Goats eating chicken feed

[chrisntiff]

I cant keep my two nigerians out of my chicken feeders. I feed my chickens free choice all day. I was wondering if anyone knew of a chicken feeder that would not let a goat get at it? I appreciate any advice,
Chris

[dragonfly65]

The only way I found to keep the goats from eating the chicken feed is to feed the chickens in the coop. I had to reinforce the little doorway the chickens use with 2x4's and even made it smaller (just big enough for the rooster to duck under). I have to feed the ducks and geese at night in their pen after the goats have been locked up. Not much can deter gots from what they want.

[Charleen]

Our birds are all house separately from the goats, but when we did have a token pair of silkies in the goat barn, I threw a handful of scratch on the ground outside while the goats were eating inside. There were plenty of juicy protein filled bugs for the birds to find, so I didn't supplement too much with feed.

[Meg Z]

I have automatic feeders, too, so understand the problem. The chicken house is separated by a fence, and the chickens have a double ladder to get in and out of the pen, into the pasture. The goats don't climb ladders very well. The turkeys, last lonely goose, and ducks have a pen at the barn. The top of the door is hinged so the turkeys can fly over the top, and there is a low door at the bottom, so the waterfowl can get in as they choose, but the goats can't.

However, I know pygmies can squeeze through all sorts of places.

How about making a 'cage' for your feeder? figure out how far you goats can stretch their necks, and put up a square of fence or hog panels around the feeder, one side hinged in some fashion so you can get in. The chickens should be able to go throught the holes, but not the goats.

On the other hand, the kids will probably walk right through it.

I'm fresh out of ideas, now.....
Meg

[Rachel K.]

Do not allow your Goats to eat Chicken feed. You have to find a way to keep it out of their reach or at least feed them when the Goats are busy eating. Chicken feed is very bad for Goats.

[Lt. Wombat]

I used 2 push in fence posts and made a little electric fence around the front of the coop (attaches to the coop, makes a circle then attaches back to the coop). The goats are very trained to electric so it isn't even connected to a power source! This stopped all forms of marauding or the coop.

[ChickenMom]

Chicken feed is very bad for Goats.

Why is it bad for goats? Mine eat it too!

[Paula]

It can cause them to bloat if they get much of it. Something about how finely the stuff is ground.

[Rachel K.]

I think that there is a ingredient in it that is harmful to Goats.

[Ark]

My milkroom is connected to our storeroom along the back wall, and there is a 10 inch space under the storeroom as the whole thing is up off the ground. I finally started feeding the chickens in the milkroom as they can come in and out and eat whenever they want - it drives the goats crazy!
I just have to be sure to pick up their feed when I go in to milk.
When I was trying to feed them in the chicken pen it was a fiasco - you'd be surprised how big of a goat can get in there thru the little chicken door, eat all the food, then howl because she cant get out! LOL

[Tucker]

Originally Posted by chrisntiff

I cant keep my two nigerians out of my chicken feeders. I feed my chickens free choice all day. I was wondering if anyone knew of a chicken feeder that would not let a goat get at it? I appreciate any advice,
Chris

Hi Chris ,,

Find some way ,, some how ,, to keep them out of it ,,,

about 5 yrs ago we got an adorable minature goat ,, soon as it was weaned from mom ,, when we were at home it ran loose like the dog ,, they were buddies and the goat followed us everwhere we went ,,

our henhouse is 7 1/2 ft x 20 ft ,, roost in back corner ,, floor covered in straw cleaned regurlarly ,, auto waterer in one front corner ,, autofeeder hanging ,, kept full of chicken laying pellets ,, a 12in x 15 in door opening to outside pen area -- 16ft x 16 ft completely enclosed ,, chicken wire top and sides and 2in x 4in wire around the bottom sides 4 ft high to keep any dogs from tearing their way in ,,

(at that time we had a 'pack' roaming the neighborhood)

we had a hay rack for the goat's hay available 24/7 fixed inside the pen area , fresh bucket of water every day ,, fed it goat feed in measured amounts once a day ,, we kept him locked in this area with the chickens while we were at work for safety ,, we turned everyone loose as soon as we came home in the afternoon ,,,,

I remember checking the label on the chicken pellets and comparing it to the goat pellets and thinking theres nothing here that will hurt ,, because I 'occasionally' saw Petey get a mouthful as he walked by the chicken feeder ,,

I didn't know about bloat THEN he'd been eating on the pellets for around 4 months ,, but when he died ,, the 1 - 2 days before he died ,, he was being real 'vocal' ,, I'm wondering why he's 'talking' soo much ,, he would walk around ,, 'holler' ,, walk around ,, 'holler' some more ,, he was eating ,, drinking ,, pooping

I found him early in the morning curled up where he had died in his sleep ,,, you could see the spot in the straw beside him where the dog had been curled up beside him sleeping together ,, I cried !! I kept his little bell and even now if I happen to jingle his bell when I'm in the building Tiny will come running like "where's Petey?"

we actually had the wire and fencing to build him his own little pasture ,, just hadn't put it up yet ,, still have his goat house ,,

after he died ,, since "I" had had no idea he was 'even' sick ,, I tried researching goat illnesses and I'm convinced that it was bloat ,, I didn't even think about the fact that he had unlimited access to food all day with the chicken pellets available ,,

(other than thinking he would'nt go hungry if we came home from work late) now how silly was I ,, like any of our pets would be 'starving' just because they got fed late ????

and while I grew up 'country' and knew about horses and bloat or cows and bloat ,, I think most peoples mentality is oh goats can eat everything ,, now I know better

we won't get another pet goat unless we make a large enough pasture for 2 (so they'll be company for each other) to stay in comfortably ,,

maybe you could get a 'hog pannel' 4in x 4in or 5in x 5in wire holes (I'm not sure which size it is) hang the auto - feeder in a corner and fix the pannel to where the goats can't reach but you can still fill ,, I think those holes are large enough for a chicken to get thru or have the wire off the floor high enough for chickens to get 'under' but not the goats ,,,

or use 2in x 4in wire and somehow make a 'cage' circling the auto feeder out far enough the chickens can peck but the goats nose/mouth can't get close enough to eat the pellets ??

depends on what breeds of chickens you have ,, how long their neck is LOL


and for some reason I just can't write short posts I explain everything to DEATH!

10c's worth

[havenberryfarm]

Chicken feed contains meat, which is harmful to a goat's rumen. Their rumen digests through the use of bacteria. If the bacteria needed to digest the ingredients in the chicken feed are not present, then the wrong bacteria take over, create excess gas, and cause bloat. Bloat is life-threatening.

I have had the same problem, and I had to switch some of the chickens over to goat feed and oyster shell until the problem was solved. Chickens do fine on goat feed, but they can get fat and lay fewer eggs.

[Jen H]

When my goats are out at pasture (everything's snowed over now), I have to take in the chicken feed and set it back out at night, after the goats are back in their barn. I also had to really narrow down the chicken door because the goats were getting in and playing with the straw in the nest boxes. The doeling can still get in there, but she's nowhere near as destructive as my yearling wethers are. She also won't stay in there very long because her buddies can't get in.