Why We Raise Farm Animals
Excerpted from Barnyard In Your Backyard edited by Gail Damerow:
“Taking time to observe the sight and sounds of the animals in your barnyard offers a refreshing change from the hurry and scurry of modern life. Provided you leave the cell phone behind, doing barnyard chores offers time out for relaxation and quiet enjoyment. Since livestock must be cared for daily, they pull you away from your indoor activities and force you to get out for a little exercise and fresh air. I often spend long days in the office and look forward to doing the evening chores that not only let me stretch my muscles but also help clear my head after a busy day.
As well as being pleasurable, barnyard animals are also purposeful. In exchange for your care, they give you unadulterated food products, such as eggs, meat, or milk, for your table; wonderful fiber products, such as wool, feathers, or hides, for use in a variety of crafts; and environmental benefits, such as manure to fertilize the land, automatic lawn mowing, and the joy of seeing active, healthy animals in your backyard. What a treat to pause and gaze out your window and see your animals peacefully going about their daily activities.”
Our farm animals are often our outdoor pets. Chickens and goats may follow you around and come when called, especially for feed. They each have their own personalities. You may enjoy a local club that shares your interest in goats, or llamas or miniature donkeys or show them at the local or county fair.
Children enjoy learning about different animals and benefit from assuming some responsibility for their care. Even caring for the family dog fosters patience, commitment and compassion. It does the young soul good to know another creature depends on them. The raising of farm animals also provides a natural education in the cycles of mating, birth and death.
Animals are the heart of any homestead or small farm. Learn the basics of caring for chickens, goats, the family dog and more. Pull on your boots and let's get on out to the barn.
I’ve read that the majority of cattle caretakers (herdspeople we might say) are—get this - WOMEN. It’s not just the men out there getting pushed and smashed and stepped on by the 1,200 pound beasts. So let’s cowgirl up and learn something about these marvelous manageable minis.
If you’ve always wanted to get into cattle but, you only have a few acres, you might be interested in the new miniature cattle . New breeds of pint-sized heifers and bulls are making it easier for small farmers and ranchers to raise cattle for milk, meat or just fun. Where full-sized breeds require about five acres for two cattle, the mini’s need only an acre for a pair.
Full miniature cattle are defined as those below 42 inches at the hip when fully grown, while mid-size miniatures are up to 48 inches according to Professor Emeritus Richard Gradwohl. Professor Gadwohl has developed 18 breeds of mini cattle at Happy Mountain Miniature Cattle Farm and International Breeding Research Facility.
Some are saying you can raise twice the beef for the cost with some of the smaller breeds of cattle because they are much more efficient feed converters. More beef per acre is the bottom line. Miniature cattle mature and reproduce earlier, which grows your herd faster.
But economics are not the only advantage with miniature cattle. Their smaller size give them all around greater manageability. The bigger breeds take more land, stronger fences and holding pens, and they’re more destructive to pasture land and fencing. And 1200 pounds on the hoof can require a lot of persuasion sometimes.
Right now, most miniature cattle are being sold as pets, but I think a wise homesteader who is looking to fill freezers with beef might consider this new manageable option.
