Homesteaders everywhere choose to add animals to their property. Animals make excellent pets, companions, workers and even food sources. Sometime along your own homesteading journey, you may think about adding your own animals to your homestead.
There’s a lot to know before adding animals to your homestead, though. Multiple animals mean that you have numerous more mouths to feed and water. Plus, they need proper attention and care, especially if you’re using them for sustenance.
An important factor in homesteading is the ability to sustain yourself. You learn to provide for yourself while limiting your carbon footprint on the environment. However, suppose you don’t consider everything there is to know about adding animals to your homestead. In that case, you may end up back at the grocery store purchasing animal products, selling your animals or making a larger carbon footprint than you intended.
Animals deserve to have healthy homes with reliable owners, whether they’re on a homestead or not. If you’ve been considering adding animals to your homestead, then you have probably thought about the various questions that come with it. Whether you’re a beginner homesteader or are a professional homesteader looking to add cattle or chickens, this guide will help you understand what to know about adding animals to your homestead.
Know Your ‘Why’ for Wanting Animals
First, you need to know your ‘why’ for wanting animals. Farm animals are undoubtedly cute, but you don’t want to purchase farm animals for their cuteness. Eventually, they get bigger and grow older, and they’re no longer the baby animals they once were. That’s what happens with pets, too, when families purchase a puppy or kitten as a pet, but then no one wants it because of the responsibility and care that goes into it.
Why do you want animals? Is it for food purposes? Do you want them to be productive, or are they for show? Do you plan on keeping any as a pet? Will you sell any of the animal products to other people? Consider these questions before purchasing animals for your homestead.
Ensure You’re Allowed to Have Animals Where You Live
Some places may have restrictions as to what animals you can keep on your property. If you live in a more urban area, like a town or a city, there are likely rules on which kinds of animals you can own and keep on your property. Check with your local homeowner’s association (HOA). You should be able to call, email or read up on animal regulations.
If you’re not allowed to have large farm animals, there are still plenty of options! Most urban areas are loosening their restrictions on having backyard chickens. Plus, you could have rabbits or even a beehive to get your animal farm started.
Consider Your Space
Next, consider your space. Homesteaders fortunate enough to have multiple acres of land should have little to no problem sheltering a herd of cattle or flock of chickens. They still need to ensure the land is suitable for animals and adequately accommodate an animal’s needs, like grazing land and water sources.
Having less than an acre of land doesn’t mean you can’t have animals, though. An acre of land can hold chickens, rabbits, bees and possibly even one milking cow or a few goats. If you live in a homesteading community, neighbors may be willing to lend a bit of pasture land so you can get more animals.
Research Care for Animals and Ensure You Have Time for Them
Animals, no matter how big or small, require care and attention. They need to be fed, watered and protected from potential predators. They also need to be put on a routine of sorts to expect that they will be fed and cared for by you. Some animals are relatively self-sufficient, but you need to put time into them if you’re going to own animals.
Research the proper care for animals that you would like to add to your homestead. Dairy cows require some of the most care since they have to be milked typically twice every day. You can set up automatic feeders for other animals like chickens, and cows or goats will graze during the day in the summer.
Know the Right Time to Add Animals
As a homesteader, you need to know the right time to add animals to your homestead. Usually, you’ll want to raise animals from when they are young. Most animals will give birth or hatch eggs in the springtime when the weather is warmer, and there is plenty of fresh food for them to eat.
Spring is a great time to add animals to your homestead, but it doesn’t have to be the only time. After you’ve done your research and prepared everything for the animals on your homestead, you can bring them to your property. You should set aside extra time to get them acclimated to your property as well, so if there’s a period throughout the year where you have spare time, getting animals then would be an excellent choice.
Build Fencing and Shelters
All animals should have fencing and a shelter unless you have enough property to have free-range animals like chickens or ducks. Otherwise, you’ll want to keep larger animals in a fenced-in area to ensure they stay on your property and don’t accidentally wander to the neighbor’s yard.
Different animals require different housing and fencing. Chickens need a small coop with nest boxes and roosts. Pigs would be happy with an open shed. Cows or horses need a larger barn with stalls included. Rabbits often live in small hutches. Sometimes, you may need to add an electrically charged fence to keep your animals in as well. Plus, with grazing animals, you’ll want to create various grazing areas to keep the soil fertile and structured and allow the land to regenerate.
Be Aware of Potential Predators
Putting time, effort and money into animals means you want to protect them at all costs. Living as a homesteader in a rural area puts you at risk for potential predators like bears, coyotes, taloned birds and foxes. These wild animals can easily break into a fence or shelter if you’re not cautious.
Ask neighbors or do your research about predators in your area. Use appropriate fencing and shelters to keep wild animals out of your property and away from your livestock. This will also mitigate harmless animals from sneaking your livestock’s food.
Have an Accessible Water Source
At all times of the year, the animals on your homestead need to have access to fresh water to prevent overheating and dehydration. Animals stay outside all day, so in the summertime especially, they need water more often to survive and remain comfortable. Make sure there is an easy way for you to get water for your animals.
Although water is essential on hot summer days, it’s also crucial in subfreezing temperatures. Animals cannot access their water if it’s frozen. Implement a system to either keep your water supply from freezing or create a routine to ensure the water doesn’t freeze.
Prepare Everything Before the Animals’ Arrival
Having your homestead prepared before animals enter your property makes the transition much easier and more comfortable for both you and your animals. If you get a flock of chickens or a herd of cows and don’t have a shelter or fencing installed yet, it will be more challenging to navigate, and you won’t have to rush to put everything together.
Prepare a path for water access, gather feed storage containers, ensure you have ample hay for the entire year and do your research before bringing any animals home. Find guidance from other homesteaders online or ask a trusted local farmer about best practices for caring for the animals you plan on bringing to your property. Additionally, set up a place to properly wash your hands after handling any poultry or livestock to prevent disease.
Get Your Finances in Check
Animals on a homestead are an investment. Depending on the animals you want, you can end up paying thousands of dollars every year to keep them fed, watered and cared for by a veterinarian. The investment is worth it, though, if you can make a profit or spend less than you would if you bought animal products from a store.
You need to determine feeding costs, preventative healthcare costs and how much money you’ll save by producing your own food. Livestock like cows and sheep might require vaccinations as well as supplements to keep them healthy. Calculate the cost to raise versus the money you can save when you produce your own food.
Source a Reliable Veterinarian
Is there a reliable veterinarian who specializes in farm animals near your homestead? Search for someone you can trust to care for your animals if they experience an illness or get a severe injury. Here are some considerations for a veterinarian:
- What animals do they specialize in? Most large animal vets have a specialty, like cattle, equine or other ruminants.
- Do you have to travel to them or will they come to you? It’s best if a vet can come to you in an emergency situation.
- Can they perform surgery? An injury or illness may require a procedure, so ask potential vets if they perform regular surgeries.
- Can they help with reproductive help? If you plan to breed your animals, find a vet who can help with the process.
- Are they licensed to administer medications? Make sure your vet aligns with your medicinal approaches and that they can administer medications if needed.
Reviewing these basic questions with potential veterinarians will help you narrow down someone reliable and someone that can help your specific homestead animals.
Choose the Right Animals
Another vital factor to consider when getting animals for your homestead is which animals to choose. Below are some of the best animals for new homesteaders:
- Rabbits
- Chickens
- Cows
- Pigs
- Honey Bees
- Goats
These animals are relatively easy to care for as long as you start out with a few at a time. They’re some of the most basic homestead animals, but once you get used to having animals and caring for them, you can get more exotic with animals like llamas or alpacas.
Choosing the right breed is also important. Ask local farmers or other homesteaders which breeds do best in your climate or environment.
Consider How You’ll Use the Animals
Homestead animals can be used for a variety of reasons. This hearkens back to your ‘why’ for wanting animals. Here are some of the primary reasons why homesteaders choose to use the animals they purchase for their homestead:
- Breeding: Using animals for breeding purposes can make you a great profit if you plan to sell the offspring to other farmers or homesteaders.
- Milk or eggs: As a beginner homesteader, using animals for milk and eggs might be your best choice. It’s an easy way to get fresh dairy and protein.
- Meat: Not everyone wants to butcher their animals, but if you plan to do so on a functioning homestead, you’ll need an area set aside for that and learn the skills.
- Show: Some animals are simply for show or companionship, like dogs, horses and cats.
- Pest control: Chickens do a great job pecking at the ground for pest control, and if you let them run free-range throughout the day, you’ll notice a decrease in pests.
- Work: Although new machinery has taken over in farming and gardening, it can be a great skill to train horses or oxen to work a plow or herd sheep.
Knowing how you plan to use your animals can better prepare you to have them on your homestead. Ensure you learn the necessary skills to gather animal products, drive a team of horses, butcher or breed.
Enjoy Your Homestead with Your New Furry and Feathery Friends
Adding animals to your homestead is an exciting time. You get to live even more off-grid and rely on your animals for daily needs, like food or income. Start small with animals like chickens or rabbits. As you grow in your knowledge of caring for animals and get into a feeding and watering routine, you can add more.
Always consider the time and cost that goes into caring for your animals before adding any more. These animals need to be productive, and you need to have enough time and resources to care for them properly. The more thought and preparation you put into choosing animals to add to your homestead, the better off you will be when it’s time to be responsible for their well-being.
Author Bio:
Jane is the editor-in-chief of Environment.co. She is passionate about sustainability, gardening and homesteading.
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