horses & Chickens

[sundance]

My granddaughter raises horses and someone told me that you cna't raise chickens and horses close to each other, She won't give up her horses and i want some chickens, can they live together?

 

[mothergoose]

We have horses , chickens, cattle , sheep, goats, and lots of othe birds. Our horses and chickens do just fine together.
Christie

 

[blue90292]

maybe because the horses will accidentally step on the chickens??

i have to feed my horse first and then when he is done, i let my chickens out of their pen to free range. they go RUNNING to where the horse was eating to peck at his scrap grain. if i was to feed him with the chickens out, my chickens would get trampled by an irrate horse.

my chicks are in the extra stall next to my horses. i do have DE everywhere to make sure he doesn't get any lice from the chickens....

otherwise, i have no idea why you can't have both.

 

[Varisha]

Chickens can cause/start/make worse Heaves(sp) in horses. Heaves is a breathing problem like ashma and can be dangerous. Now this does not effect all horses (just like some people have higher or lower tendencies to breathing issues) but you have to be careful and try and move the coup as far from the horses as possible.

I would also like to add I have horses and just got chickens. My neighbor had guines(sp) that would visit my barn often and my horses seemed just fine.

So I hope my herd can handle my chicks

However, for me my horses come first ... so keep your fingers crossed for me.

 

[SunChick]

I've never had a problem. My coop is next to the stall and my neighbors chickens free range all the time in our yard and by her stall. They make a daily trek to the manure pile and add their own creativity and they love to dust bathe in her stall. She doesn't seem bothered. My neighbors horses share their stall with the free ranging chickens. No problems there either in health or attitudes!

 

[merryreader]

I have always had horses and chickens, but not in the same barn as the dust the chickens throw off isn't good for the horses breathing.The coop can be right next to the barn. Thats not going to be a problem. Chickens will dive into the grain bowl, so that is a good idea to keep them away until the horses are done eating or feed the horses in a hung pail. Chickens love to pick bugs out of manure and help "distribute" it around the pasture. Also I know people that let their hens run free in a barn with horses and the horses end up with lice. I have chickens and horses right now. The hens are fast to move when the horses are running. I've never had one get stepped on. Merry

 

[sundance]

Thanks everybody, Sundance

 

[cindydj]

I just had to pop in on this one. We have a barn and the horses can go and come in there all day and night and are fed in there. The chickens roost in the barn rafters and will sometimes jump on a horses back to get up there. At first my horses almost had a heart attack but now they don't even move. And man those chickens will go follow the horses into the pasture to scratch in the droppings...great poop spreaders..LOL! There is also a donkey in the heard also, I used to worry about her stomping them but she will play and chase them....only a few of them roost in there the rest are in the hen house because they do make a mess....good luck!

 

[Uccello]

CHICKENS & HORSES CO EXISTING:

We have had chickens for about one year now. I have noticed the chickens like to dig through our horses manure often. I think they eat the manure and that scares me!! It doesn't matter if its fresh manure or old manure. Should I worry about this? Since I discovered this, I have not wanted to eat my chicken eggs, I am sure I am mental....? Also, when do the blood spots stop showing up. My family doesn't like them, I remove them if we see them. PLEASE OFFER ANY ADVICE... THANKS SO SO SO MUCH

 

[chickiepooh]

Chickens dig through everything to look for goodies to eat. Horse poop usually has some undigested grain in it. I used to have horses and chickens. The chickens dug through the poop all the time! I just thought of it as more nutrition for those eggs... yum! Do you eat bacon? You would be amazed at what pigs eat!