This question is for those of you who have chickens and goats

TXMissy

Loving the herd life
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
216
Reaction score
232
Points
143
Location
Copperas Cove, TX
Hi ya'll!

I have chicken and goat, literally in my backyard. we have a standard privacy fence and I have a run (not the best right now) that my goats keep braking into. My question is: Is there anyone out there that has goats and chickens that just free roam? If so, how do you keep the goats out of the chicken feed? I am thinking about just taking down the run until we can put up the better one. I have no trees in my backyard but there are shade areas we created in their run... Or maybe just taking down the netting that covers the run so it at least makes it easier to get the goats out when the break in. I worry about the flying predators, not the others because I shut them in their coop at night. So please, tell me how you keep your goats out of the chicken feed?

Thanks!
 

animalmom

Herd Master
Joined
Dec 19, 2009
Messages
1,958
Reaction score
2,231
Points
343
Location
North Central Texas
I have had my extra roosters in the three pens with my goats. The only thing that worked for us was taking a stock panel and cutting it in thirds and removing a rooster size portion of the panel on the bottom. This is then wedged and wired into a corner of a goat pen. It bows out in the middle to allow you the most room from the front to the back. I then hang a feeder as far in the back corner as possible. We did modify the opening to resemble more an upside down V (narrow at the top wide at the bottom) with wire. Right now I have roosters only in two pens. The third panel I moved to protect a new pear tree in the duck yard.

You might be able to do this to a corner of your yard. My goats will try to get in the corner but so far they have just been frustrated by not reaching anything vital. As I have Nigerians the kids can get into the corner so when the kids are too small to be thwarted by the panel I move the rooster out.
 

TXMissy

Loving the herd life
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
216
Reaction score
232
Points
143
Location
Copperas Cove, TX
I have had my extra roosters in the three pens with my goats. The only thing that worked for us was taking a stock panel and cutting it in thirds and removing a rooster size portion of the panel on the bottom. This is then wedged and wired into a corner of a goat pen. It bows out in the middle to allow you the most room from the front to the back. I then hang a feeder as far in the back corner as possible. We did modify the opening to resemble more an upside down V (narrow at the top wide at the bottom) with wire. Right now I have roosters only in two pens. The third panel I moved to protect a new pear tree in the duck yard.

You might be able to do this to a corner of your yard. My goats will try to get in the corner but so far they have just been frustrated by not reaching anything vital. As I have Nigerians the kids can get into the corner so when the kids are too small to be thwarted by the panel I move the rooster out.
I know you know that my chickens and goats are literally in my backyard on almost an acre. We have an area on the side of the house sectioned off for the goats and then another area sectioned off with a really poorly made chicken run. I had no idea what I was doing really and had not found any of the "backyard" sites beforehand. The "run" is covered with a netting to keep prey birds out, not that I have ever seen any and the rest of is chicken wire and t-posts and some cattle panel because the goat keep rubbing on the chicken wire and breaking it. Our backyard has privacy fencing. I thought about taking down the run until I make a "hoop coop run" but my only worry is where to put the chicken feed. Someone on another site mentioned they only feed their chickens in the afternoon. That would be perfect for me because I feed my goats in the evening and lock them up for the night, however, everything I read says chickens should have access to feed all day. I am sure my adventurous Buttercup and her side kick Huckleberry could probably fit through the chicken door since they can fit through the dog door. I have a chicken feeder that is round with the holes in it so I am not sure exactly how much feed the goat can get out of it, unless of course they knock it over. I do have 2 cattle panels we were going to use for the hoop coop run that I can use to make some sort of feeding area. I will have to think about how to use it. The chickens can fit through the squares in the panel.
 

Alaskan

Herd Master
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
5,366
Reaction score
12,588
Points
553
Location
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
I do think the chickens need deed close to all day... only afternoon only works if the chickens are foraging and eating bugs and greens all day.
 
Top