About Livestock:
My favorite livestock on the homestead are definitely - and probably obviously - goats. I will never be without them if I have any say at all in the matter. God forbid something awful happen that would rid me of these wonderful creatures. They provide delicious milk, which can also be made into anything you could make with cow milk (including butter!) while not overwhelming small acreages with too-large animals, and they're just plain fun!
Goat Pros: These little critters pack a lot of personality and usefulness into small packages. They are a perfect source of milk for people who want a smaller animal than a cow that also has a lot of personality and are just plain fun to have around. (Don't get me wrong, I aspire to own cows one day in the distant future, but I still love my goats and they will probably always be my favorite.) They can also function as very useful weed eaters and provide fertilizer.
Goat Cons: Goats can require more maintenance, depending on where you live and how your pasture situation is set up. Some people can successfully feed does, even in milk, browse and alfalfa pellets with light sunflower seeds on the side in the Summer, and then add grass hay in the winter. However, my pastures aren't to that point yet. I'm working toward it, but it takes time. If you have a pasture that is currently lacking like mine, you will need to feed grass hay nearly year round as well as pellets and grain. Also, goats will need loose minerals and baking soda free-choice, as well as hoof trimming, de-worming, and - in most areas - copper and selenium supplementation. Some goats are easy keepers and seem to get fat on air, while others take a bit more TLC. I would suggest breeding for hardy qualities.
To Sum it Up: Goats are generally low-maintenance once you get the hang of it, but they can also be more expensive if you don't have adequate browse. The learning curve is steep, and it is easy to get too many too fast and become overwhelmed. However, if you're willing to do quarterly hoof trimming (sometimes more often, sometimes less), and supplement minerals and hay if you don't have browse, they are definitely worth having around. Breed for hardiness to encourage animals that don't need care above and beyond the norm.
Everyone should have chickens. These are extremely easy to care for and house, provide fresh meat and eggs, and are fun to watch as they go about their chicken business. They also come in seemingly endless breeds and mixes, so you can find one that suits your tastes and needs or do what I do and have a mixed flock for the variety.
Chicken Pros: These birds are easy to house and super inexpensive to keep. They are at their most expensive when they are chicks and need to be specially taken care of and cannot forage for themselves yet. They do very well when free ranging and only need light supplementation (again, this depends on your situation and how much space you have for them). I like to give mine table and garden scraps. (I do not give them meat scraps.) They lay tasty eggs with or without a rooster, and their eggs are healthier for you if they have access to grass. Sometimes hens will even become broody and hatch their eggs for you, if you have a rooster to fertilize them. They can also be put in a "tractor" and moved around the areas you need fertilized for your garden (or you can collect the fertilizer the old fashioned way, with a scoop).
Chicken Cons: Chickens are very vulnerable to predators. You either must keep them completely enclosed or expect some losses. Some livestock guardians can be used with chickens, but some cannot.
To Sum it Up: Everyone should own chickens. Regardless of whether you live in a rural area where they can have room to run or on an one acre lot where they must be cooped, they are a real asset. Beware of stray dogs, hawks, and other natural predators.
You should only have horses if you really love them. Horses can be useful and fun, but they are also very expensive. If you aren't really a horse person and you don't have a real use for them, forgo horses.
Horse Pros: Horses can be like big puppy dogs. They can also keep large areas mowed for you. If you really want to actually make them useful, you can ride them, use them to cultivate your garden areas, use their manure for your garden, or even use them for transportation or rounding up cattle if you live in areas and situations where that is applicable.
Horse Cons: Horse are very, very expensive. Unless you truly use them as livestock or really have a bond with them and love to ride, they will never truly give back anything even close to what you spend on them. They eat a lot and you have to have a really superb pasture system to even try to get away with pasture feeding them in the spring and summer. They are prone to colic (some more than others), and their hoof care must be done by farriers.
To Sum it Up: I am not trying to badmouth horses. However, I could personally do without them and sometimes they seem like more trouble than they are worth. If my circumstances were different, where I could ride them more often, put them to use, or actually have enough pasture to keep them healthy without my family having to buy untold amounts of feed and hay constantly, then I might feel differently and not find myself frustrated with them so often. Don't get me wrong, I do love them, but I wish that I had a better situation for them and myself. If you don't have really great pastures, a real use for them, or a real horse spirit, then skip them or the upkeep for them will leave you frustrated.
Honorary "Livestock" Mention: Dogs. Dogs are called man's best friend for a reason. I would personally never be without a dog.
Dog Pros: Dogs come in different breeds, all of which have different purposes they were bred for. With this in mind, lets make a quick list of useful skills dogs can have: Livestock or personal protection (guarding), intruder alert (watch dogs), retrieving, hunting (large game, small game, rodents), herding, special needs care (seeing eye dogs, for example), and simple companionship. Dogs are very smart and can be trained to do tons of things. Different breeds excel in different areas, but mutts can be useful, too. I personally have dogs for companionship, intruder alert, and guarding.
Dog Cons: Feeding dogs is pretty expensive, since there is no way to even supplement their feed (they can't graze, for example, and table scraps are generally bad for them in excess). Due in part to overpopulation and poor breeding, some individual specimens can be prone to behavior problems or health problems, and they may not live up to the standards of their breed if they were not actually bred to the standards of their breed. It is great to rescue dogs since so many are put to sleep due to overpopulation, but sometimes, depending on the purpose they are for, that can pose a risk. For example, I personally wouldn't trust a rescue dog with my livestock. Sometimes it is important to know the history of the dog's genetics. However, for pretty much anything that didn't involve my livestock, I would rescue.
To Sum it Up: Dogs make great companions and can really help out around your home. They can even help keep you safe. Watch out for puppy mills or problem dogs, and rescue if at all possible.
Miscellaneous Livestock Tips:
- Don't expect to be able to purchase your animals and jump right into the perfect situation, with wonderful pastures, beautiful fences, and all your goals met immediately. There will be set backs. I wasn't able to start milking my goats until this Spring, and I'm still only milking two. Things are still not exactly as I would like them. It takes time to really get things into the flow that you want them to be.
- Don't get too many of anything at once. It is so easy to get overwhelmed.
- Know what you want and work towards that. Don't settle for less than what will get you headed in the direction that you want to be going. Be willing to recognize when an animal you may not have wanted to sell really does need to go because they no longer suite your needs. I know it can be hard, but eventually you will find that you can't afford to keep everything.
Tips About Homesteading in General:
- Mulch, mulch, mulch! You will lose that beautiful garden to weeds if you don't!
- Raised beds are more expensive upfront, but so much easier in the long run.
- Do something productive every day that you can. I know it's hard when you have school or work to worry about, much less a social life of any sort, but just find something you can do on any day that you are able. No one wants to spend 100% of their time doing the same thing, and that is totally acceptable, but it will make things easier in the long run if you clean, plant, harvest, build, repair, etc a little at a time rather than saving it all for a designated Saturday.
- Sunday is your day of rest. Whether you are religious or not, this is a good rule to live by. I know I just said to do something everyday, but Sunday is an exception. Only do you what you either a) must or b) really enjoy on Sunday. Let your mind and body rest. Read a good book, watch a movie, or just do whatever makes you happy and helps you relax. I am very guilty of not observing a rest day, and boy I certainly feel it for the rest of the week when I don't.
- Be. Patient. I know it's hard not to rushrushrush and pushpushpush for things to be *just so* right now!, but it will never happen that quickly. Good things come to those who wait.
- Don't worry about what other people think. Yes, it will hurt when you feel ostracized or looked down on by the people who you care about and who choose to be more modern than you want to be, and yes, they will not understand and they will say things that hurt you. Just move past it. Be at peace with your life. Know why you live the way you do, accept that not everyone (or maybe even not anyone you know in person) will be100% understanding or supportive, and move on. This one is very important if you are at all like me and seek the approval of others and have a hard time not taking things too personally.
- Plant not only what you eat, but also what grows well for you. Blackberries and blueberries are great berry plants for this area. I have more or less neglected my blackberries for as long as I've had them, and they still love me. I finally mulched them this year. That's as much care as they've gotten. Don't try to grow water-loving plants in the desert, or a late season crop if you're first frost is in August. Fighting nature's natural tendencies will just make more work for you.
- Do it if you love it. This should be a rule you live by. If you hate something...why do it? Some people love horses. They breed them and their lives are richer for it. I am not that person, and therefore I don't intend to breed horses. Many, many people swear by rabbits as a homestead staple. I bred them once and found that I honestly just didn't enjoy it and don't intend to do it again, despite the fact that many sources say no homestead is complete without rabbits. Don't do something just because you think you should, because it's in vogue, or because you think it will make you more money. Obviously you won't love every single part of everything you do, but you should enjoy the things you do in general. This is true of everything in life, not just homesteading. Don't become a lawyer or a doctor because they can make a lot of money. In the end, you should wake up most mornings looking forward to what you have to do, whatever it is.
-Rach in Wonderland
