Making choices...desire versus practicality

[Meg Z]

Okay...it's long. I always talk too much, but hey...that's what I do.

If I went with my desires only, I'd have a couple milk cows, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quail, rabbits, bees, and maybe a camel, just for fun. :baby04:

In an attempt to be practical, we have chickens, turkeys, geese, rabbits and sheep.

I had dairy goats. I love them. They have great personalities, gave good milk, and are easy to keep. The practical aspects? Well, we couldn't use all the milk, no matter how much soap I made. I found that I really did prefer cow's milk, being raised on raw cow milk. And I couldn't keep the sheep and goat minerals separated easily on our small property. So when we had to choose, the sheep won. I can store wool much easier than milk!

I can't have a milk cow, though I'd love one, because I just couldn't use the milk. I don't want pigs, so that's not an option for using the milk. I've looked into getting a nurse cow, but getting calves for her each year would be a problem. So, no cow.

As far as poultry goes, we've had guineas, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. The guineas went quickly. The muscovies went too, but not so quickly. They have great personalities, but they took over all water containers and showed why they're called 'water foul'.

I've opted not to do quail, simply because I don't want anything else in cages.

We have chickens...Buff Orpingtons. Turkeys...a trio of Bourbon Reds. And geese...a couple pairs of Pilgrims.

And then I have a small herd of French Angora rabbits. And a small flock of sheep for handspinning. We had originally wanted to breed registered sheep, but we had to get practical there, too. We don't have enough land to develop our own bloodlines. It's not practical for us to pay the good prices for breeding stock, if we can't command those prices on what we sell.

We'll get the bees in the next year or so, I think.

So, what would you like to have...and what have you limited yourself to out of practicality? That doesn't mean, of course, that what isn't practical now might not be practical tomorrow! If a dairy moves close enough to us that I can get calves...I'm getting my cow!

Meg

[Kmac15]

would love to have a milk cow and beef bull, hair sheep for meet (love lamb) and turkeys
but we do not have the fencing for the cow or bull, and althou we did try the lambs we found the area we have fenced was not enough so they are out and do not want to have to pluck the turkeys LOL
we do have laying hens and meat birds, and dh raises a couple of pigs a year for freezer a good size garden and bees for honey, if money and time were no object we would do more

[CJ]

Like you, I'd kill for a milk cow. I'm fine with goat's milk, but how I adore pure cream and butter from a cow! But it's just overkill for 2 people.

I'm with you on the ducks and the quail. I'll take all the rest of the poultry though, including the guineas.

I really want both sheep and goats again. I love sheep meat the best, but for us in the future, it's probably going to be more practical to raise a few goats and skip the sheep. I can see using the milk more than the meat (and we like goat meat too), but we've mostly woods, so goats are better suited.

Rabbits to me are purely for garden manure, anything else is just a bonus, but we will keep them again as well.

The Wandering Quilter's Life in a Box!

[Tater'sPa]

Desire....almost everything but the camel ....but being practical we have goats and chickens. I was given several guineas a few months back and I loved having them around but neighbors didn't and those birds do like to make there rounds.
I would also loved to have a cow for milk and meat but lack of room and time sorta puts a damper on that idea for now.
Quail and bunnies, I've been that route before but had to cut back again due to lack of time and space....would love to start back with quail when I can spend more time at home.
Waterfowl....not really into that, never acquired a taste for them....and can't think of a worse thing to step in than goose dookie right up there with a 90# German Shepherd...lol but at least you can see that pile :1pig:

[lgslgs]

I'd really love to have a camel.

A big load of camel spit (as well as the surprise of seeing a camel) would discourage trespassing!

I'd also like a guard goose.

Lynda

[Freeholder]

What I would *like* to have!

A team of Haflingers, trained to do farm work and logging, and to pull a buggy.

A Jersey cross cow (maybe Jersey/Angus), for the cream and butter, and to raise beef calves.

A flock of sheep, probably Shetlands, or one of the similar breeds.

Dairy goats for milk to drink, and for cheese (and goat meat).

Chickens, ducks, geese -- eggs, meat, feathers.

Rabbits for meat, manure, and pelts.

Bees for honey and wax.

I have the goats, though not enough land to keep as many as I'd like to; I have the chickens; and will hopefully soon be getting some rabbits and a couple of beehives. The horses, the cow, the sheep, and the waterfowl, will all have to wait until I have more land to put them on.

Kathleen

[Liese]

Hmmm, practical vs desire; well I'd like a haflinger or Welsh pony for working timber out of the woods & up the hill but will have to make do with the el cheapo 1950 Farmall Cub we have, which means we cut and drag the stuff to the farm road then haul it up by tractor. Would love to have a full representation of all fiber sheep but at best I might add a Coloured Corriedale ram for the blue/grey. At least the Jacobs are easy to care for and the Dorsets are big teddy bears. I love our Nigerian Dwarf goats whether they give millk or not at least they eat lots of the Poison Ivy and are so personable but would love to cross with a couple of Alpines for more milk. At first I had great trepidation about the llamas, especially the gelding who had not much socialization early on. But they have proved themselves to be wonderful guardians of the ND, fascinating to work and watch. To see them kushed down side by side as eveing falls with the fireflys rising is magical. The intelligence and understanding I see in their eyes is humbling. As for the chickens, the Buffs have proven to be less flight prone and easier to keep put but the "talking" & friendliness of the Americaunas is nice too, even if they won't stay behind a fence. Would love a couple of Maran or Welsummers for their dark brown eggs to mix in. But you know what I would really love? Others like myself, I think it would be so much easier to work at this with other people close by who are invovled in similar ventures. The internet is a wonderful thing, it brings all of us from far & wide together but a few friends who are nearby...what a joy that would be.

[Spinner]

I was not very good at limiting myself to only the things I need. I had a milk cow. I enjoyed her for a couple of years, but I couldn't possibly use 6 gallons of milk a day after the hog went to freezer camp. I got a nice bull calf out of her one year and a nice heifer calf the other year. I also had a couple of steers. I got tired of them all so one day I hauled a steer to the butcher and the others went to the sale barn. Sometimes I wish I had cattle again. I don't really miss them, I miss the money I got from selling them

I've also had a donkey, and horses. I don't miss the donkey, but I wish I still had horses.

I had angora bunz, and I really miss them. I want to get a few to keep for spinning fiber. I had one that was a special house pet that used to set on my lap while I plucked the fiber to spin. I really loved having them and miss the time I used to spend combing them to keep the fiber from matting. They were so sweet, it's almost like they would set and say I love you too. They never got upset and scratched like the meat rabbits do.

I currently have goats, meat rabbits, lots of poultry, including guineas, chickens, muscovies, and peacocks. I can't say I love them all, but they all have a purpose and I don't mind taking care of them. I will soon have quail, peasants, and turkeys. A friend has promised me eggs to hatch so I'm hoping that works out well.

I learned the hard way to put practicality above desire, but I still have a strong desire to get some angora bunnies.

[Chuck]

A camel?

[cjb]

I started out with impractical and am becoming more practical as the HT bug is imbedding itself in my brain.

I have always wanted a horse and now have two of them. They are the epitomy of impractical - but I love them. Also started out with two goats as "pets". Both dairy breeds - 1 girl, 1 boy. However, initially, I didn't breed the female.

My son got ducks because they're cute and then - dang - they laid eggs! What do we do with them?

Sooo... I love my horses so I won't be getting rid of them but probably won't buy any more. I breed the goats and only have does now and we just starting milking. We sell the eggs from the ducks and just bought chickens. Getting more practical, as I said.

If money wasn't an issue at all - I would have many more horses and several more dogs.

I have no desire to have a camel, though, but I've always wanted a Koala bear. Don't think I can have that arranged.

[GrannyCarol]

Oh fun! We live in town, a very small rural town, so we are limited... but I do have a horse (not at all practical, but I love having her) and 15 ducks (for eggs and meat - way too cute!). I wanted a couple of dairy sheep, but practicality says I just don't have time to care for them too. My husband doesn't like sheep like he likes ducks and horses - oh well! My neighbor even said we could keep them on his land behind ours. :sighs:

BTW, for the OP, if a goat gives too much milk and you want sheep, what about a dairy breed? They give less milk than a goat, so you wouldn't be going nuts and their milk makes great cheese.

[Meg Z]

Originally Posted by Chuck

A camel?

Yep, yep, yep!

See, a camel is Practical! Guardian of all, camel hair to add to the spinning fibers, more poo for the garden...and smaller than the hippo that's next on the list!

Liese, you are sooo right about having neighbors to share it all with! It would be great if we all did! I know two others who do some homesteading stuff and. One who keeps bees, and another with some livestock. But we all work elsewhere, are on dreadfully different schedules, and don't see each other as often as we might.

Meg

[lgslgs]

Originally Posted by Chuck

A camel?

Yep!

They have a long history of domestication and use as a pack animal. They browse higher up in the trees than the goats do. They are fairly low impact, with soft feet that doesn't gouge the ground.

We figured that a camel or an emu would be one of the best anti-trespassing animals we could add to our current herd. Both are really scary if you aren't familiar with them. The camel's history as a domesticated working animal gives it a big edge over an Emu for us, and it should fit in better socially in a mixed herd with our other cud-chewers.

Camels will put out a very impressive alarm call when something odd is happening on the land. Our cow does a good bull-style bellow for us now and stands on the hill to overlook and glare at strangers as needed. Put a camel next to her and most folks won't hang around long enough to even notice the Rottweilers.

The local thieving and vandalizing youths have seen big dogs before, and usually don't mess with the places that have them. And we know the neighbor kids think our cow is a bull. (She's a freemartin so she's a bit tomboyish to begin with and you can't even spot her udders unless you go looking for them.) But nothing says "don't come on our land" like a big bellowing, spitting animal that looks like nothing they've ever been close to before.

Lynda

[Terri]

I am not allowed to have a cow where we live, but, if I COULD have a cow, I would buy a meat breed and milk her.

Since a cow can feed twins, I believe that she could spare us 2 gallons of milk a week.

If.

If I tried to have a cow, the neighbors WOULD have a cow, call zoning, and then it would get ugly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Meg Z]

Originally Posted by lgslgs

Yep!

They have a long history of domestication and use as a pack animal. They browse higher up in the trees than the goats do. They are fairly low impact, with soft feet that doesn't gouge the ground.

We figured that a camel or an emu would be one of the best anti-trespassing animals we could add to our current herd. Both are really scary if you aren't familiar with them. The camel's history as a domesticated working animal gives it a big edge over an Emu for us, and it should fit in better socially in a mixed herd with our other cud-chewers.

Camels will put out a very impressive alarm call when something odd is happening on the land. Our cow does a good bull-style bellow for us now and stands on the hill to overlook and glare at strangers as needed. Put a camel next to her and most folks won't hang around long enough to even notice the Rottweilers.

The local thieving and vandalizing youths have seen big dogs before, and usually don't mess with the places that have them. And we know the neighbor kids think our cow is a bull. (She's a freemartin so she's a bit tomboyish to begin with and you can't even spot her udders unless you go looking for them.) But nothing says "don't come on our land" like a big bellowing, spitting animal that looks like nothing they've ever been close to before.

Lynda

SEE!!! Practical!!!

If the fence were higher already, anyway. Having to re-fence the entire property makes a camel or llama impractical for us. See...those dang choices we have to make! Spend the money to re-fence, so I can spend the money to buy a camel...or just let it go...

Meg

[Rockin'B]

We currently have 3 10 mo. old beef calves, 21 chickens, 4 Nigie goats, 2 Grt. Pyr dogs, 1 Pug house dog, 1 barn cat, 1 rabbit, and 1 parrot.

Our long range plans are to have Highland cattle, Large Black pigs, turkeys, guineas, and assorted other fowl in addition to what we have now. The three beef calves will be slaughtered this fall and hopefully we'll be able to find some Highlands.

I guess the desire vs practicality part here is that we want these critters but we have so much work to do before we can have them. Practically speaking, it take a lot of time to fence, build sheds, break ground for gardens, remodel the complete inside of the house, etc. etc. Working full time doesn't leave much time for the improvements we need to do. It gets a little frustrating but we have come a long way in a pretty short time.
One big giant wish I have is for much fewer walnut trees. The juglone has killed all my tomato plants again. I just don't have the time to build all the fully self contained raised beds I need.....Oh well.

Great topic! Meg, I love your sense of humor!

[Chuck]

That's it. I'm getting a camel.

[Meg Z]

Originally Posted by Chuck

That's it. I'm getting a camel.

[willow_girl]

What do I want? Twice as much land! And flat land, at that. Do they make flat land in Pennsylvania? Ummm, I don't think so!

[minnikin1]

My desire would be to have horned animals because I would just love looking up to watch them graze - they are so beautiful -

Highland cattle - maybe soay sheep- and reindeer!

But I'm not sure I want to deal with the horns! They need extra space in the barn - wider doors and gates - braver caretakers...


Still, I am hoping to someday get those highlands, since they don't need to come inside. I would like to put a team of highland oxen to work on the farm. I would cross them with the jerseys I want for our milkers.

Meg, maybe if you had an LGD, you could use more milk.
Let it curdle and serve it to chickens and the dogs.
OH, and as someone just suggested, share the milk with her calf and you'll halve the amount of milking.....

Fun thread - I love dreaming!