There are many compelling reasons why you should start homesteading, and one good reason is the need for self-sufficiency in food. The onslaught of the pandemic, beginning in 2019, had made it evident that a plague of such proportion can disrupt everything, even your freedom to move around and buy food. So, it becomes even more imperative to shield yourself from such a widespread affliction, and homesteading is one surefire way to hedge your household against such a worldwide conflagration.
An excellent way to kickstart homesteading is by engaging in hobby farming. A hobby farm, of course, can help you produce your food and make some extra cash. Besides, you get to spend more time working outdoors with some excellent animals. Furthermore, with a hobby farm, you can experiment with different types of animals to raise.
Best Animals to Raise in a Hobby Farm
Since a hobby farm is not huge, you don’t need to make this farm your sole income source. Yet if your hobby farm becomes very productive, it can be a source of extra income for you. When starting your hobby farm, it will be best to choose the animals to raise, and below is a rundown of the best animals you can keep on your hobby farm:
1) Chicken
Your primary option when raising farm animals is chicken. Chicken, of course, is a multipurpose animal because it can provide you with meat, eggs, and fertilizer. You don’t need a large area to run your chicken coop. A four-square-foot space would suffice for your chicken coop. You only need to ensure that your chickens got a covered area.
You don’t need to worry much about the feeds you provide your chickens, for you can feed them weeds, compost, garden leftovers, and store-bought feed.
Of course, there are many chicken breeds; you only need to choose the breed depending on whether you would raise your chickens for their meat or eggs.
You must also provide good fencing to your chicken farm and a rooster to protect the hen. Chickens are vulnerable to predators, so you must ensure they get protected against predators.
Chickens are also susceptible to sickness. If one chicken gets sick, others may get sick likewise. Thus, you need to maintain the cleanliness of your chicken coop to keep your chickens healthy. Besides, you should provide them with excellent bedding to prevent the intrusion of mites and lice.
2) Pekin Ducks
Another excellent animal to raise is the Pekin duck. Pekin ducks are multipurpose animals, providing you with eggs and meat. Besides, they are not difficult to handle and require not much space. They eat more heartily than chickens and are excellent foragers. Additionally, they love to have a small house and a small pool to swim.
Pekin ducks will not damage your garden, for they are not scratchers like the chickens. Hence, they are kinder to plants than chickens. They can likewise help rid the soil of bugs and other insects. Besides, they are sociable and friendly. However, they are larger and slower than chickens, and thus, they might be susceptible to predators.
3) Bourbon Red Turkey
Another excellent animal option for smaller livestock is the Bourbon Red turkey. You can fatten it for your annual Thanksgiving celebration. Moreover, the Bourbon Red turkey is a lovely heritage breed cross between Buff, Bronze, and White Holland. It got first developed in Bourbon County, Ky, from where it got its name.
The meat of the Bourbon Red is so delicious. Having this animal in your backyard is also a pleasure because of its docile temperament.
Bourbon Red turkeys are incredible mothers who ensure their kin’s survival. They can also provide you with excellent meat and eggs.
The bourbon red has gorgeous feathers and touting white and rusty red plumage. As such, it is a colorful addition to a small-scale farm.
4) Pigs
You might shy away from considering a small piggery because pigs carry a bad reputation of being messy and smelly. Yet, they are actually not messy and smelly as farm animals. If you got an area to allow your pigs to free range, you could lessen your feeding expense a bit. Besides, the foul stench and smell quickly disappear as you enable them to move around freely.
Pigs, of course, provide great meat; though, you will need to raise them for a year to ensure you got much meat from them.
Pigs are voracious feeders; they will eat corn, grains, compost, fodder, bread, and everything else you feed them. Thus, the cost of keeping them goes down if you don’t allow them to free range.
You need strong fencing if you want to hedge your pigs in because pigs are pretty strong, and they could easily escape.
5) Goats
Another excellent animal for homesteading is the goat. Goats are an excellent meat source. They can also help you clear the brush. Besides, they are ideal for dairy. So, if you want a source of dairy, goat is your best option.
Some goat types, like the Nigerian Dwarf goat, can provide up to a gallon of milk per day. Moreover, goat milk is easier than cow’s milk to digest.
Goats are easy to keep, for they could feed on shrubbery and grass. They also love vegetables and store-bought feed.
Goats, however, are susceptible to sicknesses. If it experiences a stomach problem, it could die within a few hours. Thus, it is essential to deworm them several times a year.
Once you’ve noticed a stomach issue, you should treat them promptly. Furthermore, you can opt for store-bought medication or feed your sick goats with pine trees or pumpkin.
6) Rabbits
Another excellent addition to your homestead is the rabbit. Rabbits are good sources of meat and can cost less to feed. Besides, rabbits can only take a small space. The gestation period of rabbits is around a month.
They usually have six babies, and you can cull their babies at eight weeks, giving you a ready meat supply.
Rabbits are not choosy with their food. You can feed them with feeds, store-bought feed, and extra veggies from your garden. You can also feed them grass clippings, weeds, and hay. Moreover, rabbits can produce good fertilizer for your garden.
You would need to provide your rabbits, however, with hutches. You can build hutches without spending much. You can also allow your rabbits to free range or raise them in a colony setup.
7) Honeybees
You may not entertain the idea of raising honeybees on your small farm because honeybees are stereotyped as ferocious. Yet, they are not. Honeybees also necessitate little maintenance. Besides, they are fantastic creatures.
If ever you decide to raise them, you can start with hive boxes where they could rest. Provide them also with a water source to let them drink. You can use a bird bath for this water source and spruce it with little rocks to prevent them from drowning.
You can acquire bees for free, which can even reduce the costs of raising these creatures.
You should carefully select a location for your honeybees, which should have ample sunlight and afternoon shade. The place should also allow for access to water. Plus, the site should have protection from strong winds. Lastly, it should provide them with enough privacy.
Honeybees are easy to feed. You can provide them with nectar, consisting of dissolved sugar and water.
Honeybees are not dangerous creatures to raise. As long as you place their hives off the path of people, you would barely feel that they are present. Yet, you will always have a continuous supply of honey when needed.
8) Herding Dogs
Another excellent animal to raise on your farm is the herding dog. Herding dogs play an essential role in small farms. Moreover, they got that herding instinct to keep your livestock in check and line.
One best herding dog breed is the Border Collies. These dogs can keep your flocks in line with their stalking movements as well as their intense gaze. Border Collies can work for long hours, and they are excellent companions.
Another herding dog breed is the Australia Cattle Dogs. These dogs are great for herding cattle in the Australian outback. Besides, this herding dog breed is a cross between Kelpie, dingo, Highland Collie, and Dalmatian. The resulting breed is a sturdy working dog capable of incredible stamina and strength.
An excellent work ethic also characterizes the Australian Cattle Dogs, who can help you run the farm. They are also wonderful companions and pets.
Conclusion
You can add various animals to your small farm to increase your level of self-reliance. Besides, if you keep various livestock on your homestead, farming becomes more exciting and fun, allowing you to get more valuable yields. Yet, selecting the animals to raise can be pretty confusing if you’re just kickstarting your small farm.
Of course, one essential consideration when choosing animals is whether they are easy to raise. Such a consideration is critical, especially if you’re a tyro on a hobby farm. However, well-selected animals will make your hobby farm easy to manage and run.
