e_kay_d asked:
My parents are retiring and moving onto a 20 acre piece of land where they are hoping to have a hobby farm. The problem is that they are very new to farming or ranching of any kind, except fot hte few animals I raised as a kid for FFA.
I just want to know what woould be easiest animal for the to care for?
My parents are retiring and moving onto a 20 acre piece of land where they are hoping to have a hobby farm. The problem is that they are very new to farming or ranching of any kind, except fot hte few animals I raised as a kid for FFA.
I just want to know what woould be easiest animal for the to care for?
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Sheep are relatively easy to have. You can get a type of sheep that does not have wool. Rather it has hair much like a dog. Llamas and alpacas are also easy to care for, but the initial investment can be a little pricey. Chickens are fun and they provide eggs as well. Remember that in winter all animals will need stored feed, hay, etc. since pasture will be nil. Then there’s the problem of freezing water unless you live in a more temperate climate.
I can tell you that goats are not a good idea unless you have a lot of Money to invest in fencing. A couple of years ago we had goats and they always got out even with four strands of electrical fencing and barb wire in between them. I suggest calves for beef and chickens they are docile animals that are easy to fence in. maybe even a couple of bee hives the satisfaction of having you own honey is very rewarding.
ducks, and geese….
pigs are a huge pain…but I love them
cattle are a huge pain…..much maintenance….we own 6,000 head right now….
goats will kill every piece of turf if not contained although they are easy enough….
I have no experience with sheep herds, there is not much wool farming around here, I would figure lambs would be similar, and there are ranches around here raising lambs for slaughter….
we have horses to work the cattle and they are very expensive to take care of…..
I am not sure what a hobby farm is, we are actual ranchers with over 5,000 acres….probably closer to 10,000 sum total. We farm for profit…..
The easiest animal to care for is the one you enjoy the most. I love my chickens. I think they’re easy but other’s may not.
Goats are the easiest for me and goat milk is so good for you it could almost be a medicine.
Sheep are probably the easiest of the larger animals.
Ducks and Geese can also be easy or hard.
Cattle have been much harder on our fences than goats ever have though goat fences need to be horse high, bull strong and water tight! lol
There are bad points and good points to all livestock.
If you really enjoy a particular species the bad points fade. If you’re not so fond of them the good points fade and all you see are the bad.
are there any animal rescue shelters in your area or other small farms that maybe your parents could visit and help out at for a while – this way they could get some hands on experience with different types of animals to see which they think would suit them best. also, if they do find a rescue centre with animals they like, once they get the land and set it up, they could adopt those particular animals maybe!
I have a few different animals and I find it is more
enjoyable to tend to each animal in a different way.
I have 4 guinea pigs,3 cats,1 dog,9 chooks,1 horse,4 sheep and 1 goat.
I have had birds but had no luck with them.
I dont know why.
Guinea pigs can be rather hard to keep clean. They are also not too hardy.You cant get too atached to them,as they can die suddenly.
The rest of my animals are very cute,funny and good to be around.It is constant work but rewarding if you love animals.
If your folks have absolutely zero experience caring for animals on anything like a production basis, I would seriously like to recommend rabbit keeping. They are probably the easiest animals in the world to keep, come in all sizes, are tasty and an excellent introduction to animal husbandry; i.e, record keeping, breeding schedules, feeding, butchering, etc. They require a minimal investment, thrive in minimal space and require minimal care compared to most other forms of livestock. After that I would think chickens or perhaps even quail [since they can be successfully raised in a small area, often in cages]. Just my 2 cents.