what's a good farm animal besides chicks??

[NS2A]

Why are people saying an acre ins't enough space for 2 goats, especially pygmys? Hasn't anyone ever heard "a cow and a calf on an acre and a half"?

Check this out:
http://66.173.241.168/nmp/calculator.cfm

If you have an acre of grassland, you should be able to get 6 mature fullsized goats on an acre. In your case, 3 would easily fit. Pygmys are under 50 lbs.

I have 2 pygmys and keep them in a 15x30 4 foot high pen. Simple welded wire that runs less than 50 cents a foot. They are tied out for 45 minutes a day to browse on my weed filled "lawn". They eat the weeds and leaves. Just make sure they can't get to anything you don't want them to eat. They are tied out on a collared chain attached to a concrete block like a dog. I am out with them during this time just to be safe. I'd keep them out longer, but honestly, they are ready to come in before an hour is up. I feed them a slice of hay a day - about 30 cents worth along with a handful of grain and sunflower seeds. That's it. Pretty simple animals that don't take a lot of space or real effort.

 

[patandchickens]

I think one reason the original poster is getting such diverse suggestions of how much land it takes to keep a <whatever> is that peoples' experiences will depend a lot on what KIND of land it is.

An acre of bottomland sticky clay is a whole lot different than an acre of sandy slope or an acre of desert. You don't want to ever put more animals on a plot of land than it can hold IN THE WET SEASON.

Also it depends on how much of your acre you can actually give to the animals. Some people will fence the whole perimeter in which case you are only subtracting out the house itself and maybe the driveway; other people have enough other things going on in a 1-acre lot that there isn't a whole lot of actual paddock space available.

Pat

 

[Lilychick]

What is "bolshy"?

I think I rather like this word.

 

[V Chic Chick]

Quote:
Obstreperous (sp?), headstrong, throws their weight around.

 

[Lilychick]

Thanks! While I was waiting, I looked it up. It comes from "Bolshevik", which is what I was hoping.....

 

[bamagirl68]

what about some bunnies?

 

[Rebeccahorse]

How about a miniature horse?

 

[sloper74]

This is a really good point!
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[buc]

Ok, my vote is for a cow.

Buy it this way at your local sale barn. You are looking for a 3 in 1 deal. This means you are buying a cow already breed (cow = 1, the calf she has in her =2) and she is milking a calf on her side. That way you can feed up the calf and eat it, then mantain the cow until she calfs and then raise that one to eat also.

If you sell a side from each raised calf you will break even on your cost of buying and feeding with the benefit of having raised your own beef.

 

[sloper74]

I've thought about a cow, but what kind of fence is best? I've known too many folks who do 4 strands of electric or high tension and the cows are constantly escaping. I'd want something that could move around too. I thought goats were escape artists- apparently, they have nothing on cows...
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