Mini goat babies in Coop- Is this ok?

CAjerseychick · #1 09/27/13, 01:39 PM

So now that the hens have moved Back into the coop-- new problem-- the mini goat babies (4months and not bottle fed, pretty wild actually) have decided its comfy in the coop-- there is an entire back section under some nest boxes that fits them nicely (in fact they may even fit back there even when grown)--
They go right in a night and bed down in the back corner (the hens dont have much say in it they are pretty docile in the dark and they are up on the roosts)--any opening that allows for my huge Jersey Giant Roo is going to allow for the goats and he is too heavy to fly....
any foreseeable problems? Besides Goat urine?!
Its wooden flooring, raised 4 inches off the ground (with cracks, the pee will drain) layered with straw, wood chips and DE sprinkled through out....
Eventually (next spring) we will move them out back to the horse shed but for now we are keeping them near the house to tame them and teach the dogs not to harass them.....

AuntKitty · #2 09/27/13, 01:50 PM

My main worry would be the goats getting into the chicken feed. My chickens decided to roost on the wire in the goat stalls last time the fox came around and there were no problems other than my herd queen not liking to get pooped on...

Kitty

CAjerseychick · #3 09/27/13, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuntKitty

My main worry would be the goats getting into the chicken feed. My chickens decided to roost on the wire in the goat stalls last time the fox came around and there were no problems other than my herd queen not liking to get pooped on...

Kitty

Thanks for the reply! No feeders in the coop at all and I put cattle panels around the chicken feeders to keep the goats out (they are pretty skittish and havent tested them at all)- I have the week off to monitor them....

Squeaky McMurdo · #4 09/27/13, 02:49 PM

The main problem would be chicken feed as was already pointed out, so you would need to barricade that off. Just to warn you though, my Nigerian babies can get through cattle panels. Gemini can run through one going full speed. My yearling can still fit through when the panel is arced over on its ends, so be careful how you orient a cut panel.

Chickens pooping on the goats is another issue if the goats are under their roost...a poop board can fix that.

And of course chicken wire is not goat proof and will probably get destroyed by climbing goats.

CAjerseychick · #5 09/27/13, 04:58 PM

They are Nigerian- Toggenburg crosses (only 1/4 Togg 3/4 Nigerian) they seem a bit taller than a regular Nigie, their moms looked like small Saanans actually (white) so actually wondering if they got the mixture wrong....
they are not used to manmade things and were in electric netting so seem to be steering clear of wire in general (but we are home watching them)....

Oh and the chicken wire is over welded wire fencing (we didnt understand why people use Chicken wire for chickens, duh.... so we had regular welded wire fencing.... and the chicks all got loose....)....

Pony · #6 09/28/13, 06:10 AM

Another concern is whether the kids have access to chicken manure. Sometimes, through cribbing on roost bars and such, they can become very ill indeed.