You have some land and want to learn about raising livestock. Is it for you? There’s much to learn, including the best animals for larger acreage or more compact farms and backyards.
Livestock
With firsthand experience raising animals, we discuss the importance of choosing the right animals for your space, property, time, and goals. We provide extensive information on miniature cattle, goats, pigs, and other livestock.
Some Factors to Consider
Before bringing animals to your hobby farm, consider:
Shelter – You will need to consider protection from cold or hot weather, rain, and more. Animals also need protection from predators and somewhere safe to sleep.
Feeding – How much do they eat and how often to feed them.
Guarding – This includes information on livestock guardian animals and guardian dogs; fencing; and their overall area to live and roam.
Overall health and wellness
Many homesteaders choose to raise animals for milk or meat. They may want them for a more off-the-grid lifestyle or to earn money. Others keep animals as part of a larger survival or prepping plan.
Whatever your reasons for considering them, learn what you need so you can make an informed decision.
Your cattle can’t tell you what is lacking in their diet, so it’s up to you to figure it out. While you can ideally monitor nutrition factors using protein and calorie intake calculators, some nutrients … Read more
There are a few pertinent questions that anyone looking to raise goats needs to ask themselves. One of the most important ones is how much space do goats need? This is also known as the … Read more
Here is what to know about raising a Vietnamese potbelly pig, whether you are interested in them for meat, pets, or both. Many hobby farmers raise them for meat because of their smaller size. This … Read more
Few things are quite as exciting to most cow breeders as having pregnant cows in the herd. This often means that, with the right management, the herd size and milk production will increase as soon … Read more
Ossabaw Pigs, or Ossabaw Island Pigs, come from a breed of feral pigs that were originally found on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy recognizes this breed of pigs … Read more
Pigs are known by various names, from hog to boar and swine. In fact, in many places, these names are interchangeable. However, you will most likely come across the name pig more often than not. … Read more
Small breeds of pigs have existed for about as long as any breeds of pigs have existed. As you can imagine, these miniature pigs don’t get the same treatment as most other hogs. This is … Read more
Genetics plays an important role in a pig’s meat quality and overall performance. That’s one of the main reasons commercial and private pig farmers pay close attention to their breeding stock. As a pig producer, … Read more
If you intend to raise pigs, you will need fencing for pigs on your farm. There are several reasons why this is important. For starters, even the most domesticated pig breeds can go feral when … Read more
Certain goat breeds, such as the Alpine goat, have distinctive beards on their faces. Going by traditional gender rules, it would be natural to assume that the bearded goats in any breed would most likely … Read more