Can Chickens and Goats Roam Together During the Day?

Don't know but I think that's ridiculously awesome, good luck! ❤️

My aunts goats chickens and pigs all roam the yard together it's so cute!!!:D lol

Yeah my SO's cousin has a few chickens, roosters & goats they have a structure that they can go inside, but they are not separated at all. They get along fine. ☺

Goats are really, really social creatures. You should have at least two for their mental health.

And yes chickens and goats can coexist just fine.

We also have a dog, I was hoping he and the goat would be besties! My dog seems lonely sometimes so I wanted to get him a friend. We were going to start out with a baby female goat, then stud her out when she's old enough and get her pregnant so she starts producing milk. I was planning on keeping the first baby so they could be together, but selling babies from subsequent pregnancies. I read that as long as she has a baby each year, she will continue to produce milk naturally.

Do you think I should get two at first or does my plan seem legit? LOL! ?

I'll be back! Saving my place to come help after dinner

I would still get two goats. You could get one female and one wether. Since they are such herd animals another of their own kind is really beneficial to their health.

We have about 50 laying hens and 20-30 roosters. Right now we're getting like 30-35 eggs a a day. It's ridiculous lol but yes I'm sure they could roam together fine. You need more than one goat though.

We can definitely get two! I want to be a good goat mama right from the start, so if that's what's best, we can certainly do it. They better not leave my dog out though. ??

We had chickens for 5 years, here in the city. I miss them... They are so great to have around. And yes, chickens, goats and dog can all roam free together.

You might want to check out the whole baby goat thing though as you usually take babies away in order to get enough milk. But if I remember correctly, a young goat can produce around 1L to 2L of milk/day. So you might have enough everyday for your family even if she has to nurse.

Yes they can, make sure your goat is debudded (get rid of the horns), and make sure he's not a buck (get rid of the balls) lol!!

Be careful with the dog and the goats- they can have heart attacks if they're chased. And what PP said- make sure you get two goats. If you're in Missouri I can hook you up ;) hahaha.

I have 2 4 month old goats and 3 chickens I used to have 5 chickens but gave 2 to my MIL well they roam the backyard together sometimes they even eat together

Yes like everyone is saying if you get a goat you need to get at least two we initially got one and he was sad and wouldn't eat or anything then when we brought the second one he was so happy and eating and playing with the other goat and they're always together

If you have free roam goats you must have a high fence or electric fence. If you don't they will roam away from the property. Also would be good to make some climbing areas and make shore there are no plants you don't want eaten in there roaming zone or they will destroy them. ( goats love brushes with dog brushes,if they are going to be close to your family I would get them as baby's and hand rase them)

Back! Please feel free to PM me anytime for farming questions.

Absolutely buy two goats. They need a buddy or they'll be miserable and make you pay for it (they can get super whiny). Do you know why you want them yet? Are they for milk or meat? Are chickens for eggs, meat, or both? That will determin the breeds/ages/genders/intact maleness or not you want to look for.

Chickens and goats can roam together, you just don't want the chickens pooping in the water for the goats or soiling the feed you give to the goats (because depending on what you want them for, they don't eat just your pasture grass and you'll need to give them other food stuffs). Before you let goats and chickens loose on your property, familiarize yourself with plants that are poisionous to them then look and see if you have any. Try irradicating those plants without pesticides before you get the animals. Evaluate your fencing situation. Chickens can sneak through gaps smaller than you'd think, and can fly slightly higher than you'd expect. Goats are climbers and escape artists, so make sure your fence is about 4.5ft high and doesnt have rocks or trees with low branches near it (yeah, they can climb trees!). Also think about local predators and how they can get in.

You also need to think about future care of the animals. Are you prepared to lance abcesses on goats? Give shots? Shove a hose down their throats to alleviate bloat problems? Help with the birth? You will absolutely have to trim hooves all the time, which can be dangerous to both you and the goat if not done right or with confidence. If you get babies to train them up to be friendly to your family, are you ready to bottle feed every few hours? There are a lot of minor surgical issues that can come up for chickens too and most vets won't see them so it's up to you to save them or put them down.

Two websites that really helped me when I started out are backyardchickens.com (they have a forum too covering all topics, it's like BB for chicken lovers but with far less snark lol) and fiascofarms.com (extremely detailed info on caring for goats).

Thank you Raven! So much information and is much appreciated. We want the goat for milking/pet purposes and the chickens for eggs. I know there is a lot we need to learn so I really appreciate the links. I am prepared to do all those things as long as I know how.

We are moving next month and have some things to check off the list first such as finish the basement, build our garden/green house and then build the appropriate fence. From what I have read, the fence should be at least 4 feet high with wire no bigger than 4"x4" openings. This will keep chickens and goat heads inside. I don't see is realistically getting the animals until next spring so I have a lot of time to learn.

I will definitely PM you with questions!

@jiggles: goats can make friends with horses/ponies! Technically, you don't need two goats if you've got or plan to get a horse. Those two animals like to buddy up. The bond is so strong between those two kinds of animals. I just didn't mention that Exc should get a second goat or a horse because unless she's planning on hitching it up to a plow and selling her car there's nothing sustainable about equines lol.

In the old days they actually used to keep a little buddy goat with race horses. It was to keep them calm, happy, and not use too much energy before a race since those horses are typically high strung. The phrase 'got your goat' comes from those days when a competing horse team would steal a horses buddy, ensuring that horse would be upset and nervous for the next race.

@Exc: if you want milk, you need to plan on the future pregnancy of your goats. Starting out with two females is a lot easier for beginners than getting an intact male. When you start shopping around for goats, you can try to buy older females that are possibly pregnant (it can actually be pretty hard to know until a baby is coming out of them lol). Buying females that have just had babies and are in milk already is another (and easiest for beginners) option. Or, talk to local goat owners and see if anyone has a male you can borrow to impregnate your females in the future.

So much great info Raven!

A lot of people don't realize the different level of care needed for these animals. I never did until I helped run and care for the petting zoo at my mother's job growing up (it was a local farm/nursery). Farm animals are a lot of work but oh so rewarding! Goats are by far my favorite pets and their personalities are fantastic. I hope you enjoy them!

Be sure to have a plan for what to do with the chickens when they get older and don't produce. Will you butcher them? Keep them around until they die? Sell them?

All very good points. Thanks guys! I'm just really excited about it. Mostly excited about the lessons my children will learn. My 4 year old daughter is the biggest animal lover and j really want to instill in her the way and means to care for animals too. She wants to be a "puppy Doctor" when she grows up so I'm hoping a childhood on our little "hobby farm" will benefit her.

I didn't really think about the chickens when they get older. I don't think DD will be happy if we butcher them but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

If you are going to breed chickens you will have to weed out ( kill ) the aggressive males. If you don't you will end up with crazy angry roosters that can hurt you and your family.

Wyo is right. The breeds of chickens that are best for laying eggs typically have their most productive years between 2.5 and 3.5 years old. They really sharply decrease in egg laying after 5 years to the point that you are not getting a return on the investment of the feed you have to buy for them. Chickens can potentially live to be 15years old if cared for well. So you need to choose what you'll do with them as they get older.