BYH Official Poll: What are the things that you should consider before buying herds?

[gcarmack2001]

You should make sure you purchase from herds that have been tested for diseases (I'm fine with just CAE and Johnnes, but CL is always a bonus) and that the land/area you will have your animals on hasn't had any other kinds of livestock on it that could spread any diseases that goats could contract.

 

[Beekissed]

For my "other" I would say the single biggest mistake I see many doing before they get a flock or herd is not having adequate shelter for them. A barn, shed, shelter, coop is a must before a single animal sets foot on the land. It's as important as fencing.

If you don't have the housing, why in the world would you consider bringing home the animal? Some animals carry their barns on their backs, like sheep, and that's okay...they don't necessarily NEED a barn but it's sure nice if they have some kind of wind block or shelter for the winter months.

 

[Ridgetop]

1. What experience do you have with animals? Not your pet cat, bunny, parakeet and dog, but livestock like sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, horses, etc. You don't need any experience (most of us have gained it over the years) BUT DO YUR RESEARCH FIRST. Read everything you can on raising whatever animals you might want. And not just in a chat room either (you will get help there and make friends, but do you really want to learn about mistakes that could have been avoided after spending a lot of money on animals that are not right for you or your situation? Get real books on how to do it. They will also form the nucleus of your refer to library which is a must when raising livestock. 30 years and I am still learning and adding to that library. New research comes out all the time. They will have important information on housing, feeding, and vet care specific to that species.

2. After you have read those books multiple times, take a survey of your property. Flat land? Rolling hills? Steep gullies? Each of these will need different types of fencing and shelters. Know your land. Then start fencing and building your pens. When fencing remember that predators may be non existent on your empty acres but as soon as you have prey (livestock) for them they will arrive. Neighborhood dogs running loose are even worse than coyotes. Fence securely with an eye to tall no climb fences with hot wires top and bottom if possible. If electric fence wire is not possible for you, lay wire, boulders, logs, etc. along the bottom of the fences to keep predators from digging in.

3. Shelters should be tall enough for you to walk inside to clean and feed. There may come a time when you have a sick or dead animal to remove. It s not fun to have to crawl into the goat house through the manure to get to the sick or injured animal. Let alone having to pull kids or lambs in that type of shelter! Figure out your weather and while most shelters do not have to be totally enclosed (that is more for our comfort doing chores than for the animals) you do want to provide wind blocks for stormy times. Our storm winds usually come from 2 directions so we have to block off one opening in our barn during lambing season if it is cold and windy. A pole barn with pens that you can pile straw bales around the sides in winter may be all you need. Exchange of fresh air is essential in all animal keeping facilities to keep disease down. You can build feeders and when buying water containers, I find the large black rubber types last longest and are easiest to move. of you have horses and cows, the large metal stock tanks are good too. You can hook them to a float to keep them filled eventually (remember start small). However, horses and goats find the floats to be toys and like to lay with them (break them LOL)!

4. START SMALL unless you have bought several acres and plan to run stock commercially. If you do that, buy a functioning ranch with outbuildings. The house is less important than the animal pens, housing, and facilities. You can always renovate the house. I DO NOT recommend buying a ranch to raise livestock commercially unless you have a lot of experience with whatever you want to raise! Or a large trust fund!

5. Whatever you buy, buy from a breeder who keeps records, vaccinates their stock, tests them for species specific diseases and is willing to tell you what those diseases are. The stock does not have to be registered stock. I find that if you want specific things though you should go with the breed or type of animal you want. Listen to many breeders about their animals. Remember that even though you don't want to show your animals that the conformation standard is built around utility in each species and breed.


6. If you want a milk goat for house milk, TASTE the milk of the animal you are planning to buy. Check the udder for ease of milking and do not buy one whose udder is drooping or with teats to large or small as to be uncomfortable when milking. Some breeds have milk that is not as palatable. I have found (having milked 5 breeds for house use) that Nubian and LaMancha have the best milk. Remember too, the type of feed will also change the taste of the milk. I like standard size goats since they are more comfortable for me to walk, milk, and work on. This is a personal preference and there are others who don't.



Falling in love with a "cute" lamb or at a saleyard doesn't cut it. That is where the experienced herdsman sends his culls or diseased animals.

 

[Ridgetop]

Back to other species - there is an entire other conformation standard for meat animals. There the udder needs to be good enough to raise healthy offspring but does not need to milk for 10 months. Whether in steers, sheep, or rabbits, you want a long thick loin, muscular hind quarters, and thickness in all the meaty cuts. IT WILL HELP YOU TO GET A BUTCHER'S CUTTING GUIDE - YOU CAN SEE ALL THE BEST CUTS AND WHERE YOU WANT THICKNESS AND LENGTH. This will help you select the best breeding animals for your flock or herd.

In meat animals you do not need to have pedigreed animals. Some breeds differ in their docility so you might to check out that for you small holding. More tractable animals can make the difference between enjoying the experience and taking the entire herd to the sale yard in frustration. Crossbreds are fine for meat production since the knowledgeable person is crossing them to get certain traits.

Just because it is crossbred does not automatically give it hybrid vigor. Crosses can also combine bad traits too.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANIMALS AT THE SALE YARD OR GENERAL AUCTION BECAUSE THEY ARE CUTE! Most of these animals are there for a reason. That reason is not one you want to take on. Remember the sale yard is where the animals no one wants go. The doe with chronic mastitis, CAE, or abcesses (CL). The sheep with CL, doesn't breed, has singles, or loses its lambs. Animals that do not breed properly or have other problems end up at the sale yard. Even an animal that might not have problems before going to the auction, will bring illness home after being exposed to all the sick ones there. Save your money and do not buy. The only good buy at the sale yard is for the vet who will be making visits to your house. Vets have sent their kids to college on fees from people who "fell in love" or wanted to "save" the adorable sickly animal they rescued.

Having thoroughly confused and saddened everyone by this long document here is my final advice.

GET A LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOG. Check out those breeders even more carefully for their knowledge and whether they will help you with the dog once it is on your property. The good ones will always be there with advice and help. Different breeds guard in different ways so it is important to check this out too. Pyrs are traditionally wider ranging. If you have a large piece of property this might be better. We switched from Pyrs when our neighborhood got more built up to a breed that stayed with our flock. IMPORTANT: Don't scrimp on the price of your LGD - it's worth the entire value of your livestock. Some people think that they can put anything in and it will do the job. My advice is to pay more and get a trained or started dog at least a year old. A puppy is at much at risk from coyotes as a lamb or kid and will take a year or more of feeding and training to do the job. It is actually cheaper to get a trained older dog for your first LGD. That dog can help train your second later.

Add up the dollar amount you put into your herd or flock, your livestock investment in fencing, buildings, and equipment, your labor too. Do you really want to gamble on losing all that money? Get a trained Livestock Guardian Dog and sleep easy at night. You never want to see the aftermath of a dog attack or predator kill.

Hope this helps.

 

[AllenK]

I reallly want to own llamas. I wish i could find an affordable pair.

 

[AllenK]

Reminds me of living in Wise County, TX we could literallygoout shooting neked in the back yard. Sure it was only 6.5 acres. But dang my wife and I had some fun experiences.

 

[AllenK]

Does anyone else raise chicken? I let mine out late today. They were not impressed.

 

[Baymule]

Does anyone else raise chicken? I let mine out late today. They were not impressed.

I have chickens, a lot of us have chickens. I have Easter Eggers and 10 Australorp pullets with 2 roosters, one of which is starting to attack and will go to freezer camp soon.

 

[AllenK]

I have chickens, a lot of us have chickens. I have Easter Eggers and 10 Australorp pullets with 2 roosters, one of which is starting to attack and will go to freezer camp soon.

Yes I have one with behavioral issues as well. I am still giving her the benefit of the doubt we like her tackiness though. I do hate getting bitten by her.

 

[Ridgetop]

The cheapest thing you can do to get ready to own animals is to buy books or get them from the library about the species, breed, etc., that you are interested in owning. The computer is fine, but nothing beats a home library of information that you can look up time after time. Most (not all but most) books published about the raising and care of livestock have current information in them. Sometimes what you get from a computer search is not completely factual. If you do computer searches, I prefer the ones that are from university studies. By reading up ahead of time, you can ask good questions without having to cover the basics.