MO animals

[bgundersen]

Hi there!

I am in Missouri and have dairy goats, dairy cows and alpacas. I also have ducks, various breeds of chickens and several breeds of heritage turkeys. I am looking for resources or people who have gotten a little further away from the feed store and raise forage/pastured animals with success...but learning the failures is also valuable so that I don't reinvent the wheel! We still make trips to the feed stores for supplements and grains, I just want to know more about alternative feeding methods for them. I am a big fan of Justin Rhodes and Joel Salatin for the poultry and want to expand to my ruminants...Looking to learn and hope to meet lots of like minded folks!

 

[NH homesteader]

Hi and welcome from NH! I have goats, pigs, chickens and heritage turkeys.

Joel Salatin talks a lot about how his chickens are the biggest "grain hogs" in his operation! Cattle are probably the "easiest" to raise on pasture due to the way they eat but it takes a lot of land.

I raise my animals on pasture but do buy grain and hay. I don't have the setup to push for more pasture raising. @Baymule I think, has posted about a magazine called Grass Farmer or something like that. Sheesh I hope I'm tagging the right person and didn't make that up in my little brain, lol!

 

[promiseacres]

 

[norseofcourse]

Welcome from Ohio! I've got ponies and sheep, and I'm working to turn overgrown neglected pasture/woods back into decent pasture again. I'm further north than you so I'll always have to buy more hay in the winter. I've heard of the Stockman Grass Farmer magazine but haven't gotten it yet. Have you also checked with your county extension service for any resources they can help you with? Good luck!

 

[bgundersen]

Thanks NH Homesteader and Promiseacres! I love your pictures...We tried rabbits - well, my 12 year old did when she was 9 but she was just too timid and kept getting scratched. So now she is much happier with her alpacas...lol.

NH - yes, chickens are SO picky about just the right amount of feed to get sufficient eggs and so forth. I found a website on the BackYardChickens site that had some formulas that are geared more towards what "old-timer's" used to feed before the feed stores were so populous. I am hoping to try a few and see what works for my flock. I don't pasture my birds per se, but they have HUGE (1/2 acre or more) runs in the orchards and no more than 20 birds in a run and I am looking at what I can grow in those areas that will benefit both the birds AND the trees. Comfrey and Swiss Chard are high on my list...lol, esp for the ducks. My biggest trial is building sufficient pasture for all the ruminants...I have my goat herd down to 5 moms, a dad and 8 babies (with one more mom to go)and will have to sell or eat at least HALF to keep my herd the size that is managable. Plus one milking cow and four calves (yes, she is feeding four calves plus us and only one is hers). Of course, all of those calves won't be staying, but we have to make sure we can support what we do keep. And then my daughter has acquired her 5 alpacas...thankfully they alos eat the least amount and are the least amount of work, but they only get shorn once a year and gestate for nearly a year so they also produce the least amount of reimbursable income. So I have to find ways to do more with less, or I have to have less and do more with it. I hope that makes sense.

 

[bgundersen]

Thanks for the welcome, Norseofcourse. Yes, we have worked with the Extension office, esp when developing pasture and hay lands and soil tests, etc. It's a small office, but they have helped a lot thus far.

 

[samssimonsays]

Welcome from northern Minnesota! I had tried doing the fodder system for my rabbits but never did do it successfully unfortunately.

 

[luvmypets]

Its nice to finally have another person who isnt alpaca-lackin lol. How many do you have? Oh and welcome!

 

[samssimonsays]

Its nice to finally have another person who isnt alpaca-lackin lol. How many do you have? Oh and welcome!

Oh! @Bruce has Alpacas as well!

 

[bgundersen]

My daughter has acquired 5 so far, 2 males (one is only 18 months old) and three females, one of which is going to have a cria in October. I bought the males, but she and her sister purchased the females with the money they made from raising and selling poultry. They are dang addictive and I can't wait to get them sheared this month. The young male has a staple length of over six inches already and crimpy as all get out. My daughter has been lead training him and she can't help but fluff on him every chance she gets. She said it's like hugging a cloud...lol. The others aren't as friendly, but they aren't scared of us either. How many alpacas do you have, Luvmypets? We are just starting out, this will be our first everything (shearing, cria, etc). I got a bonus from work and what did I spend it on? Yep, the male alpacas...lol.