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When you’re building a farm, you need to know what the most useful animals are for that environment. Whether you’re looking for livestock or companion animals, there are many options – beginner, low maintenance, self-sufficiency, pet, for-profit or miniature backyard animals. Here are the 10 best farm animals out there, many of which are the most common.
goats
One of the best farm animals to raise for self-sufficiency and for profit is: goats. They are useful for meat, dairy, fiber and cleanup brushes. Some people prefer goat’s milk over cow’s milk and it has its own unique health benefits, such as being easier to digest, especially for those with lactose intolerance. They need to eat feed, hay, brush and vegetables, but are also happy to get rid of kitchen scraps. You must provide them with shelter and goat fences and have at least one other goat for company and to prevent them from escaping.
However, they are not very easy to maintain as they are vulnerable to disease, stomach problems and worms. If you have a small backyard or just a few acres of land, check out miniature varieties like pygmy goats, useful for both meat and milk, or Nigerian pygmy goats, which are useful for milk and also most common in pets. Nigerian dwarf goats can produce 1/2 to 1 gallon of milk per day. There are goat breeds that are naturally polled if you don’t want to dehorn them.
ducks
The most low-maintenance farm animals to breed are: ducks, which do not require much space compared to others. They are excellent for raising for self-sufficiency or for profit, even for beginners. Not only are they useful for meat if you like duck, but the hens lay an average of 200-300 extra-large eggs per year from five to six months of age. Many people prefer duck eggs over chicken eggs for baking.
These foragers only need a house, a splash pool and a good fence, and even help out in the garden by eating pests and weak-rooted plants. They also eat snails, worms, aquatic plants and insects, fish and fish eggs, grains and seeds. They are also great for pets. One caveat is that they are more territorial than chickens and they each need 4 to 6 feet of space in their home and 10 to 15 feet to roam a duck run. The Pekin breed is an all-white duck prized for both eggs and meat, producing 90% of all duck meat.
Cows
When it comes to raising livestock for profit or for self-sufficiency, you can’t do better than cows. You can sell calves as soon as they are weaned, or wait until they are mature and sell them for meat and dairy cows to produce and sell milk and other dairy products, such as butter and cheese. Miniature cattle ranches are particularly low maintenance as they don’t require as much space, much less if you use rotary grazing so you can have them in a suburban backyard. The Dexter cow is a smaller breed, but still needs half an acre to graze on if you don’t provide hay. An ordinary cow needs one hectare for grazing, two hectares for changing pastures. All cows need a water source, a shed for the winter and shade for the summer when they are on the pasture. Owners should be careful when handling cows, whether they are bulls or cows protecting their calves.
chickens
The most common farm animals are: chickens, and it’s no secret why: Most people eat chicken meat and eggs, and farmers and gardeners use chicken feces as fertilizer, turning them into livestock herds for subsistence or profit. Their temperament and the number of eggs the hens can lay per day depends on the breed.
Some people also have them for pets. They eat food, kitchen scraps, yard scraps and weeds, including chickweed, as well as garden pests. You should provide them with fresh water, a covered shelter in case of rain, a fencing, a hutch for nesting and laying eggs with 4 square feet of space per hen, which you should keep clean, and regular health inspections.
It is most common to have chickens, although the occasional rooster or two to crow and to help protect chickens from predators. Some examples of popular breeds include Silkie, Sumatra, and Australorp. Bantam chickens are ideal for those with small coops in suburban backyards, and Welsummer chickens are small, bipartisan birds for meat and eggs. Orpingtons are also dual-purpose and great for pets.
rabbits
rabbits are low-maintenance farm animals, even for beginners, and can thrive in a backyard where you can raise them for meat and pelts and use their droppings as fertilizer. They are excellent for breeding for profit, for self-sufficiency or for pets because they breed quickly. Females are born 6 or more per litter and you can kill babies for meat at 8 weeks, while two and one buck can produce 180 pounds of meat in a year. The meat is lean but tasty. Rabbits are social animals and need companionship with at least one other rabbit or to live in a colony. You’ll need a hutch for them and if they’re roaming free, a rabbit tractor to protect them outside.
pigs
One of the most common farm animals for self-sufficiency and profit, pigs are a great source of meat. Sows can give birth to up to 11 piglets in a litter, although they need a year before they can be culled. It is also popular to breed miniature br
ee
ds for pets. Pigs eat kitchen scraps, corn, grains, bread and milk, which we collectively know as slop, as popularized by the book Charlotte’s Web.
While they have big appetites and food costs can be expensive, you can cut costs by allowing them free range. Doing this also allows them to move around to maintain cleanliness. A hutch with strong fencing is needed so they can’t escape, although they will do well in a backyard and will also need a pigsty. If you have a small farm, a Berkshire pig is an ideal breed. The Tamworth breed is prized for its bacon and all other cuts of pork, as well as the large litters of the sows and for being excellent mothers. Pigs are vulnerable to worms and other parasites and must be handled carefully to avoid being charged or bitten.
Sheep
Similar to goats in terms of relatively low maintenance, sheep can be suitable for different sizes of farms. They are also great for beginners. These livestock are attractive to breed for self-sufficiency and for profit in terms of meat, milk and wool. Sheep’s milk is superior to both cow’s and goat’s milk for making cheese. If you keep one to three sheep on the same pasture, you don’t need much space. The Suffolk breed is equally useful for meat and wool while the Blackberry is a hairless meat breed. One of the UK’s most hardy breeds, the Miniature Cheviot is prized for its wool, and the East Friesian is the best dairy sheep.
quail
Compared to guinea fowl, quail require less maintenance as they make less noise and require very little space, although they cannot roam freely as they will escape. They are great for breeding for profit and for self-sufficiency of their eggs and meat. For shelter, they need a covered fence, resting places and a brush. Their space should accommodate 1 square foot per bird. For their food you have to give them protein supplements so they don’t become cannibalistic. Keep them away from other birds, such as chickens or geese, to avoid injury and death. These birds are smaller than hens, but hens start laying eggs at 8 weeks and lay about one egg per day, with 3-4 eggs being equal to one hen’s egg. The Coturnix breed is popular with backyard farmers.
honeybees
honeybees are low maintenance farm animals that can thrive in a backyard to make a profit. Most people have them for honey making, but they produce other popular ones Products such as bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax and bee bread. You only need beehives and a water source. They are not for beginners, however, as they need to be watched over the winter, are sensitive to pesticides and other chemicals and may require special handling such as for a queen change or clearing an aggressive hive. They are also vulnerable to bears and other predators for their honey or themselves for food, and handlers should always wear bee suits.
Livestock/herding dogs
Man’s best friend is here to help you become self-sufficient herding livestock of all sizes and guarding and protecting them from predators, especially on a few acres of land or a rural farm. They are also great for pets. However, they won’t do well on small farms, in a backyard or in suburban areas near other people, and require fencing due to their wanderlust and independent streak. They also need proper training and so are not for beginners. While some dogs are only good for hats and others for to guard and protect, some breeds can do it all. Some of the best herding and guard dogs for farms are the Great Pyrenees, Australian Shepherd, Maremma Sheepdog, Tibetan Mastiffand Komondor.
Farm animals have different purposes. Whether you want to breed them for profit, for pets or for self-sufficiency, there are even novice farm animals that are low maintenance and even some that will fit comfortably in a backyard. These animals are most common as livestock for food, fiber, companion animals or helpers to keep the farm running smoothly or pest free.
Next one: What do daddy long legs eat? 10 foods in their diet
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