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

[Sumi]

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.

 

[SA Farm]

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.

 

[AshleyFishy]

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!

 

[SheepGirl]

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.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

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.

 

[bubba1358]

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.

 

[Melanie]

Chickens:20 For eggs and possibly meat.

Goats:12 for milk, cheese, soap

Great Pyrenees:2 to protect the livestock

Cats:5 great mousers

 

[goats&moregoats]

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.

 

[happy acres]

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.

 

[BijuBuck]

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!