What livestock do you love and wish you had found earlier

[FarmboyBill]

And why do u recommend them to others, especially those just starting up a farm or homestead????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????

[uncle Will in In.]

A hand raised, hand milked jersey with big brown eyes, and long dark lashes. One with long easy squeezing teats. One that will be happy to have your wife and her angus calf milking at the same time, while she stands under the shade tree up by the house and chews her cud. You have my permision to call her Aunt Will. (The cow, not your wife) <>UNK

[copperpennykids]

Guineas! They are so funny! Not to mention the incredible inroads they are already making on the bug population. Mosquitos, gnats and grasshoppers - be gone!

(We still greatly enjoy our Saanen dairy goats and the pigs, horses and Great Pyrenees - the guineas are our new addition and we are enjoying them very much. )

[Macybaby]

Rabbits - so far I think I like them better than the chickens. I get to enjoy having lots of babies around, and about the time they are getting old enough to start being a pain, you can eat them!

I have mine in a modified colony setup, so it does not take that much labor to deal with them.

Cathy

[Ravenlost]

Pekin Ducks - they have so much more personality than chickens and they lay bigger eggs!

[nehimama]

Dairy goats, without a doubt!

NeHi

[chickenista]

Sheep. Quiet, pretty and eat grass and taste good. They are easy and don't want anything from me except a kind word and fresh water and a handful of grain.

Rabbits. Quiet, pretty, they eat weeds and sticks and taste good. I have mine in a colony and they breed and make babies and wean them with no interference from me.
I can take them from living to in the brine water in less than 5 minutes.

Turkeys. Quiet, pretty, non destructive and they taste good. They are much nicer to be around than the chickens. If I am in the garden, they are quietly and calmly by my side eating bugs. They are just zen about the world.
Thye do not dig or scratch.

[Peace n Quiet]

Cornish X meat chickens - for convenience. I grow mine out on pasture for 12 - 16 weeks and then they are gone. Nothing to take care of over the winter, no frozen waterers. Plus, mine get big enough to make several meals for my family of 6, from one bird!

[Spinner]

The goats. I spent years fighting with cattle, when I could have been raising goats with much less expense and trouble. The goats are so much easier to control, move, milk, and simply watching the kids playing in the pasture is a pleasure.

I used to raise rabbits and want to get another start of them. They were fun too and I really miss having them.

[laughaha]

Rabbits- Flemmies are sweet and gentle and kind and quiet and just adorable. Originally they were bred as a meat rabbit and can be used as such. Love weeds and frozen watermelon.

Chickens- Easy, fairly quiet (now that the 3am rooster is dogfood), sweet, gentle and give eggs and meat. Eat weeds and bugs.

Geese- Sweet, gentle, horrible beggars, love weeds, great guardians for the chickens, LOUD lol.

Sorry, I really love them all and couldn't decide between them.

[PNP Katahdins]

I'm really glad we added the Katahdin hair sheep to the wool sheep flock.

Peg

[Callieslamb]

Calves. I wish we had been set up to have them much sooner. I love them!

[Jenn]

I would say chickens and turkeys but obviously they aren't essential to my happiness since I STILL don't have them here.

[wildhorse]

Dairy goats there milk is great they earn there keep and there safe to have around children.

[Kaitlin]

Sheep - I had no idea they could be so affectionate and interesting. They do need quite a bit of work with their feet and shearing and vaccinations but they're well worth it.

[plowjockey]

I second the Katahdin hair sheep.

Great sheep and very low maintenance. I wish I had 8 more (and paid for)

[switchman62]

I only have chickens and rabbits so far. I like both but, rabbits process soooooooo
much easier and quicker. On the other hand, my rabbits don't give me a daily egg!

Dave

[FarmboyBill]

Its amazeing how much this post contradicts with the other one, concerniong how much did u hate what animal. Lots of people here love the same animal that lots of people there hated. What gives? Also, even on this post there were people who loved a certain animal and only kept them in grain grass and water, whill another said they were great, but other than vacs, shearing, ect. I guess the bottom question, is, why do some people love a certain animal that another in here hates, and why do some people have much less work involved with a certain animal than another. I have my thoughts, but lets see what pops up.

[moonwolf]

I got some Holland white geese for the first time this year. These are like Embden geese and I find them economical to feed. They love pasture green feed to put on meat and are pretty interesting creatures basically care free to raise with minimal care and housing. I keep them penned and let them out to graze twice a day that keeps them happy. The flock tends to want to have a leader they follow and my geese are trained to easily herd back into their pen after they've grazed. For feed I mix 18% layer crumbles, whole wheat, oats, and steam rolled corn in about equal proportions. For seven geese it's two scoops a day and keep their waterers filled and they are happy, growing big. I expect at butchering time they will be well around 25 lb. Very good feed to meat conversion. Maybe even better than turkeys.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Dairy goats. I've had cattle, horses, rabbits, chickens, pigeons, dogs, and cats.

Dairy goats beat them all.