Raising farm animals together

[baloyi]

A majority of the species of farm animals can coexist, yet other combinations cannot work. Ruminants and poultry, pigs and poultry, mixed ruminants, and mixed poultry are common combinations. Ruminants include goats, sheep, and cattle.

 

[Holii]

I've seen many farms that do this. I wondered how well it works. Do you do this? Which animals do you have together and what is the benefit?

 

[leon]

Indeed, ruminants and poultry go well together. Most combinations that work will feature animals benefiting from being close to each other but don't directly compete for food. So, there wouldn't be any competition. @Holii, take an example of raising sheep and chickens together. The latter would benefit from eating bugs or flies, whereas the former would distract predators like hawks or foxes from getting near the birds!

 

[The Big Cowhuna]

I've seen many farms that do this. I wondered how well it works. Do you do this? Which animals do you have together and what is the benefit?

Yes and no. I pasture them together, sort of. The cattle are driven further out than the goats mainly because I'm a rancher. The chickens we turn out and direct them away from the gardens, but that's it. They all do great together and almost seem to ignore each other for the most part. None of them share sleeping space though. Chickens sleep through the night. Goats are kind of up and down all night, so they'd be annoying to the others I suspect. I put the goats and chickens up at night. Sometimes we end up doing makeshift shelters for the cattle, depending on where they are. We use windbreaks and roll out corn stalks and such.

 

[leon]

The cattle are driven further out than the goats mainly because I'm a rancher. The chickens we turn out and direct them away from the gardens, but that's it. They all do great together and almost seem to ignore each other for the most part.

I'd expect that the goats would be driven out farther than the cattle because of their inquisitive nature. Do you think that pigs and poultry can work well together? I am assuming that the poultry would clean up any spilled grain if the farmer opts for a bulk feeder for the pigs.

 

[RichZ]

When I was raising pigs, any unfortunate chicken who ventured into my pig pasture was pretty quickly eaten. I couldn't believe it, but it happened several times.

 

[RanchHouse]

When I was raising pigs, any unfortunate chicken who ventured into my pig pasture was pretty quickly eaten. I couldn't believe it, but it happened several times.

So sorry for the chicken; it must have been so disheartening for you. Did you find a way of controlling the poultry, or you quit rearing pigs altogether? Also, is there a pig breed that can coexist well with poultry?

 

[RichZ]

I've only had experience with Glouceshire Old Spots, a heritage breed. The surprising thing is that they are very mellow and friendly pigs, but they move shockingly fast when they see a chicken. I have no idea what happens with other breeds. I ended up putting a much taller fence around their pasture to make sure that none of my free range chickens ended up there.