You have a barn, you have a yard, you have multiple animals, and you need to maximize usage of your space — throw ‘em all together and be done with it, right?
Well, not necessarily. However, you can keep goats & chickens in the same yard if you follow a few practices to allow them to coexist happily.
How To Keep Goats & Chickens In The Same Yard
Some animals can be boarded together with little trouble (sheep and goats), some animals should always have their own territory (pigs), and still, others can share space as long as considerations are made — that’s where goats and chickens come into play. If you want to keep your goats and chickens together, keep the following things in mind.
Separate Food
The biggest issue you’ll face when your goats and chickens live together is keeping them out of each other’s food.
Goats love chicken feed, but it’s imperative you keep them clear of it. If your goats get into chicken feed, they may end up suffering from diarrhea and bloat — and if it’s severe enough, it can be fatal.
Image ©Mojeji Ranch
Chickens aren’t likely to suffer any ill effects from eating goat feed. However, they aren’t particular about where they leave their droppings — and if they happen to be perched on the edge of the goat manger, it’s liable to land in the goats’ hay. Goats won’t eat soiled hay, meaning you’ll have to throw it out and give them a fresh batch. Wasted hay means wasted money.
You can remedy this problem a number of ways. Start by keeping chicken feed in a hanging feeder inside their coop. Make sure the coop has openings just large enough for your chickens to get in and out, but small enough that goats can’t enter. Feed any grain to your goats before you release the chickens in the morning and after you lock them up at night. Store your goats’ hay in a manger with a top so the chickens cannot get in it to lay or roost.
Separate Housing
It’s perfectly fine to let chickens and goats free range together, but they do need a place of their own when not turned out. You’ll need to give the chickens a place to live free of the goats where they can be warm and protected from predators. The goats require a shelter free of the chickens, as roosting birds will leave droppings on whatever is below and scratch up soiled bedding.
The yard itself doesn’t need to be anything special — just make sure it’s fenced well. Goat panels with four-inch openings should work well if you have larger breeds. If you have dwarves or pygmies, go for panels with smaller openings (two x four inch) to keep your kids from breaking loose. While the goat panels are nice, electric wire or netting may be more likely to keep your animals in and predators out in the same time. If you do decide to go the electric route, a 5000-volt charger will work for both the goats and the chickens.
Injury
The most common injury you’ll see if you keep your goats and chickens together is a squashed chicken foot. Goats aren’t particularly mindful of where they step, and if a chicken isn’t quick enough, such things are bound to happen. Goats may get a sharp peck on the muzzle, but that’s probably the most trouble they’ll get from their chicken friends.
Disease
Diseases are another thing entirely. Coccidiosis is a common concern among goat and chicken owners. However, coccidia is host specific, meaning it cannot be spread from chickens to goats and vice-versa. Cryptosporidiosis, caused by the protozoan cryptosporidium, is an intestinal parasite that affects both birds and mammals. It is not host specific, meaning chickens can get crypto from infected goats, and goats can get crypto from infected chickens. Cryptosporidiosis is not uncommon in confined young chickens and can be fatal to kids.
Salmonella bacteria live in the intestines of chickens and since chickens leave droppings anywhere, it can easily be spread. If a doe rests in soiled bedding, her udder can become contaminated. A kid that subsequently nurses from said udder can get a lethal dose of salmonella.
Keep your goat shed, chicken coop, and yard as clean as possible. If any of your animals begin showing signs of illness, quarantine them and call a vet immediately. The sooner they are treated, the more likely they are to survive.
Why Keep Them Together at All?
With all the extra work involved, you might wonder why you should even bother keeping chickens and goats together at all. Chickens are good for cutting down on food waste from goats — they pick up grain the goats drop. Chickens also eat bugs and parasites that make their homes around the goats’ pen. Both animals provide the other with companionship — sometimes even forming strong interspecies bonds.
By providing them with separate housing, encouraging the chickens to sleep in their coop at night, but allowing them to share the same pastures during the day, a lot of people keep their chickens and goats together with few problems.
Liz Greene hails from the beautiful city of trees, Boise, Idaho. She’s a lover of all things geek and is happiest when cuddling with her dogs and catching up on the latest Marvel movies. You can follow her on Twitter @LizVGreene or delve deeper into her internal musings at InstantLo
Shelia says
Is there any reason that the goat housing and chicken coop can’t share a wall, like a duplex?
Lesa says
Hi Sheila,
I don’t see any reason why the goat housing and chicken coop can’t share a wall, as long as you can keep those goats out of the chicken house/feed.
BJ says
Hanging feed bags for 2 pygmy goats with horns? Can the horns get twisted or stuck in them as cannot be there when eating all the time? How does it work with feeding bags and safety? Thank you very much for your time, would like to get their alphalfa of the ground! Yes, alphalfa for 9 years, with minerals, baking soda and fresh vegetables/fruits from the garden, hoofing and worming and their pasture space 1/4 acre. Awaiting your answer, again thank you.
Lesa says
Hi BJ, We used hanging feed bags for a bit, but then quit using them because yes the goats can get stuck in the feed bags. Our goats never had horns but I imagine that would make feed bags even less safe. So, no I can’t recommend feed bags. We used hanging mangers, but again horns make it difficult to find ones that will work without them having the possibility of getting stuck. Good luck!
Lesa says
Hi BJ, We used hanging feed bags for a bit, but then quit using them because yes the goats can get stuck in the feed bags. Our goats never had horns but I imagine that would make feed bags even less safe. So, no I can’t recommend feed bags. We used hanging mangers, but again horns make it difficult to find ones that will work without them having the possibility of getting stuck. Good luck!
Reese says
How do you keep the chickens out of the goat shelter? Also do the chickens climb on the goats water bucket and poop in the water? If so how do you get around that?
Lesa says
Hi Reese,
I wrote a longer article that talks about those questions here: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/pasture-goats-chickens-together-for-a-dynamic-duo/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sponsored_04_May_2021&utm_campaign=MannaPro_HF_ENews_05/04/21_Final&utm_content=20_Breeds_for_2021! Hope this helps 🙂
Lisa says
We have 2 goats living with 3 chickens and 2 ducks (food is separated). I’m wondering if the lingering cough that my goats have is being caused by this arrangement. We have tried everything for the cough. There is no fever, just a cough which we have even had a vet listen to. We have administered antibiotics, dewormers, anti inflammatory medication. Nothing has worked. Perhaps cleaning the stalls more often than normal is required?
Lesa says
Hi Lisa, It could be the fact that they’re living together – some goats have allergies just like people and they could be allergic. Or, chickens do create a lot of dust that could be irritating them – either way cleaning more frequently might help.
Reneé says
Goats and chickens are totally fine to share housing, it is true that goats should not have access to chicken feed, and goats won’t eat dirty hay, out hey hangs from a hay net for the goats, away from where any chickens can roost above it. keeps it clean, far les waist. As for chicken feed, ours our free range, they spend most thier days in the field with the goats and horses finding their own food, a pellet scratch mix is thrown out to them ( in the field) twice a day, we DO NOT use feeders, they don’t need them and we don’t run the risk of the goats getting into something they shouldn’t (goats are smart determined animals, if they want something they will find a way to get it) There was a time when I thought they all had to have their separate living quarters, then I was corrected by a old multi generational farmer., go back to the beginning of farming, all the animals shared the same barn/manger.. animals didn’t all get their own houses or shelters. (Pigs should be separate, they can do a lot of damage) it’s a new age way if thinking to give separate living quarters to everything. So I stopped micro managing my flock/herd and they have been happy and healthy ever since. Yes keep things clean, and no goats can not eat everything chickens can, if you want to give your chickens compost you must have a safe place away from the goats to do it.
Jamie says
I guess I’m not understanding how a hanging chicken feeder will keep the goats out of it? It has to be low enough for the chickens to eat it, so if the goats get in they can still reach it (and make it swing around). Maybe you’re meaning a different style of feeder than my hanging feeder? My problem is really finding a solution to keeping little goat kids out that can fit through 5×5 fencing so the chicken pop door is a cinch! 🙁
Lesa says
Hi Jamie, You have to hang the chicken feeder inside the coop and keep the goats out, this is what the post said: “”Start by keeping chicken feed in a hanging feeder inside their coop. Make sure the coop has openings just large enough for your chickens to get in and out, but small enough that goats can’t enter. Feed any grain to your goats before you release the chickens in the morning and after you lock them up at night.”
Sayeed says
Hello All,
I already have a goat shed and am planning to rear chickens as well. The shed is elevated 5 feet above GL and I would like to utilize the lower free space to house chickens. This is perfectly in line with keeping chickens and goats separately at the same time utilizing the free area.
Kindly comment if this is a good idea and would be beneficial for rearing goats and chickens by keeping them separate. Thanks for your valuable time. Please help me with your valuable comments. Thanks. Sayeed.
Lesa says
Hi Sayeed,
I think that utilizing the space under the shed for chickens and keeping them separate sounds like a good plan. You need to make sure that the goats can’t get into the chicken area and eat their food, and if you do that your plan should be doable.
Janet says
Just wondering if your chickens have ever pecked the skin off of your goats. Ours peck at the fur of 2 of our three goats and actually make dime size wounds on them. They all hang out together during the day and some times the chickens will ride on our goats or sleep with their heads under them. Quite entertaining actually. Any ideas about the pecking issue would be appreciated. Thanks
Lesa says
Hi Janet,
We have not had the issue of the chickens pecking at the fur of the goats. I know that in late winter, early spring when the goats coats are long, they often develop lice, If it was happening in late winter early spring when the goats have long coats, could the chickens be pecking at lice? Only thing I can think of at this point – usually if you clip the goats, the lice go away because they can’t take exposure to the sun, etc.
Tanya says
We too keep goats, chickens and ducks together, with no problem at all
JuneF says
This article will definitely come in handy before we get goats and chickens.
Reneé says
Goats and chickens are totally fine to share housing, it is true that goats should not have access to chicken feed, and goats won’t eat dirty hay, out hey hangs from a hay net for the goats, away from where any chickens can roost above it. keeps it clean, far les waist. There was a time when I thought they all had to have their separate living quarters, then I was corrected by a old multi generational farmer., go back to the beginning of farming, all the animals shared the same barn/manger.. animals didn’t all get their own houses or shelters. (Pigs should be separate, they can do a lot of damage) it’s a new age way if thinking to give separate living quarters to everything. So I stopped micro managing my flock/herd and they have been happy and healthy ever since. Yes keep things clean, and no goats can not eat everything chickens can, if you want to give your chickens compost you must have a safe place away from the goats to do it.