Animal/Poultry Housing

[ChickenChic]

Hello,

As of now we only have 3 chickens, but I would like to add 2 small goats to our growing farm. My question is can they be housed in the same small building? It is about 8 ft x 10 ft. Or would poultry and goats need separate sleeping quarters.

Also I have seen large metal sheds, can those be insulated and used to keep animals overnight?

Sorry if these are silly questions. I spent some time on my grandmother's farm as a child, but didn't pay nearly enough attention.

[jwal10]

Same building separate pens can work. I have a main shed with leantos, 1 open for the goats, 1 for the rabbits and 1 an enclosed chicken coop. The main shed has the milking stall and 3 pens for the goats. I like to lock the animals in the barn at night for predator protection. I don't like any fowl to be in the same shed as the rest of the animals because of disease and bugs. Chickens carry mites and other critters.

You could put a divider inside the shed, giving the chickens 1/3 to 1/2 and the rest for the goats. A small door to outside for the chickens, you and the goats use the big door. Chickens will get use to and like their own place to roost and the goats can't bother them laying. I like a nest box the chickens access from inside the coop but is accessible from outside to gather the eggs. A hinged topworks well with a latch to keep varmints out....James

[Tabitha]

Same as James. We did that once with sheep and chickens.

[mooman]

Do bird mites infest mammals? I'm thinking no, but someone else might give a more difinitive answer. I keep my chickens and goats together in the same pasture. But different stalls. The chickens have to go through the goat stall to get to thiers however. The only dificulty is keeping the goats out of the chicken feed. The door into the chicken coop is just big enough for chickens but not for goats. **harder than it sounds when you keep Nigerian Dwarfs. You'd be surprised how small a hole they will fit through when there is chicken food on the other side.

[Maura]

If this is for night sleeping and nesting, I'd just put a nesting box up high enough that the goats can't reach it, but make sure the chickens can.

[highlands]

I would not worry much. Certainly not in summer. Just need shade in the day. Mostly our animals sleep outdoors, by their own choice. We have open sheds that they can go into but they like the bright sky. They're more likely to sleep in a shed that has translucent glazing than opaque roofing. In the winter it is a deep bedding pack and protection from the wind that they need. Fresh air is critical. Don't close them in.

[Patchouli]

Originally Posted by mooman

Do bird mites infest mammals? I'm thinking no, but someone else might give a more difinitive answer. I keep my chickens and goats together in the same pasture. But different stalls. The chickens have to go through the goat stall to get to thiers however. The only dificulty is keeping the goats out of the chicken feed. The door into the chicken coop is just big enough for chickens but not for goats. **harder than it sounds when you keep Nigerian Dwarfs. You'd be surprised how small a hole they will fit through when there is chicken food on the other side.

The lice on poultry definitely can. One sort of chicken mite at least does attack mammals too.

Our biggest problem is feed too because goats will get into anything and everything! We have a barn for the big animals and a separate coop for the poultry. For just 3 hens I would put them in a rabbit hutch at night or something of that sort and build a lean to type shed for the goats. Dairy goats don't do well with getting wet or cold.