# I do you know your cut out to raise livestock



## jk47 (Jan 15, 2014)

What signs or characteristics 
Do you look for when people who are new to raising livestock  ask if they should raise them if the people are from the city


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## Southern by choice (Jan 15, 2014)

ooooh this will be a good thread! I need to think about that one. Can't wait to see what others say.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 15, 2014)

Just FROM the city or IN the city?

I have a very hard time supporting any livestock living in backyards. Even goat although they are gain popularity as a backyard pet.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 15, 2014)

BrownSheep said:


> Just FROM the city or IN the city?
> 
> I have a very hard time supporting any livestock living in backyards. Even goat although they are gain popularity as a backyard pet.


  this is _BACKYARD _herds ...


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## bonbean01 (Jan 15, 2014)

I'd have to start out with a few questions...as in...how much do you like your white carpet??  You only wear designer boots you say???  Do you know what a bucket is, as that urn won't cut it???  LOLOL...more later.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 15, 2014)

Southern by choice said:


> this is _BACKYARD _herds ...


GOOOOD point,but you have to admit most of the members on here have more than a little lot on a corner!


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## jk47 (Jan 16, 2014)

BrownSheep said:


> Just FROM the city or IN the city?
> 
> I have a very hard time supporting any livestock living in backyards. Even goat although they are gain popularity as a backyard pet.



I meant people who have lived in a city all there lives and then moves out to the country to raise stock who's only real experience comes from FFA/4H or helping on the grandparents farms but never on their own out side of a controlled environment and I was asking when you see these types if their just green or if they shouldn't be on their own in the first place


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## elbesta (Jan 16, 2014)

Is that like "farmer john" feeding his cattle and texting on his smart phone? I think that FFA / 4H  is a good start, but there are some that have animals because its the new fad. That's why animals get dumped in country because the new wears off, or there not cute anymore. If something don't feel right all they get from me is meat.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 16, 2014)

If they ask to learn about the farm and show up in high heals and dress clothes, I pretty much tell them this is not for them.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 16, 2014)

But seriously we give farm tours for 6 to 10 families/couples a year that want to consider raising goats.   We just tell them about the work and the hours we spend doing it and the hay stack and the mud and the hoof trimming, ect...  Talk about trying to go on a vacation and I would say more than half realize it is more work than they realize. The ones that survive and stay interested are really fun to meet and we have helped several farms/families get started raising goats.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 16, 2014)

20kidsonhill said:


> If they ask to learn about the farm and show up in high heals and dress clothes, I pretty much tell them this is not for them.




I don't know about the dress clothes part...My dad is a lawyer who has gone with us, in his suite, to buy animals.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 16, 2014)

If they are grossed out by the poop or the smell. 
Or ask how loud they'll be. 
If they expect you to wrangle the animal for them

Those are some of the hints I would look for.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 16, 2014)

There are bathrooms at most businesses/churches/work places/ for changing into farm clothes.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 16, 2014)

Good point. I just meant some people may not have time and will bring others who are properly dressed.

I am kind of immune to the whole nice clothes thing. My sister and I herded sheep in heels and dresses after her graduation


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## ksalvagno (Jan 16, 2014)

I like to tell all my horror stories of births gone bad and talk about cleaning poop daily. Mentioning we never go on vacation because of animals. Mention the twice a day without fail milking. Just talking about what must be done daily. Mention the worming and shots.

Certainly complaining about barn smell would be a key. I've had people come very nicely dressed in their BMW's and say how much they love the barn smell and are very excited about the animals so how they are dressed doesn't always tell. Had one person pick up their goats and put them in the back of their brand new BMW SUV. Didn't care about the mess or anything.


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## Mike CHS (Jan 16, 2014)

I get the impression that a lot of folks asking questions on here have raised animals either when they were young or did it on a smaller scale at some time or in my case I'm looking at getting into a different type of stock. I have raised cows a long time ago but since I will be 64 when we start and I no longer want to contend with a 1500 lb or bigger critter we will have mostly goats and a few hair sheep and pr, we are moving from South Carolina city life to our little bit of heaven on our 20 acres here in Tennessee.  I'm not sure how successful we will be but we aren't really concerned since there is such a good resource here to ask questions.    We just got back to our farm this afternoon and chanced upon a good buy on a Massey Ferguson tractor just as we got into town.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 16, 2014)

Not sure if this answer will help but we do lots of farm visits...well not right now as we are sunk in mud and flooded 

I have found that those that are serious ask a lot more questions and usually they are GREAT questions, which means they have done more than just "thought" about it. The ones that think everything is so cute and don't ask questions...I don't spend very much time with them. 
More and more people are concerned about their food as well as their way of life. I think this is why we see so many wanting something different. 
We do not do the scare stories as we don't really have any. We simply share info and try to help others formulate what it is that they are hoping to do and how to get there. Giving them info means also asking them the right things. We ask about their goals, purpose, family, life etc. Sharing options and giving them some things to think about so they can be better informed and start out with what is going to be the most suitable livestock for their needs. We try to explain health and husbandry.
Sharing about loss is always a big one. From chicks to kids to all livestock, it is a reality. 
We have seen so many over the years that in the beginning thought "oh, I could never eat my chickens" after a year of lots of roosters, chicks popping up everywhere, hens having feathers ripped out... well guess who is putting those chickens in the freezer. 
I think it is a growing process... if you have never farmed it is a big new world. It can be pretty scary too. I try to remind those starting out and newbies that there is NO SILLY question or dumb question... it's just a question and you don't know til ya know.  

We have a philosophy here... if you *did* buy an animal off our farm we are there for you as support anytime. If you* did not *buy your animal off our farm we are there for you as support anytime.   Doesn't mean we will have an answer but we can still have an ear or help them find the answer. 
We have met the most wonderful people in small family farming and have found that those relationships are much closer than with those that don't farm.

Who else gets it when you say "it's raining again!" 
or I need to go collect poop today? When you get a call in the middle of the night because a goat isn't presenting right and you need to walk someone through it. When a kid dies and you cry with each other. With the hardships there also comes great joy.
Many are seeking the farm life. I think it's just deep down in us.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 17, 2014)

So true Southern!!!!


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## Beekissed (Jan 18, 2014)

I'd ask them if they have a gun and know how to use it.  It's one of the most useful tools for keeping livestock in the event of an emergency~for predation and for ending the life of a suffering animal when the vet cannot be utilized.

If the answer is no, then I suggest they proceed to get familiar with firearms, accuracy and how to kill an animal effectively as to cause no needless wounding and suffering, but a quick end only.   

Then I ask them if they could kill an animal that was suffering and in pain if need be or have someone reliable and on hand that can do so.  If the answer is no, I tell them they have no business raising livestock.

At all.  Never.  Don't even consider it.

That usually will weed out those lacking in fortitude and common sense enough to effectively raise livestock and the hard tasks that come along with it, for of all the hard tasks related to keeping livestock, killing is number one.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 18, 2014)

I agree and 2nd that Beekissed.  
Sometimes I do think they have to give that some thought though.


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## animalmom (Jan 19, 2014)

OK, almost in defense of those "people from the city."  My DH and I both saw our first cow in a zoo, on different coasts.  If you were to look up "city folk" in the dictionary you WOULD have seen our picture.  Neither of us had any experience with any animal beyond a dog or a cat, and no FFA of 4H experience.

Nevertheless, both of us had the desire, and finally the means, to take our lives out of the city.  Granted we didn't show up at any farm in high heels or even a skirt, and we really had the desire to raise particular animals for our needs and wants.

We did our research, slowly got our livestock, and made a lot of mistakes along the way.  I'm glad to say that we've been successful with our goats for 4 years now, and our rabbits for 5 years.

I DO understand that there are people out there who would like to have animals, but really have no business having livestock.  I've talked with some of these people and when the height of the conversation revolves around how cute the animal is, instead of housing, health, and food requirements let alone breeding... well those folks need to stay with a dog or a cat.

Just cause someone may have been a city folk, or currently are but have plans for not being one, don't count them out.  I suppose it is like the saying of having to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince... you have to talk with a lot of different people to find the right person, the type of person you can deal with and you want your animal to depend on.


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## Banriona (Jan 19, 2014)

Raising livestock in a lot of ways is like raising children.  It takes planning, research and a certain level of maturity before obtaining them to be successful.  Your purpose is not to just sit back and enjoy the cuteness, but to get down and dirty in the poop, deal with illnesses and injuries, personality problems, discipline etc.  You will have the same type of learning curve though.  There is only so much a book can teach, sometimes you have to actually have the animal before you can learn certain things.  Just like with raising children, you get out of it what you put into it.  If you put in minimal effort, you will have sickly animals with behavior problems - same as if you put in minimal effort with parenting.  Also just like with children, it takes a village.  No farmer can do it entirely on their own - just like no parent can raise a child entirely on their own.  We all need advice, support and help along the way.

An orphan can successfully raise a family - and a "city  person" can successfully raise livestock.  It depends on the individual and how much work they are willing to put forth before, during and after the animals come along.


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## GLENMAR (Feb 5, 2014)

I had someone recently who wanted a trio of rabbits, but then I found out they only had 1 hutch.
They thought they could put them all together. I did not sell them to that person.


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## greybeard (Feb 11, 2014)

"How far up a cow's butt do you think you can stick your hand?"


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## Baymule (Feb 11, 2014)




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## Baymule (Feb 11, 2014)

When you have livestock, you will have dead stock.


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## greybeard (Feb 11, 2014)

Mike CHS said:


> I get the impression that a lot of folks asking questions on here have raised animals either when they were young or did it on a smaller scale at some time or in my case I'm looking at getting into a different type of stock. I have raised cows a long time ago but since I will be 64 when we start and I no longer want to contend with a 1500 lb or bigger critter we will have mostly goats and a few hair sheep and pr, we are moving from South Carolina city life to our little bit of heaven on our 20 acres here in Tennessee.  I'm not sure how successful we will be but we aren't really concerned since there is such a good resource here to ask questions.    We just got back to our farm this afternoon and chanced upon a good buy on a Massey Ferguson tractor just as we got into town.


Don't let age stop ya Mike. I'll be 64 in a couple of months and take care of 30 pairs, Charolais and Beefmasters.
Alone.


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