Do you have too many animals?

WG, you have 31 pet chickens???

and... you get them rabies shots???

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No, that was the poster below me! The chickens helped to push her tally above mine and make me feel better. Poultry helps to run up the numbers -- at one time, DH#3 and I had more than 70 animals, but half were birds of some sort.

I didn't realize until recently that PA requires rabies vaccinations for cats, so I was playing catch-up with the young strays who have arrived over the past couple years. Also, my old cats and the 2 dogs were due in July, so I figured I might as well go ahead and get them done now.

The hardest part was transporting them, especially the dogs, who are typical farm dogs -- big, rowdy, dirty, and not accustomed to riding in a vehicle. They sorta churned the inside of my truck! Now it smells like cow manure and wet dog, and the seats are covered in glops of shepherd fur.

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

What always worked for me, with multiple dogs plus horses was to simply have the vet bring out rabies vaccine for the dogs on one of the farm calls that happen roughly the time they were due (within 6 months or so). Wasn't quite as cheap as if I could do them at one of the rabies clinics, but we were generally not close to town anyway.

Ok we've found any number of Animals tie us down.If a Person has couple Goats,Rabbits and Chickens they might as well have as many as the property can handle and have sales because you can't really go anywhere anyway because of the animals.

Alot say pay someone to check on them so you can leave couple days. Well I don't even trust my wife on taking care of my animals the way I do.I figure they are my animals,my responsability so if I have animals I don't go for the most part.Right now do have two Dogs do leave couple days at most have tried taking them with us before found them very excited to be going but they are not very happy being Leashed and not being able to go with us when we go out.Found it just best to leave them at Home.If anything happens to them we are really thinking about wheather they will be replaced.

big rockpile

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I have too many of some animals and not enough of some others I guess.
3 horses - 2 too many
4 ducks - too few perhaps. I like ducks.
12 chickens - probably could use a few more in case my dog gets loose....
7 dogs - 6 too many
3 goats - I'd like to have about 6 or 7
way too many cats - I'd like 2 or three; we have way more than that especially with the two litters of kittens I found in the hay loft.

I'd also like to have rabbits and geese one day. I thought about a milk cow, but I am really sick of putting up so much hay and cleaning up after large animals (also the injuries they inflict on themselves and me). I used to have more of all these animals, especially horses, but bleh, they are hard work and very expensive. I think I like my critters to be under 100 lbs now. Easier on my body and wallet.

Sometimes yup. Specially when you have to chase em.

This is also what I do? The Vet comes out to the farm, on a farm call ($55.00)with vaccinations for all the animals in March, 2 goats, 2 sheep, 2 dogs and 2 cats. The 30 ducks and 6 chickens don't need shots, thank goodness. It's much easier than trying to take them all down and actually cheaper than making more than one office visit at $40.00 a visit, How many can you transport at one time? Me two. If I had a clinic near me it might be cheaper, but the nearst is a 40 mile round trip.

Edit: Didn't really answer the question, Sometimes I do think we have to many. When the Vet Bill is $500.00+ or we want to go some where, and can't. But I would hate to lose any of them. Will I replace them all, most likely not.

Yeah. Back home I'd have the farm vet do shots when I needed him for other things, but unfortunately the area I live in now isn't really serviced by one. Nearest large animal vet is 40+ miles away, in another state, and I hate to think what he'd charge to come out! I was considering it anyway until I noticed the sign for the rabies clinic, which was only about 3 miles from my house. Yay!

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

You have to many animals when you can't take care of ALL of them properly. Current count at our house:

16 dogs

9 cats

5 horses

5 ducks

4 chickens

I most definitely want more chickens...and goats...and rabbits...and pigs...and anything else anyone wants to give me!

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I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

Getting older and more gimpy, so down sizing a must.

I have three cats, two indoors and one outside mouser... .
Just found homes for my three Bourkes (that was hard to do)

I need to down size my equines from 6 to 4.
I have two Adult Icelandic horses
One Icelandic filly that will be a year old the end of May
Two miniature horses.... one is for sale
One miniature Donkey ... she is also for sale

Down to 3 chickens and one duck.

I used to have 10 small ewe sheep,Plus what ever lambs they had, two rams, two goats, two soay wethers, raised heritage chickens that numbered about 30 on average and my Dutch Hook bill ducks which I loved, had about 25 of those at any one time.
But I had to sell them all before I moved here a few years ago.

I do miss my sheep a lot, and maybe I will get a couple in the future as pets.

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Shari

Oh my goodness, me too!!!
I will always enable you, Ravenlost!!!

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Chick with a gun.

LOL...please don't tell my hubby I have an enabler!

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I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

I have 3 dogs- 1 super sized and two super small
3 cats who are indoor/outdoor
I think I am up to about 20 or so rabbits
3 chinese red/gold pheasants
2 geese
somewhere around a hundred chickens (I think) most are chicks and the oldest should start laying in a couple months.
1 snapping turtle

I don't think I have too many but my husband will tell you different.

I need a gander (they were really expensive at the auction as they were being sold in lots of two or three and I only wanted one).
Call ducks are about the cutest thing I've ever seen and go for good money so I think I'll get a few of them when the pond is dug.

My large animal vet is 35 miles from here, and she's excellent. I got a postcard last fall telling me that she will no longer give dogs their rabies shots on farm calls unless they are LGD's. So if you have a Boxer or a Shih Tzu, you gotta go to a clinic.

Do I have too many animals? Long as I can take good care of them, I'll say "No". I had to pick up some OT this winter to cover the hay bill, but it's worth it to me.

I have 5 dogs total; 3 small inside dogs who are elderly and won't be around a whole lot longer, all over the age of 14. They still eat well, and smile alot, and get excited about things, so I think they are happy; no real health issues. I have 2 LGD's, Maremmas, youngsters (3), full of ---- and vinegar. There are 4 inside cats, all over the age of 10. They never go out anymore.

Outside ~ One horse and two ponies, 4 sheep, 18 assorted goats, 5 ducks (2 setting on nests), nine hens and 5 pullets, 1 cockeral, and a dozen peeps. I think that's it!

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I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.

I had a vet that came out and did housecalls, but now looking for another- they are hard to find! I currently have about 25 chickens, 2 ducks, 7 turkeys, about a dozen rabbits, and 12 dogs, 1 house cat...and a PB pig...adding 2 goats in another month. Do I have too many? Depends on what day you ask. On days I have a full day of work and errands and trying to fit in getting home before dark to feed and water all and dreading tromping through knee deep snow...those days I would say anything that makes me have to go out in the nasty weather is too many Warmer days I think I need to add sheep and a horse....and a few peafowl. I am still looking for that perfect cat to replace the 16 yr old that died but I am also looking to reduce the number of dogs I have, I have one gal I have been trying to rehome for the second time (young blind gal) and 2 males that will not be used in my breeding program or don't need to use in my breeding program and one boy will probably be returned to the breeder. But then when we have another litter, I will want to grow out a couple of the pups.

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Willowynd Collies
"A breeder is at once an artist and a scientist. It takes an artist to envision and to recognize excellence, and a scientist to build what the artist's eye desires."

well, no not anymore.

I sold/gave away the hens. (when dh died, I didn't have the gumption to do any more cleaning of the pen, or getting laying food, etc)

dd sold & gave away gradually all her rabbits, now down to one, the original pet bun that started it all.

I do have 5 dogs. Many folks tell me, 'that's too many dogs' and I used to worry that it was. They all seem happy, get walked, fed well, petted, and mostly do a little training with them most days. I think they are doing ok and I love them. A dog trainer I went to actually yelled at me 'THAT's TOO MANY DOGS!!!!" when I first went to one of his puppy socializing classes. (it was the first night I'd gone out, in public, aside from grocery store, after becoming a widow. I was feeling kind of shakey anyway, when he yelled.)Everyone (19 participants) was silent, and all stared at me. One guy guffawed, and snickered, 'haw! 5 dogs!' That trainer is a genius with dogs, and loves them, I can tell. He stinks with people, though.

He felt sorry about it later, I could tell. I finished his classes, and started dog obedience with another place. She also tells me 5 is too many, but at least does so in a joking fashion.
I know of folks in my town who have 6, 7, 13, etc. Those aren't necessarily hunting dogs, either.

I do consider a few of them useless. Like the pigs that won't reproduce and the turkeys that someone has decided to keep as pets.
Otherwise the rest are not too many

15 adult goats
13 kids( will keep 5)
65-70 chickens
2 mini donkeys
2 pigs
3 sheep
2 llamas
2 alpacas
7 turkeys
4 peacocks
4 chinese pheasants
6 geese
20 ducks
5 Guinea hens
3 rabbits
2 chinchillas
1 dog
2 cats

So far..... (Bear in mind, we're not on land yet)

2 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 1 tadpole (almost a frog!), 2 African Clawed frogs, 2 giant danios (which are really only small 3" fish), and 4 comet goldfish.

Like I said, so far..... LOL

Oh, I just love it when people ask, "just how many animals DO you have?" I generally just say, "a few" and leave it at that .

My husband sometimes thinks we have too many - especially as a new rabbit joined us yesterday! She is very tame and I hope to breed from her eventually. We have 2 more rabbits,12 chickens, 2 ducks ,an old cat and dog, 10 sheep and I hope to have goats again soon. It was hard having to give mine up when we moved.