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  • Kare September 6, 2011 at 11:11pm

    Our chickens are free roaming at this point, so they can get into the goat yard and yes, they do keep it cleaner.  We feed our chickens the same grain that we feed the goats (a mix we make ourselves of organic oats and barley, BOSS and alfalfa pellets), but neither of them are being fed grain right now - the chickens are foraging and the goats are eating only hay.  We will feed the chickens some grain over the winter and the goats will get it when they are in milk.

    I like this arrangement, except that the chickens are eating my raspberries and tomatoes, so I have to figure out how to remedy that for next year =)

  • Genny September 6, 2011 at 10:15pm
    We have chickens and goats and don't seem to have any problems.  I feed my goats separately since it's usually the chickens trying to eat the goat feed.  My only suggestion is that if you plan to milk , find a place to put your milkstand where the chickens won't roost on or around it and leave a mess...it's frustrating to have all your milking equipment nice and clean and to find chicken poop all over the milkstand.
  • Renee Pedrini September 3, 2011 at 10:10am
    Great, so they live well together.  I also heard the chickens scratching around breaks down the goat poop faster.  I am having issues cleaning it because it got a lot of loose dirt and rocks in the pen.
  • Adrienne September 3, 2011 at 10:07am
    My chickens lay their eggs in the goat pens. I would prefer to keep the chickens in with the goats but I don't know how to keep the chicken food from the goats while still being accessible to the chickens
  • Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres September 3, 2011 at 9:45am
    My goats have gotten a bit by accident. They didn't get sick, but the smallest one started to get diarrhea. I got it under control, but they all would eat it again if they could... lol

    Renee Pedrini said:

    Thank you,  I was thinking of dividing the barn into two sections, shutting one door and making a small chicken do0r for them to come and go.  My parents dogs got really really sick by eating the chicken food, so I am glad for the info.

    Thanks again!

  • Renee Pedrini September 3, 2011 at 9:22am

    Thank you,  I was thinking of dividing the barn into two sections, shutting one door and making a small chicken do0r for them to come and go.  My parents dogs got really really sick by eating the chicken food, so I am glad for the info.

    Thanks again!

  • Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres September 2, 2011 at 11:31pm
    They can live together, but you should not keep chicken feed where your goats can get it in any way shape or form. Chicken food will give your goats diarrhea really badly. I would recommend keeping your chickens roost and nest area in a place the goats can't get into, and feeding your chickens in that place. Say a sectioned off area of the same barn or something like that. My chicken coop is in a corner of the goat's pen, but one of the doors opens to the outside of the goat area. That is where I let the chickens come and go, and the goats can't get into the coop. The chickens CAN get into the goat area if they choose to when they are let out of their coop and slip under the fence into the goat's area.
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