Raising Livestock

[Ostrich25]

Bee kissed, do you find it fun though? Like an hobby? I know you do it for food, but is it still hobby fun?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee kissed, do you find it fun though? Like an hobby? I know you do it for food, but is it still hobby fun?

Of course!

My animals and I have a special bond like no other. We have a certain way of being together that I don't see other people have with their animals..a quiet trust and confidence in one another and also a certain respect. I love and I like them and I can tell they enjoy my presence and trust me as well. We enjoy each others company and depend upon one another for life and nourishment...can't get any closer bond than that.

It's not now, nor has it ever been, a hobby. Hobbies are for the idle folks with leisure time and money to waste.

More of a way of life than a hobby. A wonderful symbiotic relationship between me and my food supply that transcends the interaction you can have with a piece of meat under cellophane you bought at the store.

 

[Ostrich25]

Very nice! Bee kissed i really wanna get into livestock, but I wanna know, is it fun? Cause I can't seem to find how feeding animals is fun... Also, why don't you raise ostriches?

 

[Beekissed]

Very nice! Bee kissed i really wanna get into livestock, but I wanna know, is it fun? Cause I can't seem to find how feeding animals is fun... Also, why don't you raise ostriches?

Now you're just having fun, aren't you?

You know? I wanted to raise ostriches but the coops, roosts and nest boxes were so large that I just couldn't see how I could build them.....

 

[creaturelife]

i m trying to start my own chicken duck and turkey and geese farm to sell the babys to the locals but it is taking alot of money to get started out of my own pocket

 

[Beekissed]

Start small with one species and use the profits from the sale of those to fund getting others. All such things start small and to make any profit the overhead has to stay low, so invest in good stock of one species and learn them well, learn how to breed for quality and try to keep expenditures low while you learn all about them.

The biggest mistake I see people making is to jump into such an enterprise without adequate preparation, time or money and then they soon get overwhelmed and find they've spent way more than they could ever make back on the whole thing.

It took me three years of study to get into honeybees and two years of study, building structures, pens and fences before I got into sheep~and even then I was not fully informed about either species, IMO, ...the rest has to come hands on. I think most things are more successful, on the whole, if one is prepared, goes slow, and makes good choices about breed, management methods, time, and money.

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

I raise mostly whatever works for my farm. I try my hand at a certain breed or species and if it doesn't work out, then I don't keep it. For example I absolutely love turkeys but unfortunately I couldn't keep a whole flock of them because they kept flying on the roof of my house. One of them stupidly jumped off and hurt its leg on our asphalt driveway (I never said they were smart). I tried clipping their wings but they still kept jumping the 4' tall fence. They had strong legs. I built a fully covered pen as a last resort and they kept picking on each other out of boredom. They were not happy in such an enclosed space. Well finally I had to rehome all but two to a place with further away neighbors. It was a shame because they followed me around like dogs and ran to me when they saw me. I also no longer raise geese because they were too aggressive or guineas because they are too loud.

As for other livestock, I currently have a couple miniature goats but I have had more goats that are "screamers" (VERY loud) than I have had with sheep. Sheep are wonderfully quiet, more aloof than goats (which insist on constant attention) and will eat ALL their hay whereas goats are picky eaters. Unfortunately sheep will also eat the pasture down to dirt if given the chance. Goats usually don't graze that close to the ground. Goats are mostly used for milk to supply a family. Sheep profits mostly come from meat, lambs and wool. Sheep also don't need dehorned like goats do. If I had to choose between the two, I couldn't.

Now understand I do not raise animals on large scale so I get one on one time with them all. I am in this hobby simply for my love of animals, not the profit, and to be honest there is very little money to make out of it. Most profit just goes back into feed, bedding or vet bills. Sometimes repairs like fencing or buildings. I have spent more on my critters, especially when you have multiple species that require different environments, than I would ever hope to make back in return. You have to really love it to get into it. You will learn more from experience than reading any book.