Keepin it weird in the 512 - ATX Homesteader

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Mandyland

Mandyland

In the Brooder
Jun 3, 2018
8
13
37
Austin, TX
Howdy all!

My name is Mandy. My mom and I just co-borrowed on a great home in east Austin with a decently sized plot. Looking to get a few animals set up and rockin' back there.

I've owned chickens in the past and loved them, but none right now.
I had bearded silkies and seabrights, just what I could get my hands on at the time.
I'm looking for something a little more egg productive and fun for my new flock. I'd love to get some Americauna for example.

I'm also interested in miniature dairy goats, just two since the yard isn't super huge.
Any suggestions on quieter small breeds are welcome!
However I hear donkeys or alpacas are great for protecting chickens? Any deets on that would be cool!

In the future I'd hope to have bees as well. I'm working on a fly way now to ensure they have their space when I'm ready for em!

Hit me with your best advice! I love thoughts and feedback.
 
Hi Mandy and welcome to BYC. Sorry, I have little advice to offer but there are threads on most of the animals you mention so feel free to search for them.

You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread

Best wishes

Pork Pie
 
Mandyland said:
Howdy all!

My name is Mandy. My mom and I just co-borrowed on a great home in east Austin with a decently sized plot. Looking to get a few animals set up and rockin' back there.

I've owned chickens in the past and loved them, but none right now.
I had bearded silkies and seabrights, just what I could get my hands on at the time.
I'm looking for something a little more egg productive and fun for my new flock. I'd love to get some Americauna for example.

I'm also interested in miniature dairy goats, just two since the yard isn't super huge.
Any suggestions on quieter small breeds are welcome!
However I hear donkeys or alpacas are great for protecting chickens? Any deets on that would be cool!

In the future I'd hope to have bees as well. I'm working on a fly way now to ensure they have their space when I'm ready for em!

Hit me with your best advice! I love thoughts and feedback.
Click to expand...
I recommend the Nigerian Dwarf Goat! They are very small, and will give you a nice supply of milk!
 
Welcome! I've had a donkey in the past (not when I had chickens), and he had no problem letting fox run through the pasture. Yet he would try to stomp my cats, and had injured a neighbor's trespassing dog. I don't know if they have to be trained on what to attack and what not to attack, but my donkey wouldn't have protected my chickens.
 
:welcome

Hi Mandy, it's nice to have you here! As you find your way around BYC, you'll find a lot of members have a variety of animals. This is a good place to make contact with them to find out about goat/alpaca/donkey/bees:other-pets-livestock.22
 
Mandyland said:
Howdy all!

My name is Mandy. My mom and I just co-borrowed on a great home in east Austin with a decently sized plot. Looking to get a few animals set up and rockin' back there.

I've owned chickens in the past and loved them, but none right now.
I had bearded silkies and seabrights, just what I could get my hands on at the time.
I'm looking for something a little more egg productive and fun for my new flock. I'd love to get some Americauna for example.

I'm also interested in miniature dairy goats, just two since the yard isn't super huge.
Any suggestions on quieter small breeds are welcome!
However I hear donkeys or alpacas are great for protecting chickens? Any deets on that would be cool!

In the future I'd hope to have bees as well. I'm working on a fly way now to ensure they have their space when I'm ready for em!

Hit me with your best advice! I love thoughts and feedback.
Click to expand...

Welcome to BYC! It's a great site.

I'd recommend a livestock guardian dog for poultry proctection, especially if you don't have a lot of pasture space.

My husband and I bought a 50-acre last summer and it is so exciting (and overwhelming!) to set it up. We currently have ducks, chickens, geese, and sheep plus turkey poults. Next year, I'm going to get goats, both for milk and for scrub brush. I've been starting to network with goat owners in the area to decide on what breed(s) to get etc, and while I was initially very interested in Nigerians as a small dairy goat, every single goat owner I've talked to says that they would be really hard to milk because of their small test size. A milking machine would probably make it easier though.
 
Welcome to backyard chickens. I've heard Emus will stomp and attack dogs ,cats,and coyotes but, not to protect chickens. They just don't like that type of animal.
 
LGD like a lot of area to patrol- if your property is too small, they would wonder off to supervise a neighbors with more land.
 

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