Mini's and Chickens

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clpclop

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I know that horses and chickens have probably co-existed for centuries, but we're just wondering about our situation. We have a small grass area about 20 x 30 that our two pregnant mares graze on and which is now being shared with by 8 chicks. What is the feeling about mini's and chicken poop?
 
I have owned both horses and chickens for years. I keep the chickens confined to the horse pens, because they kick through the manure piles and keep the flies down to an amazing degree - besides providing eggs and meat. Never, in all those years, have any of my horses ever eaten chicken manure. Not once. Not only that but I have a terrific health record - no colics, no illness at all of any kind. But I think that has more to do with proper feeding (grasses and a balanced diet) and proper health care. In any event I have never had any reason at all to suppose that chickens cause horses to die or get sick, or something. In fact I think they make my horses more "steady" because they get used to the chickens cackling and flying up etc. and then when they get out in the real world not much bothers them.
 
Jacquee said:
I have owned both horses and chickens for years. I keep the chickens confined to the horse pens, because they kick through the manure piles and keep the flies down to an amazing degree - besides providing eggs and meat. Never, in all those years, have any of my horses ever eaten chicken manure. Not once. Not only that but I have a terrific health record - no colics, no illness at all of any kind. But I think that has more to do with proper feeding (grasses and a balanced diet) and proper health care. In any event I have never had any reason at all to suppose that chickens cause horses to die or get sick, or something. In fact I think they make my horses more "steady" because they get used to the chickens cackling and flying up etc. and then when they get out in the real world not much bothers them.
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Thanks for your thoughts. I couldn't imagine that they would go out of their way to eat chicken manure, but wanted info. We're new to chicken raising and would love for them to be free range, but we have a dog that's not quite ready for them yet.
 
I have about 25 chickens and 9 Indian Runner ducks that wander my horse l0ts and I've never had a speck of trouble.

Joyce
 
We have English game hens, they are little tiny ornamental chickens we refer to as living lawn ornaments. Over the last little while I notice that a few of them seem to be shy on tail feathers !!!! We have one gelding who makes it his job to keep the chickens on the move. None of them have been harmed but he keeps after them until they scoot out the fence. The chickens have free run of the paddocks and pastures so since the horses are confined to one pasture at a time the chickens have plenty of other places to scratch.
 
justaboutgeese said:
We have English game hens, they are little tiny  ornamental chickens we refer to as living lawn ornaments.  Over the last little while I notice that a few of them seem to be shy on tail feathers !!!!  We have one gelding who makes it his job to keep the chickens on the move.  None of them have been harmed but he keeps after them until they scoot out the fence.  The chickens have free run of the paddocks and pastures so since the horses are confined to one pasture at a time the chickens have plenty of other places to scratch.
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I have chicks and minis in the uk...my only huge concern is that you do need to be aware that the chick crumb you feed to chicks under 6 weeks of age is absolutely deadly to any equine.

To my ignrance as a new chicken owner I paid fearfully for my own ignorance and very nearly lost a new born foal who's dam was a bit on the greedy side and foraged amongst the crumbs thrown on to the yard,

I am not sure if it is the same where you are, but it is the cocox..wassits in the crumb, an antibiotic that casues death in equines.
 
Well, that is a really good point and one I was taking for granted. You would not feed horses Purina Pig Chow. A lot of people get into trouble with sheep because they feed their sheep horse feed - and it can even KILL the sheep. Always feed the animal appropriately!!!! If it's a goat, DON'T feed it chicken food etc.

In my situation, the chicken's feed is in their coop, in a metal range feeder. The horses can not get in there no matter how hard they try...... I have a fence, and then a gap set up that is too narrow for a horse to get through (I even have to turn sideways) and then a door that locks. The chicken door is only 12" X 12" so no horse is going to get through that. Yes, that's a small chicken door, but I have dark Brahma bantams.

People should remember this rule about dog food too. I have known of many a vet bill to arise from a non-dog sampling the guardian dog's food.
 
clpclop said:
I know that horses and chickens have probably co-existed for centuries, but we're just wondering about our situation.  We have a small grass area about 20 x 30 that our two pregnant mares graze on and which is now being shared with by 8 chicks.  What is the feeling about mini's and chicken poop?
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The only time I have known about chickens being a problem is when the chickens poop in the water that the horses are drinking. They can get salmanila and die. I have had friends that this happened to. They had big horses and were able to save them. I had a friend that had minis to get salmonilla and they died. These horses were show horses and very well cared for.
 
When we raise meat birds they get the medicated feed and the birds are in a brooder and thats where the feed stays. Our English Game Birds get nothing in the line of special or medicated feeds. I have a feeder in their shed that gets filled on a weekly basis but they mostly just forage for their feed. Bugs, grubs, seeds, grass clippings, whatever. The little chicks are just the cutest little things, if you could get them to hold still you could fit three of them in a teaspoon when they come out of the shell. These are the cluckiest little hens ever and are excellent mothers. they have the little ones out scratching after about the third or forth day of life. If they were brooder birds they would still be under the heat at 98 degrees. Every hour or so mama calls them all over and they tuck themselves in to sleep and get warmed up.
 

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