Favorite meat animal

snowshoehair · #41 08/19/11, 07:30 PM

Moose - free range, hormone and additive free, there's enough to fill the freezer when you get one.... and their all over the place here!Oh, and can't forget to mention the time spent in the great outdoors looking for one!

VA Shepherd · #42 08/20/11, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwal10

Beautiful sheep. Breed?

Thanks! Sorry it took me so long to reply, I've been building fences for the last two days and it's been wearing me out!

The one on the left (Jill) is 50% East Friesian/50% Icelandic, the one in the middle (Daisy) is 75% East Friesian/25% Icelandic, and the one on the right (Iris) is... a mutt. She's mostly East Friesian, some Columbia, a little Rambouillet, and a pinch of this and that. That picture was taken on the farm in CO where I used to work, and none of those three came home with me, though a few others did! I think Jill lives in OK now, but the other two are still making milk in CO.

I have several EF crosses, but no Icelandic anymore, and Black Cotswolds.

And, as far as meat goes, Icelandics are delicious at any age, I think mischief must taste good.

Firefly · #43 08/20/11, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olivehill

If I had to choose a single favorite it would probably be hogs. They're relatively low maintenance and can serve as both meat and labor on a small farm so there's some dual purpose usage there for them. That said, those aren't really the reasons I like them, I just plain enjoy hogs. I like their personalities, I like having them around. Standing in the paddock watching the root around makes me happy.

If I had to pick an animal based only on merit with no consideration of personal bias it would be geese. They are extremely low maintenance, very cheap and easy to feed, choose the right breed and they can keep you in goslings year and year again and they serve many purposes beyond just producing meat. They also provide down, eggs, labor as weeders and mowers, and act as incredible early alarm systems/watch "dogs".

I'm on one unfenced acre of field-grassy lawn, so although I enjoy keeping and eating pigs, they aren't financially feasible, especially since I'm the only one who will eat them. (I'm still thinking about Pot Bellies, though.) What kind of geese do you keep? I tried them for the first time this year and am quite taken with them! I have Am. Buff, which have gentle personalities, but they did a very poor job with hatchlings and I had to buy some African goslings, which they adopted. I think I may keep a female African along with the two parents and see if I get better results next year. They eat little feed and I only had to mow the lawn once this year! They also seem to be pretty daytime-predator-proof. Re some other comments, I have no pond but use a big rubberized pig bowl ~2' in diameter; they really love it. Goose is dark meat similar to duck. I'm really looking forward to home grown!

Silvercreek Farmer · #44 08/22/11, 01:43 PM

I vote for lamb. Grows out easily on grass, easy to butcher at home...