Odd combo I know but I'm planning now for (at least) a couple of pet "brush" goats and some chickens in the spring.... fencing springs eternal LOL. I've got about 1 acre; approx 1/3 acre of which parts are good grass/some briars but too steep to mow (and not enough space to bring my horses over here). How many goats would cover that space? (They can also be fed supplementally as needed including hay). I'm not planning to "harvest" any return from them other than mowing and companionship. I have limited goat experience in the past (he thought he was a dog and spent most of his time under the office desk at the mounted police barn when he wasn't pretending to be a horse). I have several well-behaved/socialized dogs who don't bother anything (even rodents, snakes and insects) and they won't be left together unsupervised anyway but I don't want "snack-sized" goats as we have occasional coyotes in the area. Will 4 ft tall dog/narrow box wire (2"x4") with electric strands be enough for the goats? If electric will help how far apart should I place the strands? They'll have a shed and could be penned up at night (and with a separate/taller corral) if neccessary. I'm hoping to get weaned babies in the spring so they can become pets and mingle with the rest of the family. I was thinking nannies or are neutered males as "tractable/well behaved"?
As for the chickens- I'd like to have 4-6 hens for eggs/bug consumption and am partial to dominiquers (as we call them here) or barred rocks. I'd like them to have free range in the fenced portion of the yard (when the dogs aren't loose...just to prevent accidents) and in my fenced gardens for bug-picking purposes. I'd also like them to be friendly/pets (including with smallish children) as everybody else here is. Are these types of chickens compatible with my needs? If not then what type might be? Though I don't want to raise chickens do I need a rooster for "protection"? How big of a coop would 4-6 need? How tall a fence? Would it be better to have a coop with covered yard and only let them out when they are supervised or should I just cover the entire veggie garden area (it's only about 50' x 50') and let them have free range? Thanks in advance for the advice :-)
Goats and Chickens
I can't answer all your questions. My daughter has the Dominiquers, and lets her's free range. She has a large area in the country so they have plenty of yard to roam. I love watching them run free. It cuts down on the ''henpecking too. Her dog doesn't bother them much. She has more than one rooster, because none died or have been buchered. She's just gathering eggs now. She lets them out in the morning and leaves the doors to the coop open so they can duck in when they see a hawk. They will hide in tall weeds too. Try free range, with access to the coop or protective cover, when they are big enough to fend for themselves. When they are small, a chicken wire fence to give them an in and out to the coop will be needed. They are timid when young and don't venture out right away.
I hope this helps a little. Good luck. I know you will find them entertaining.
The boy, his dog, chicken and first egg.
HI.
If you have dogs and keep an eye on the ladies, and coop them up at night, a roo is probably going to be more trouble that he is worth. You can always get one later. See the threads for lots of discussion on roosters and the various troubles.
My barred rock is a total sweetie. I am a fan of the BRs for sure.
I raised my chicks indoors at first and my dog sniffed the box and seems to accept them as part of the gang. I think if you expose them to each other early on, and your dogs really are not chaser-types than everything will be fine between the dogs and the chickens.
The more you handle the chickens the tamer they will be. I have found silver laced wyandottes to be pretty skittish. My buff orpington is a real sweetie, and so are my bantam brahmas.
Good luck! I'm hoping someone will post more about goats, as I am interested in them too!