# Chickens and donkeys



## GlacierRidge (Feb 27, 2008)

My son's kindergarten teacher approached me with a question today.

Little info....I've considered getting a few chickens. Pets, eggs, pets, whatever...lol. I just like 'em. I had been looking at plans for chicken houses and things...and I know they do best in open areas, perhaps free range. I cannot, well, will not, do that here, as we live on a busy highway....and those that say the birds never wander on the road...they should have talked to the two geese I hit several years ago who "never went near the road". An accident, and I was devistated!

Anyway......they are going to be hatching some eggs in class...I hear this is pretty common in kindergarten classes. They are going to need to find a place for the chicks once they hatch and the "lesson" is over. She knows we have quite a menagerie, and asked if we might be interested.

Question is this... IF I built a nice chicken house....and kept it in my donkeys' paddock, would I be asking for trouble? If the chickens had somewhere to get away from their "room mates?"

I've been to several hobby farms where there were all sorts of chickens and ducks out together with horses, ponies and goats.... but never thought to ask then!

Thanks!

Angie


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## chandab (Feb 27, 2008)

Well, I don't know about donkeys, but here's what I do know (its not much)...

The small place I took my AQHA mare to bred had a few "free-range" chickens (they had the run of the barn yard and barn), the horses pretty much ignored them. One hen, that was tormented by the rooster, took to roosting in my mare's stall while she was there to be bred, as my mare would chase the rooster out of her stall, but leave the hens alone. [i'm sure it all depends on the situation and individual animals involved, so only time will tell for sure.] I do know that the chickens do seem to keep the fly population in check.


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## h2t99 (Feb 28, 2008)

That actually will work very well, the donkeys will keep predators away!! Raccons are notorious chicken killers!! We lost over 30




to coons before we got donkeys!! That was in chicken coops, not free range!! Ours are free range now and since we got the donkeys we have not lost one!! Just make sure you introduce them, our jack chased them at first until he realized they are part of the family!!


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## Emily's mom (Feb 28, 2008)

This will be our first summer with chickens, I love my chickens as much as my donkeys.

We have a coop and thought a small pen would be enough, so started to let them out in the pen we used when the donkeys first came, now they, the donkeys, live with the horse.

But the chickens flew over and squeezed through the fence, so now they run loose during the day, not sure what will happen to my flowers in the summer....

I guess what I'm saying is that the donkeys chase them but the peeps run from the donkeys, and can fly if they are too close. They seem to get along well!!

I have the "peeps" quite spoiled, they are really fun critters to have


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## Bunnylady (Feb 28, 2008)

I don't know about donkeys, but I do have a mini and a mini mule that share a pen with a number of "free range" chickens and ducks. When they are bored, the mini and the mule (my husband has dubbed them "the brute squad") will chase the poultry. The ducks are clearly more fun, they move as a group and always head for the pond. The chickens scatter, but don't go far, as they have learned that it's just a stupid game! The only problem we really have is at feeding time. The chickens and especially the ducks will go for the equines' feed if they can get it, and vice versa. They don't read the labels!!


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Feb 28, 2008)

our chickens were gone by the time we got our donkeys, but we did have one stomped to death by our mini mule, it was brave enough to come into the pen with my mini mare and her new foal, wh ototally ignored the chicken, but the mule was very protective of the baby even though it wasn't hers, and she cornered the chicken and stomped it to death!

at our old place the chickens had free run of the horse pen and although it made it hard to clean up as they scattered the poop piles, they did help a lot with the flies!


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## Shari (Feb 28, 2008)

At the old farm my hen house was in the horse and sheep pasture. What I did was fence a yard around it so the horses and sheep could not get near the hen house. Also gave the hens a place to run without worry of being stomped on.

All but one Icelandic was good about the hens...ended up selling that Blue Dun Icelandic.

Here we are not set up as well.

When we were free ranging them.... lets just say Ella, my Jenny, loved to fast walk and chase them. Not good because I know in time,, it will get faster...chickens will get hurt or worse.

So if you can... I would keep your chickens away from your Donkey(S)....because more than likely the poor chickens will end up dead.


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## ~Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

ive also always liked chickens and from waht ive read "chickens are fine with horses cattle and donkies"

plus youd have natural parasite control from the birds but "do not house chickens with goats because they will roost in the mangers and poop and lay eggs" also, you do not need to build a nice coop because the chickens wont care.


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