As a homesteader, you are always looking for what works best on your land and anything that might add to your lifestyle or augment your goals. Goats are often an overlooked option, but they will add value to many farmsteads. There are many reasons you may want to consider these ruminants among your livestock. Want to save this post for later? … [Read more...]
7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Got Pigs
Pigs are a great animal for homesteaders for many reasons, the most important of which is that they literally turn vegetables into bacon! For the amount of money you spend on feed, you'll get a huge return on your investment in the form of bacon, ham, pork chops, and more. Of course, there are other advantages to owning pigs. They grow very … [Read more...]
15 Best Goat Breeds for Homesteaders
Keeping goats on the homestead can provide the family with both a steady supply of milk and protein-rich meat. Goats are exceptional foragers, or “browsers,” and will gladly take over your brush clearing and mowing chores. Choosing the right breed of goats to keep on your homestead is vital to the success and longevity of your survival livestock … [Read more...]
20 Pet & Livestock First Aid Supplies to Stockpile
Homestead pets and livestock can become ill or injured at the most inconvenient times. Even before an SHTF scenario, you might not be able to get a vet to come save an animal in time. Learning how to handle minor or even life-threatening livestock emergencies could save not only your meat, egg, and milk producers, but the lives of your family who … [Read more...]
DIY Automatic Pig Waterer
Pigs have a reputation for being messy for a good reason: they are very messy! If you put down a bowl or trough of water, it is going to get dirty fast and you are going to have to freshen it all the time. To get around this problem, try building a pig waterer. This is a lot easier than you might think. As you'll see in this video by Lumnah … [Read more...]
5 Reasons to Consider Sheep for Your Homestead
If you have a small homestead or are fairly new to homesteading, sheep are an excellent livestock option. They don't require a lot of space and are fairly easy to handle. That's just a couple reasons why you should consider getting them for your homestead. In this video, The Grass-Fed Homestead lists his top five reasons to get sheep. (Also be … [Read more...]
12 Best Rabbit Breeds for Raising Meat
It's been said many times that meat rabbits and goats are a poor prepper’s cows, but I don’t think that mantra is quite right. Don’t get me wrong, cows are great — although they intimidate me a bit, which is insane because I love horses — but not everyone has the space, equipment, or skills to raise and butcher cattle. Meat rabbits (as well as … [Read more...]
10 Best Goat Breeds for Off Grid Living
The best goats for off-grid living are not only great weed eaters, but also hardy enough to survive on low-quality brush and rugged terrain while still producing quality meat and ample milk. Before you whip out your wallet and start buying goats to cultivate a herd, you must decide which of the benefits of goat ownership are the most important … [Read more...]
The Best Livestock Fencing For Your Little Farm
If you can't afford to build a perimeter fence around your property, start with your animal pen. There are many types of animal pens, but what's really important is that it's easy to build and sturdy enough to last a long time. So what does Becky from Becky's Homestead suggest? Hog panels and horse panels! These panels are made of wire railing … [Read more...]
Protect Your Livestock from Deadly Diseases – Part 2: Mammals
This week we continue our two-part series on protecting livestock from deadly diseases. (Click here to read part one.) Keeping livestock healthy in order to provide meat and dairy for the family table is a top priority for all homesteaders. There won't always be time to wait for a veterinarian to arrive and treat an injury or deadly illness. … [Read more...]
5 Myths About Goats
There are many, many benefits of raising goats. The most obvious benefits are that they produce milk and meat, which is delicious. But you can also use the milk to make soap, you can use their dung as fuel, they'll eat all your food scraps, they'll eat all your weeds, they produce manure for your garden, they're fairly easy to train and deal with, … [Read more...]
6 Things You Need to Get Started with Sheep
There are many great reasons to raise sheep on your homestead. For starters, sheep wool is wonderful. It's nice and warm and very valuable. Sheep milk is super nutritious with far more calcium and vitamins than cow milk. And if you decide to breed your sheep, you can make a lot of money from the offspring. The downside of sheep is that they … [Read more...]
10 Common Livestock Mistakes to Avoid
On a homestead, there is no time more exciting than when livestock first arrives. When animals begin to fill the barn, pens, and hutches, it makes newbie homesteaders feel like they have finally arrived. Unfortunately, a well-crafted plan to grow and raise your own groceries can rapidly turn into an epic failure if you make one of many common … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Protect Your Livestock from Predators
Whether you keep poultry, cows, sheep, goats or other types of livestock, there are predators that will try to make a meal out of your animals, and there are common principles and methods you can use to protect your livestock from said predators. Here are a few of the most effective ones. The first three items on our list are types of fences. … [Read more...]
Train Your Milk Cow to Love You
Having a milk cow is a wonderful thing. You can get fresh delicious milk and use it to make butter, cheese, yogurt, and other delicious foods. The problem is, getting milk from your cow won't be easy if she doesn't like you. When my father bought himself an old Holstein cow (back when I was in college), he had a heck of a time milking her. She … [Read more...]
7 Practical Reasons Your Homestead Needs Goats
With the abundance of cute goat videos and photos on the internet, it is no wonder that more and more people are getting into goat keeping. Aside from the undeniable cuteness and the fact that your family is pleading for some kids of their own, here are seven practical reasons your homestead needs goats. 1. Weed Control Many people first … [Read more...]
7 Reasons You Should Start Raising Rabbits
Rabbits are quickly becoming one of the most popular animals to raise on the homestead. They are low maintenance, provide a healthy source of meat, can thrive on a small amount of space, have a short turnaround time from birth to butcher, and are very feed-efficient. Not to mention, they’re just fun to have around! Although it may be hard to … [Read more...]
