# What animals/birds are on your homestead and why did you choose those?



## Sumi (Jul 11, 2014)

I'm curious about what you all have on your homesteads and the reasons you chose to keep those animals/birds. Was it an impulse buy (for example me and sheep), or for business/self-sufficiency reasons (for example me and pigs and chickens)?

Please tell me what you have on your homestead and why you are keeping those animals/birds.


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## SA Farm (Jul 11, 2014)

I have:
Heritage turkeys - impulse for me, my DH's idea partially to keep the breed going as well as for meat.

Ameraucana, Barred Rock, and Speckled Sussex chickens - Eggs, meat, self-sufficiency - Ameraucanas were more impulse because they're so unique and really hard to find in my area, BR for dual-purpose and because they're easier to find, and SS for their famous broodiness and great temperaments. 

New Zealand and mixed rabbits - meat, skins, self-sufficiency

Nigerian Dwarf Goats - milk, meat, self-sufficiency.

Silver Pheasants - total impulse on my DH's behalf.

Rouen and Pekin ducks - impulse, but they're growing on me 

If I had to be entirely self-sufficient, like not buying feed or hay or anything like that, it would be really easy to cut back to just a few rabbits, a small flock of chickens, and a few goats in order to sustain my family.


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## AshleyFishy (Jul 11, 2014)

Embden geese = meat, intruder alarm and offspring to sell. I love these, they grow quickly and once feathered out they pretty much just eat grass and stay fat. They were a planned buy that I never regret. 

Turkeys = meat. These were an impulse buy. They are the sweetest things and I will have a very hard time killing these. They do require a lot of high protein feed and LOVE meat. They remind me of raptors and will kill and eat mice, snakes, etc.

Chickens = meat and eggs. Rocks, marans, leghorns, ameraucanas and one speckled sussex + a few of her mutt chicks. Rocks and marans for both meat and eggs. Amerucanas and leghorns for eggs. The speckled sussex is about 7 or 8 years old now and is a pet, she still lays a medium pink egg every other day. Hoping to add a couple of silkies for broodys.

Muscovy ducks = meat, eggs and offspring to sell. These were a planned buy that I just love. They eat very little and will eat the things the chickens and geese won't, like ants. They multiple like bunnies too! The meat is fantastic very low fat tastes kind of like roast beef when put into a slow cooker or veal if grilled medium rare, the meat can also be made into sausage by adding pork fat.

Goats = milk, meat, pets, offspring to sell, lawn mower and tree trimmers. My very first goats were an impulse buy but over the years I've changed over many breeds to finally get where I'm now. I have a herd of mutt goats that I'm still selectively breeding for what I want. The goats are great and a must on any farm in my opinion. The meat tastes pretty good, their offspring sell quickly, they keep weight easily on brush/grass. I get around a gallon of milk per doe per day while she still feeds her kids. When I selected the right milk goats for me, the milk tastes clean and sweet without grassyness, goatyness or buckyness. Goats have so many uses!


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## SheepGirl (Jul 11, 2014)

*Sheep - pets initially, turned business* (Montadale/Babydoll Southdown/Texel crosses)
My neighbor had given me a ewe lamb almost eight years ago and was kept on his farm for almost six years, before they were moved to my house. There she was bred, and her lambs were bred. I moved 4 sheep and 2 lambs to my house two years ago. I now have 6 sheep and 8 lambs. (After a couple sales and deaths, that's what I'm down to... after all the lambs were born this year I had 9 sheep and 10 lambs.) I am going to be selling some lambs either to a private party or I will be taking them to auction probably in Sept-Oct. Now I run my sheep as a business because I don't want to keep putting money (hay $$$) into them without getting anything out. I work at McDonald's, and while I've gotten three raises since being there, I still have to pay for college, gas, car insurance, rent, food... and my sheep would be a money pit if I didn't at least break even.
*
Chickens - experience/business* (Partridge Plymouth Rocks)
I bought myself five pullets back in April, I'm teaching myself about their care. I love their fast generation turn around time so I'm reallyyyy wanting to start a breeding program to increase growth rates and lay rates, efficiency and such, basically focusing on production traits... again, things that make your money back.


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## GentlemanFarmer (Jul 12, 2014)

*18 chickens*.  Started with 4 as pets, enjoyed the eggs and expanded from there. Free range all day and cooped at night, work great at keeping bugs down.  We board two of our neighbors horses, no fly issues.
*2 Dogs*.  1 Golden Retriever and 1 Great Pyrenees.  We were without a dog for a brief period.  People started calling me a free range coyote rancher because they kept getting my chickens during the day.  The Great Pyrenees took care of the coyote problem, duke it great at patrolling the property and protecting everything on the ranch.  We've always had a Golden as the family dog so we have one of those too.  Remington is a happy Golden; it's tough being a bird dog with all of the chickens around.  He sometimes chases them but doesn't really try to catch them; he jumps over them.
*1 cat*.  Just to keep me up at night when not out hunting mice, gophers, and voles.  Guards the bed or secures the dining room table by day.
*2 goats*.  Two 10 week old Nigerian Dwarf goats.  Just for cute pets.  Possibly milking, goat cheese and soap in the future.
*2 horses*.  Warmbloods.  Neighbor keeps two in my barn.  I get to look at them, no work or expense...perfect.

Squatters include numerous lizards, frogs, gophers, rabbits, king snake, and a skunk.


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## bubba1358 (Jul 12, 2014)

Jersey cow: chosen breed for smaller size and high cream content. Yum!

Katahdin sheep: shear-free meat. Help graze down areas cows can't access. 

American Guinea Hog pigs: small size, easy to butcher and keep, lots of lard, and they till out garden spaces. 

Lots of chickens of various breeds: eggs and meat in all kinds of pretty colors. 

NZ and Cali rabbits: meat.

Next year i am adding some Thanksgiving turkeys and some tick-and-squash-bug-eating guineas.


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## Melanie (Jul 12, 2014)

Chickens:20 For eggs and possibly meat. 

Goats:12  for milk, cheese, soap

Great Pyrenees:2 to protect the livestock

Cats:5 great mousers


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## goats&moregoats (Jul 12, 2014)

17 Chickens: 2 Leghorns; Gertie & Matilda  2 Comets; Specks is one other not named, & Amerucanas(none of them named yet), for eggs, bug reduction and we are finding they have great personalities.

Goats: Impulse buy for pets at first. Now I have purchased a few more. Mostly pet quality. Do have two registered gals. Sold a        few kids this year and one doe, who was smaller than what I was looking for.. Use: Pets, my therapy and sell offspring. Currently: 2 Dwarf Nigerian does; Hazel & Cassie, 1 dwarf Nigerian doeling; Poppit, 1 Pygmy weather; Izzy, 1 Pygmy Buck; Goofy, 1 Pygerian doeling; Diva. I choose the dwarf goats for their size. Each one I bought was due to looks and personality. Poppit was the third of a set of triplets(first babies born to my place) that everyone fell in love with so she stayed. Diva was sold with a holding deposit until she broke her leg. Now she is my most expensive goat. So she stayed, no way I could sale her for the vet cost. 

2 Bassett Hounds: 1 Rescue from extended family member; Hunter. Second purchased a few years later after trying to get from rescue shelter; B.A.or Bad Astitude. We were declined from shelters because they could not find a person in our area to do a home visit.  We feel in love with the first one while still with previous owner. Second one was bought because where I was at the time said no to a Golden retriever.

3 Cats:  I grew up with cats and so far have never been without one or two. So we have a long haired black & white; Max, long haired calico; Trixie, and a short haired gray; Mr. Widget.

Animals are my world and if time, space & finances allow I will add so much more.


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## happy acres (Jul 18, 2014)

Well, we (I) have 28 chickens, different breeds, for eggs and meat.

4 ducks, impulse buy, going to be for eggs, meat, down.

Two katahdin sheep, future meat.

One goose, eggs, down, guard goose 

Two mutt dogs, impulse on my DH.

And 22 rabbits (and counting)  for meat.


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## BijuBuck (Jul 18, 2014)

Goats- Manly for pets(kids love 'em and have such good relationships with them!) Every kid we get we have to keep...!

Chickens- Eggs and for pets!


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## MsDeb (Jul 18, 2014)

Dog:  Rescue chihuahua/corgi mix. (She rescued us.)
Cat:  Adopted at age 6. She's now going on 15.
Goats:  4 Nigerian Dwarfs for fun and plan to at least attempt milking when the time comes.  One small Kiko, definitely a pet.  My hubby would say the goats were an impulse but I've wanted them for a long time.  (Because I can't actually have giraffes.)
A loan wild turkey that seems to have taken up residence in our back yard.
Chickens are next on our list. Probably next spring.


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## ragdollcatlady (Jul 20, 2014)

*Chickens*- started as a gift from a friend, now eggs, meat
     Silkies: pets, eggs, pay for their own feed through sales, good for showmanship for 4H
     Ameraucanas, Marans, Olive Egger mutts: for colored eggs
     Salmon Faverolles,  Mahogany Fav and I just hatched a pure White Fav as well: meat, eggs, very uncommon breed (preservation)and I absolutely LOVE the personalities and colors! 
     Belgian Bearded D'Anver: pet and showmanship bird

*Muscovy ducks*- started as a gift from a friend, now mostly for meat. They grow super fast and reproduce easily, friendly and help with bug control

*Turkeys-* I want to get more as I love these beautiful birds. We currently only have one but like to raise them every year. I am wanting Lilacs and Sweetgrass to preserve some of the heritage breeds. 

*Geese - *Our first 2 geese were rescues when their other homes couldn't keep them. Those 2 girls gave us eggs and just hung out. Then I got Sebastopols and they are just gorgeous! True eye candy! all the geese protect the flock of chickens from arial predators. I do use some eggs for our family, but pure seb egg sales pay for alot of their food for the year.

*Call ducks*- pets, eye candy

*Goats*- Nigerian Dwarf were our first goats for pets and milk. Now we also show in 4H and have added Nubians for more milk and Boers for meat (.....eventually....noone on the property has "burger" stamped on them yet... Still in the breeding stages....)

*Pigs*- the husband and DD like to raise a pig for meat every year...not my favorite animals but our last one was really tame


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## elbesta (Jul 20, 2014)

*Goats*-  for milk and to sell

*Pigs*- For meat and to sell. Down to 19 I like to keep 2 breeding sows.

*Turkeys*- Heritage -Blue Slate 7 atm to sell offspring. BBW for meat and to sell

*Chickens*- RIR layers for the eggs 18 atm


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