What farm animal should i get

If you can designate your goat products as organic, you are bound to experience an uptake in sales that will only make your animals far more profitable. Also, many hobby farm owners tend to lease their goats to other farmers as they are ruminants who love being able to eat away hardy vegetation on properties, helping to save costs on renting farming equipment.

Some will require more maintenance than others, which is why you will want to consider breeds such as Boer or Alpine goats. As an animal that is known to have a relatively broad diet, ranging from hay to alfalfa or plants that grow in their pasture, there are many affordable things that you can use to keep your goats healthy and happy. You can use it to make cheeses and different kinds of butter.

Often, they prefer to graze in areas that are hardier than what cattle would prefer to browse in, for example. As another one of the best farm animals for beginners, sheep are relatively easy to maintain on different sized farms. Similar to goats, there are many different species of sheep to think about before deciding whether you want them or not.

Difference between sheep and goats. Some sheep require more maintenance than others. One of the most considerable benefits of this animal is that their milk is often regarded to be superior to goat and cow milk, especially when it comes to making cheese. Another benefit of owning sheep is that when their wool is sheared, it can be sold along with their milk and meat over time.

Learn about raising Suffolk sheep and how they are valuable to raise for wool and meat. There are many categories that rabbits fall under because they offer several benefits. They are small and can be profitable. They breed quickly. These fluffy and adorable animals are easy to take care of. You can guarantee their family-friendly nature will have your children outside more often, helping to maintain your farm.

This can allow you to create strong bonds with the animals over a short period. This will help them become an addition to your household quickly.

Even if you are raising rabbits for meat on the farm and then bring them into your home, you can guarantee they will love spending as much time as possible with your family. Learn about raising a Californian rabbit for a meat source. As long as you keep them entertained, they are unlikely to cause significant damage to any areas of your home.

You may want to consider raising ducks. As a highly intelligent animal that you will love having on your farm, ducks make fantastic pets for anyone of any age. Also, they are prolific and breed like crazy. Everyone has heard the saying — breeding like rabbits — but it is actually true. It takes weeks from birth until a rabbit is ready to butcher. Rabbits also have a short gestational period, typically 25 to 28 days, so they can have several litters each year.

Rabbits are a versatile farm animal to increase self-sufficiency. A few ways to use rabbits include:. They need more care and space than other farm animals, but if you love pork, raising pigs is a great ideal for self-sufficiency. They are highly intelligent, and they understand that they need to keep their living quarters and waste separate.

You have to provide shelter from the weather and a strong fence because pigs love to wander around. Some varieties of pigs are quite large, while others, like the kunekune pigs, are better for small spaces.

You have to make sure you have the knowledge to care for them, and all of the materials needed to take care of them.

I have to be honest; since I started raising ducks last year, I think I like them more than I like chickens! Raising ducks with chickens is a great idea; if you have space for chickens, consider adding a few ducks. They sell for a higher price than chicken eggs, and they also give you a source of meat. Ducks forage for bugs and worms on your property, while being less prone to diseases. You do have to provide access to water; ducks are waterfowl after all. Most people have no idea that honeybees are considered livestock; they produce food for human consumption.

In recent years, more people focus on raising bees as their population decreases; we are learning the value of bees when it comes to food production. One of the great things about raising honey bees is that they can be raised almost anywhere. Some even have bee hives on the top of apartment buildings in the middle of the city. Did you find this useful? Rehome a farm animal Find out more about the things to consider when rehoming a farm animal.

Find or call a vet Need to register your pet with a veterinary practice or call a vet for emergency advice? Live transport. Laying hens. Farmed fish. Meat chickens. Dairy cows. Beef cattle. Farmed rabbits.

Foie Gras. Worried about a farm animal? Bovine TB.