Raising Miniature Goats, Cows, Chickens and Sheep,How to Raise

Raising
Miniature
Goats,
Cows, Chickens and Sheep
Raising miniature goats, chickens and livestock is possible on
a small homestead. The more people who are moving towards a
simpler way of life, living more self sustainably, are still
interested in having a family milk provider. When you are
raising a smaller family on a smaller homestead, you don’t
need a full size milk producer.
What makes miniature livestock a good
choice?
Small breed livestock need less pastured, fenced land, less
grain. In addition, these miniature members of farm yards
produce less waste. In many cases, raising miniature goats and
other livestock of smaller stature makes a lot of sense for
the modern homesteader.Today, many families want to return to
the agrarian roots, but don’t have the money to buy a large
ranch and raise full size cattle, goats, pigs or other
livestock. A smaller homestead, of a few acres, allows these
families the room to grow vegetables, and also keep some
livestock for the family’s needs.
Are Nigerian Dwarf Goats the best choice?
Choosing to raise miniature goats or cows and other livestock
allows the family to fit more production into the family
homestead.
Lesa Wilke, author of Nigerian Goats 101:
Background & Basics (2015) and creator of the popular Better
Hens and Gardens blog (www.betterhensandgardens.com) states
“Nigerian Dwarf goats are becoming quite popular because
they’re small, cute, low maintenance, and very productive for
their size. They don’t require pastures, are easy to handle
and house, and can provide milk, meat, brush control, and
fertilizer. They are the size of a medium to large dog, so
they’re an easy homestead addition — regardless of whether the
homestead is large, small, rural, suburban, or urban. For us,
it was the small size, brush control, and incredible tasting
milk that caused us to choose them for our farm. ” – Lesa
Wilke
Points in favor of Miniature goats and
livestock
Most breeds of miniatures have decent dispositions,along with
the smaller size.
These qualities allow them almost pet
status in the family. Along with the smaller size comes less
feed intake and less manure waste. The feed conversion for
most miniature livestock is very good.
When making the decision about raising
miniature goats…
Miniature livestock are still larger than many family dogs.
If you don’t have the strength and fortitude to handle a
large dog, you may not be able to handle raising miniature
goats and other miniature livestock. Be realistic about your
personal strength and abilities before acquiring any size
livestock.
Because the miniature goats, cows and sheep
usually have sweet, docile dispositions they may not bite but
kicks can be dangerous!
What care is required?
The same items of care needs to be performed on miniature
livestock as it does on the full size versions.
Hoof
trimming, worming, milking, shearing, health checkups all need
to be done. Check to see if there is a livestock veterinarian
in your area. While some forms of care could be performed by
any licensed veterinarian, these animals are still livestock
with the specialized needs of livestock.
Finding an urban
veterinarian willing to come out to your farm and trod through
mud to help an ailing cow, miniature or not, is unlikely.
Fencing, Housing, Equipment
Unless you want to go collect your livestock from the
neighbor’s garden, make sure you have the correct fencing for
the animals you choose to raise on your farm. Even though the
animals are shorter, pygmy goats for example, are very good at
jumping over fences. Raising miniature goats, cows, or pigs
means you still must supply the animals with the correct
fencing, housing and equipment. A milk stand will forever
change your life and keep your back from hurting, too.
Consider placement of the run in shed or mini barn. The best
setting for the shed or barn is with the closed back side of
the shed facing the wind.
What are the benefits to raising
miniature
goats
and
other
livestock?
Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmy, and Dwarf Nubians goats are a few of
the breeds of miniature goats.
Lesa Wilke, in her book,
Nigerian Goats 101:Background and Basics, has a chart showing
the different breeds of goats and the milk yield.
Nubian
goats produce more than other commonly raised breeds but the
Nigerian Dwarf is a solid performer in milk production. At a
fraction of the size of a full grown Nubian doe, the feed
savings and space requirements are much less.
Which breeds have miniature counterparts?
There are miniature versions of the Nubian breed available,
too, although the Nigerian Dwarf breed is more easily found.
The Nigerian Dwarf is an actual breed,originating in Africa
for dairy needs. Crossing a Nigerian Dwarf with a full size
Nubian or other dairy breed of goat, leads to a smaller
version of the breed. They appear to be smaller Nubians. The
milk production of the miniaturized breeds is from 65 % to 75%
of the full size goat. Other smaller goat breeds include the
Pygmy, Kinders, and the Pygora. Pygora’s are a registered
cross between a pygmy and an angora. Pygoras are generally
raised for their soft fiber and sheared like sheep or alpacas.
When seeking a breed for raising miniature goats, checking
with your local breeders for their feedback is a good place to
start.
Miniature
Cattle,
Dexters and Lowlines
Highlands,
Raising miniature cattle for both meat and milk can be
accomplished on small homesteads. It is important to keep in
mind that the same challenges that pertain to full size cattle
will still be in play, but on a lessor scale. Cattle are
mostly grazing animals.
Your full size cattle will need
grazing area or to be fed good quality hay until market size
is reached. Miniature breeds of cattle are often browsers as
much as grazers. This means they will be happy to do some
land clearing for you, eating weeds, and brush as well as the
grass.
The amount of feed needed will be less with the
miniatures and the Highlands will thrive on low quality brush,
due to their heritage as mountain cattle.
Highland Cattle
The Highland breed is gaining in popularity. The breed is
versatile and hardy. The feed conversion is reportedly very
good. In addition, you can’t argue with the cute factor of
the miniature Highland breed!
Be prepared if you are
squeamish about raising your own meat source. These miniature
cows have a very high cuteness factor.
Dexter Breed
Dexter Cattle, Lowlines, miniature Jersey and Miniature Zebu
are other popular breeds of miniature cattle, recognized by
the International Miniature Cattle Breeder Society and
Registry.
The Dexter breed is an ancient breed from the
mountains in Ireland. Dexters were not developed from
miniaturizing a standard breed.
Lowlines
Lowlines are short, smaller versions of the standard Black
Angus. You will appreciate the characteristics of great meat
quality and yield is still available in the smaller, shorter
version of the Black Angus breed too.
Just as when raising miniature goats, raising a small herd of
miniature cattle can be a dual purpose venture in both food
production and land clearing. Also, keep in mind that goats,
sheep, and cattle are herd animals and will not do as well
when you only keep one. You will need to keep two or more of
the species you choose to raise.
Are there miniatures in pigs, sheep
and poultry?
Pigs, Sheep, Ducks and Chickens all have miniature versions of
breeds. Some breeds of pigs are smaller than the standard
market hogs we commonly see on farms.
KuneKune pigs are
becoming more popular. A note of caution is in order. All
pigs grow to be sizable animals. Even the smaller breeds will
grow rather large and you need to take this into consideration
before attempting to raise “smaller” breeds of pigs. Miniature
pigs also include the small pot belly breeds, although those
are not commonly raised for meat but are kept as pets.
What are Babydoll Sheep
Babydolls sheep are actually a small Southdown sheep. These
minis are much smaller than the full sized sheep breeds. They
are good foragers and grazers and not very needy in terms of
extra care. The standard run in shed and a good low fence,
plenty of available water and a vet familiar with sheep,
should get you off to a good start with this smaller breed of
sheep.
Ike, our mini southdown, chats with the piglets
about the rules of the grassy field.
Call Ducks and Bantam Chickens
When you see the Call Ducks, a breed of miniature duck, you
might want a whole flock. While they can be rather pricey to
get started with, Bantam chickens are usually more of a
bargain. Bantam chickens are much smaller than a standard
size chicken. Coop space, and feed and water consumption is
less than the standard chickens also. As with other minis,
production is somewhat based on size.
Three Bantam eggs
equals one large egg from a standard breed of chicken. The
bantams are prone to broodiness, and make very good Mother
Hens. Bantam chickens are a good choice for children starting
to raise chickens on the homestead. When you choose bantam
chickens you often get very docile chickens, although the
roosters can get a little feisty.
Give Raising Miniature Goats, Sheep, Pigs
and Chickens a try.
If you are planning on raising miniature goats, or any other
miniature breed of livestock, prepare your land as you would
for any livestock. You can get by with less land and less
costs associated with feed. The end result will be a more
self-sufficient homestead for your family. Have you considered
raising miniature farm animals?
How to Raise Pigs Naturally
Raise Pigs Naturally
The latest project here on our farm is raising pigs. In the
last year and a half, 7 litters of piglets have arrived,
showed off how cute they can be, were weaned, fed for a few
weeks, or even months in some cases.
All were sold and the
waiting time would begin again.
The sows had some time off after each litter, to gain some
weight, rest and completely dry off.
Then, Charlie would
welcome them back into his pasture area and the breeding cycle
would begin again. We started raising pigs with two sows and
Charlie, the boar.
Soon after another sow was added.
Wet, early spring weather leads to mud, no
matter what you do.
Where it Began
During this last year and a half, we have learned a lot about
how raising pigs would work on our farm. It’s been a bit of
trial and error on some issues as we tried some conventional
ideas, and some of our own. One thing we knew from the start,
we wanted the pigs to have as close to a natural existence as
we could provide for them in captivity.
The project was
started by one of our adult children and he has been
successful with the whole thing. Inspired by books on pasture
rotation, and sustainable agriculture by Joel Salatin and
Gaining Ground by Forest Pritchard, we learned about how to
raise pigs naturally in a pasture setting.
We agreed from
the start that a certain level of cleanliness would be
necessary. There were large fenced pastures available but it
was a limited space. Fencing in more pasture ground might be
possible in the future but it would have to wait. And we have
neighborhoods and a road near the farm so security and safety
were of high importance. The other thing we agreed on was
that we absolutely did not want pigs living in close, crowded
conditions of filth and manure. Raising pigs naturally has
added a new dimension to our small farm.
Instead of using cement slabs and metal fencing, we used run
in stalls open on one side, soft straw and sawdust bedding,
along with pallet barriers with wood fencing. The entire area
is wired with electric fencing and the interior of the pig
acreage is broken into different parcels, fenced and wired.
This allowed us to separate pigs as necessary, give the sows
some space to raise the piglets and the piglets to be weaned.
Raising Pigs
Preparation
Takes
a
Lot
of
Make no mistake, it was a lot of work to get this set up to
raise pigs naturally. The buildings were already in place as
the area had previously been used as horse paddocks. But they
needed repair and needed to be pig proof.
Pigs love to
escape.
And, when separated, they like to try to get back together.
Charlie and Mariah and Layla were quite the bonded family.
When each sow would deliver, or right before if we were on
our game, she would be escorted to a birthing room with a
fenced in area surrounding some lush green grass and weeds.
She would be pampered with lots of table scraps, fresh
composting veggies and extra hay and feed. The babies would
thrive and follow Momma around. All well and good, but while
the sow was being treated as queen of her pasture, poor
Charlie was looking on from the other side of the fence,
forlornly.
What Really Happens in the Pig Pen
I think this is a good time to back up and explain some pig
behavior. Telling you how good the sows are and how Charlie
hates to be alone, might lead you to think we treat the pigs
as pets. This would be far from the truth. We respect the
possibility that the pigs volatile nature means they can turn
on us at any minute. A sow protecting her piglets is a force
that you do not want to cross.
We respect that and take
precautions A pig board is a must between you and the pig at
all times. If the piglets need to be handled, at least two
people should be on hand, so one can keep an eye on momma.
Pigs might be cute and they sure are smart but they are still
livestock and have a volatile nature.
Ok back to the story.
start to miss him too.
Charlie is missing his sows and they
They all pace the fence line trying to
spend quality time together.
With the current litters of
different. Layla delivered
suite.
Three weeks later
instead of moving her to a
left her with Charlie.
pigs we are trying something a bit
first and was moved to a maternity
Mariah delivered her litter but
separate area and run in shed, we
A lot of references will tell you that this can end badly
with the boar killing and or eating the piglets but if you
observe pigs in the wild, that does not happen. While Charlie
may not take an active role in raising the piglets, he isn’t
bothering them either. He is behaving the same as he always
does towards Mariah and is tolerant of the babies, five weeks
later.
Hopefully this won’t change and of course we are
keeping a close eye on the whole situation. The piglets don’t
stay long on our farm before moving on to who ever buys them.
Everyone seems so calm this time, with the situation. And if
we need to switch things up, Layla is almost done with her
litter so she and Mariah could switch places.
Rotating Pastures
Rotation is the key to our pig operation. This allows the
vegetation to regrow and the fields from being over filled
with pig manure and mud. Since this system works with nature
instead of against it, the vegetation regrows quickly and a
lush green area is ready for use every three months or so. Of
course, if we have a rainy season like we did this spring and
early summer, its hard to keep anywhere from becoming muddy.
I enjoy having the pigs on the farm.
Keeping them from
escaping takes some vigilance and they do eat a good bit of
food, vegetation and grain. We try to feed them as naturally
as possible but we do have to supplement with some grain.
More woodland will be fenced in eventually, and we will see
how they do with a more wooded environment, too. No matter
how long you farm or homestead, there is always something new
to learn. That is my idea of a life well lived.
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May Review from Timber Creek
Farm
May Review of What’s Happening on
Timber Creek Farm
May went by in a flash for us here at Timber Creek Farm.
The
month was incredibly busy with garden planting, new farm
animals to care for and new pens to build. One of my favorite
things about spring is fresh Strawberries! The plant I started
two years ago is producing nicely and I can often get a dish
of berries from it. Not enough to be making pies or canning
jam yet but the plant is thriving and spreading out runners.
At the beginning of May I found a really nice pen that was
expandable and sturdy for the pullets to be in outside the
coop. This worked well, for a few weeks but by the end of May
the pullets had again outgrown the pen and needed to move
again.
The babies had just learned that I wanted them to
return to the coop at bedtime and would fly back into the
coop. Now they are in a different area and again, I need to
train them where to go at night.
They will learn quickly
though. A treat of mealworms or a little bit of scratch helps
with the training.
Just because they are cute as they can be, here’s a photo of
Sable Margaret and her momma, Raven.
Sweet little girls.
Jack and Josie, Sable’s brothers, have a new house and pen
right next door. So now every bunny has lots of space and a
nice airy house to sleep in during the hot weather. Bonus, we
were able to build the new pen using materials we already had
on the farm! So except for my husbands “sweat equity” the
cost was $0!
The pigs loved the green growth in the fields.
It doesn’t
take long for them to clear a field! But since it is the
growing season and the weeds love to grow quickly, the fields
regrow quickly.
Sometimes I just like to walk around the farm and take photos
of whatever strikes me.
This bell is one of my favorite
scenes to photograph. Which way do you prefer? The one with
the trees or the close up of just the bell?
Watermelon is a great treat for the birds when the heat
climbs. It is full of vitamins and minerals in addition to
adding fluids on a hot day. The chicks weren’t sure at first
what to do with it, eat it or stand on it.
learned that it is sweet and delicious.
The bees are hard at work and doing well.
But they quickly
They have a lovely
new sign set up thanks to the talent of my neighbor and fellow
beekeeper.
Caught a few pictures of some funny goat faces!
expressions!
Look at these
I hope you and your household had a good month of May.
to head into June and the beginning of summer?
Ready