Can you raise free-range pigs, sheep, goats and chickens all together?
Image by Jin Aili
goats – the pens are for the "zero-grazing" method of raising goats, to avoid environmental degradation
Question by Pirahã: Can you raise free-range pigs, sheep, goats and chickens all together?
Can they all inhabit the same pasture? Of course you would need a coop adjacent to the pasture for the chickens only, but the shelters for the other animals could also be integrated.
Is this done?
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
8 Responses to Can you raise free-range pigs, sheep, goats and chickens all together?
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YES………….& your losses would be UNACCEPTABLE.
target
January 17, 2012 at 4:38 am
here is a link called
The Concerns With Keeping Different Types of Livestock Together
http://factoidz.com/concerns-with-keeping-different-types-of-livestock-together/
I personally keep sheep- and free range hens – also a llama, and donkey.
CF_
January 17, 2012 at 5:03 am
Very interesting question.
No problem if your pasture is big enough to sustain these animals and birds. They will form their groups and separate themselves from other kind.
Animals and birds like human are different nature; some are peace loving others are quarrelsome. You have to pay close attention and segregate the bullies. Some individuals develop liking for some other kind some hate individual animals; see to it this hatred doesn’t cross limits.
As far as enclosures are concerned it is better to separate kinds by putting a wall in between sections. Bullies should go in to individual section.
Good luck.
daniel b
January 17, 2012 at 6:00 am
No not really. What many do is rotational grazing where they run different animals one after another in the same pasture. So start with cows, than when they move to their next pasture (and when you pasture/free range livestock you have to have many pastures/paddocks to move them onto once they start to eat town the forage so the forage can grow back). than put the chickens and they will break up the manure as well as eat parasite eggs that afflict the cattle (but don’t do anything to the poultry), than run the sheep than run the pigs. Joel Salatin has written many articles and books about this kind of rotational grazing
When doing this sort of thing chicken are kept in movable coops called chicken tractors
Ohiorganic
January 17, 2012 at 6:25 am
I agree with Ohiorgan… BUT KEEP THE PIGS AWAY FROM THE OTHER ANIMALS! Pigs have a tendency to… how would I put it severtly hurt other animals. I’ve had a lamb that was hamstrung by a pig and ruined my FFA project. Pigs don’t care if the animal is alive they will just take chunks of something and leave it to die, they can be VERY violent. Sometimes a domesticated pig will go as far as the rip apart a humans legs and arm for sometimes no apparent reason. They even get into fights with other pigs… and the aftermath can be devistating… The sheep and goats can be kept together, the chickens need to be kept in a warm place when its cold though, temperature effects them pretty badly.
Kelly
January 17, 2012 at 7:24 am
Pigs are omnivores (eat vegetables AND meat), just like bears do. Pigs are very smart. They will learn to hunt and kill your chickens. The pigs will also likely eat any newborn kids (baby goats).
Goats are browsers (like to eat with their head up as high as they can reach). Pigs like to root things out of the ground, with their strong noses.
It would be much better to cross fence, and run your goats over the tallest grass, and brush to browse for a few days. Then run the pigs in, so they can graze for a few days. Then run the chickens in, so they can eat some of the grass, but most importantly, scrape apart and eat the fly maggots that are getting big in the manure the goats and pigs left behind.
Never let your grass get lower than four inches, and six inches tall is better.
~Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
Bohemian_Garnet_Permaculturalist
January 17, 2012 at 7:37 am
We keep heritage pigs ( Guinnie hogs) smaller , friendlier, live fine with the goats and the sheep. And , No …they do not eat the other animals not even the rabbits and chickens in with them also.
colleen
November 9, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Colleen, I would like to learn more about your farm. Do you have a website?
Meegan Blumenthal
May 17, 2013 at 12:10 pm