an 8 month old doe who got herself stuck in a tiny feeding house I made to keep the goats out. She never did that again. I still think the kids are small enough and would find it easy and maybe fun to take a tunnel in.

If your chickens can get their heads in a 2x3 space, I'm really hoping that the 2x4 fence fixed to the feeders will solve the issue.

 

[Kadjain]

The 2x4 wire solved the problem. It looks ugly now but I was just trying to get it done befroe dark. I'll probably try to make them look better sometime.

The kids came running in right after I put the feeders back in the coop and tried to get at the feed. They were bummed and looked like they were thinking "what the heck, it wasn't like this earlier"

 

[Ms. Research]

Hey, I'm the "as long as it's works, don't care if it's pretty" type.

Congratulations!

K

 

[Kadjain]

Thanks! I'm stoked I figured it out.

 

[pridegoethb4thefall]

AWESOME! I have the same problem, except my goats are pygmies and so have tiny little heads. I been racking my brain trying to find a way to feed my ducks and chickens in he same area as the goats. I will be rigging up the fencing around the feeder system first thing tomorrow.


Thanks!

 

[autumnprairie]

I will also be rigging a trough style for my chickens thanks

 

[Mamaboid]

Ever notice what a resourceful group of folks goat owners have to be? There is just no problem we cannot solve given enough time and left over pieces of "stuff"!

 

[Kadjain]

Might I suggest adding a piece of PVC pipe about 3' long and 6" wide in the entrance to the coop? I use such things with a 55 gallon drum for chicken feeding and it keeps out the goats very well.

I can't picture what you mean... Got pics?