Where to start?
 

Looking for some help.

Our situation is that we just moved and now have about 6 acres all grass in the Midwest.

The goal is to see if we think the work of raising some of our own meat and see if we can balance it all with work, kids, etc. And hopefully cut down on my mowing time in the summer.

My thought is that I get some temporary electric netting type fence and then a couple of lambs in the spring,and then take to the butcher in the fall. And see how that goes for the first year. That way we don't have a lot of expense wrapped up into it all, in case we decide it is too much.

This would be our first go at raising animals.

Any thoughts pros cons etc would be appreciated.

That sounds good; relatively quick turn around time. Maybe a calf too...
Goats are more prone to escape, I hear.
Got enough land for a pig, 5 acres or so?

That fencing might get expensive depending on how much you will be doing. Looks like it only comes in 100' that is not very long.

If i was just starting to grow my own I would go with rabbits and chickens..... and you could butcher your own at no cost. Have a nice little garden, plant a few fruit trees....and you are on your way. Try that for a year or two, then expand into bigger things.

You don't say where you are, but if you have cows in the neighborhood you probably can tell whether or not 5 acres is enough for a couple of cows. It would be around here in Northern NYS, but I would assume you would be buying winter hay. That's an added expense but still healthier for you and cheaper than getting meat out of the supermarket. Cows don't take a lot of work once you get going with them (fencing and winter shelter).

I'd say go for it.

Good luck!

Welcome to the forum, overflow.

There's always a first time for everything. You can look this over for a start: http://www.sheep101.info/201/index.html

You may want to figure out some ways and means of feeding young lambs more than just pasture grass.....and perhaps more suitable fencing so you can rotate pasture grazing areas.

Best of luck,

geo

I would start with chickens. Either get a movable electro net for poultry or make them a "chicken tractor", both much cheaper than what you need for lambs. Get 3 dozen dual purpose chicks (you can get meat birds if you prefer, but I'd go for dual purpose so you can choose to keep some for the eggs) and get started.

Much simpler learning curve than lambs. Cheaper set up, shorter turn-round time, and honestly you are likely to eat more chicken than lamb anyways, right? So you are saving more money, too.

Ha....I bought two Jersey bottle calves, I have a steer and a heifer... they are both now 2 1/2 yrs old and they are the most expensive meat I have ever bought. The steer is going to freezer camp in April The only good thing about it is you know where your meat is coming from. I dont know about yours but my Jerseys are always getting into something and they are the pickiest eaters when it comes to hay. I have 6 adult horses that act better than my two Jerseys(I love my Jerseys though..lol) but easy....:umno:


I would stay away from large livestock right now if you are just starting out. They do get expensive especially when you have to buy hay.

The only thing about chickens, if you keep them in a small area they get messy, quick.
It can become a headache having to clean out a small coop and run all the time.
Just give yourself plenty of room with chickens

We have 5 hair sheep, enclosed in about 4 acres with field fence. So far, 10 months, they've not made any escape attempts. Pretty inexpensive, and if you decide to go with other animals just add a barbed above it.

I still mow every week during the summer. 10 sheep might keep our 4 acres trimmed.

I culled back to 10 sheep last summer, they did great on 4 acres - purely grass fed (plus the weeds and browse in the pasture) I have Katahdin and Katahdin crosses, nice and meaty and no need to shear them.

Mary

Never have raised sheep but your plan sounds good. I do know that sheep are helpless animale and have to be protected against predators, especially neighborhood pet dogs. An expensive wire net fence should keep them out, I don't know if coyotes can jump a fence. An electric fence should keep most predators out. Keep them in a strong building at night.

For chickens, go over to the poultry forum and check out people's experiences.

Back in the day one man would shoot every dog that came in his sheep pasture. Just saying, but I would encourage you to shoot coyotes if you get a chance.

COWS

thanks all good info, one of the things that worried me about chickens is that we are close to two busy roads. Wouldn't the chickens just fly over those 48" fences?

Check this farm out. http://www.gulfcoastlamb.com/ They have a very neat story. They raise Gulf Coast Sheep using self sustaining methods and are very successful. Their farm is just down the road from my parent's farm so I have visited their place and they have a neat little set up. They use elec fence netting and make a small paddock and move it daily. I saw them move the lambs and it took minutes. They were pretty helpful with information also. (The people were helpful. Not the lambs. lol) They also raise chickens this way. Laying hens. One thing they said about Gulf Coast Sheep is that they are K9 aggressive so they do not need to keep LGDs or put them up at night. They stay in their paddocks with no problems. Take a look at their site. They also have Facebook if you do the Facebook thing. :) I don't know if they still have their blog open (I'm sure you could message them and find out) but they have the neatest story of how they got started. They camped (literally...in a tent) on their land for over a year while building up their farm. Talk about determination! Enjoy your new venture!!

Trim one wing on chickens. It makes them unbalanced when they try to fly

If you are close to busy roads, make certain to keep good strong fences for any stock. Question is what king of meat do you normally eat? Rabbits are a good starter animal

Only out. They don't seem to understand how to fly IN so you will have to put them back in the pen. :)

A 5' welded wire fence will do a better job of keeping them in if you clip one wing as suggested.

Geese do well on grass but can be very noisy.

Chicken tractor! Really, for a not-free-range situation, a chicken tractor can be very useful. Eliminates the need to clean up a small coop, mows grass, provides forage feed, fertilizes evenly.
On the other hand, if you aren't sure you can manage a flock of chickens you probably aren't ready for anything larger.

Five acres for a pig? I raised more than two large families could eat with three 16x16 pens, all connected with gates.
Overflow- Raising meat birds on a small scale ain't worth the expense and work. A flock of good layer are, though.

Rabbits are a good starting point. Don't give up too quick, 'cuz momma rabbits ain't always successful with the first litter.
Hogs are easy if the pre-planning is in place. build your enclosure bulletproof. I gave mine slop (anything y'all don't eat), stuff from the garden that critters got into, and supplemented with corn chops and pig pellets.
You've gotten horrible advice on this thread. If you can find the opportunity, a few hours helping out someone who actually DOES this stuff (as opposed to just reading on the internet) Is the way to glean knowledge.

Hey, I defend my advice as well as my qualifications!

Jeez Louise, Swamp Man, quick to be rude.

First go at raising animals, in a new place with a family and full time work- start small and cheap. Chicks can be had anywhere- the local hardware store, mail order (I prefer Cackle for internet orders), local swap. They are inexpensive, love to mow grass, do not require vet visits or costly butchering services, and provide long term benefits in the form of easily managed fertilizer. They can be started and managed nearly for free, if you are so inclined, but even if you BUY a ready made chicken tractor you can do so for under $1000. If you prefer you can get all-meat birds, or you can get dual purpose birds and raise them for eggs for years to come.


Rabbits can also be a good starting point, but in my own experience it is harder to convince your children (and yourself) sometimes that the meat rabbits are for meat, not pets. If your family does not have any previous experience raising livestock it might be harder to start with rabbits. I also feel that they are generally a less hardy animal and require a bit more attention than chickens. They are sometimes actively interested in getting out of pens or cages.

Pigs, goats, sheep, cattle- all require a serious (although not necessarily prohibitive) initial cost, they all require vet attention at least initially, they may require transport for butchering, they will require a significant fence, and they are likely to require considerable feed costs.
A loose chicken might be a loss, a loose goat or steer will sometimes require that you leave work immediately or drop what you are doing and go GET the beast. One loose rabbit from a group pen generally means they'll all be loose in about 15 minutes.

Some areas require a 5 acre buffer zone so you can put your pigs right in the middle of it. This is so the neighbors don't keel over from the smell!

sounds great, but I myself would plant some fruit and nut trees, bushes and vines OUTSIDE of the critter fences to provide perennial food for your household

A garden. Sell produce and buy meat. I am half serious. If I was living on the 5 acres I would fence for goats and raise a bottle calf per goat. People might cry foul...but I mothered the calves up to the goats. And no...it didn't ruin the udders. Sell the calves back at about 300 lbs and buy a steer to butcher at the sale barn. No emotional attachment....5 month project. And goats and calves great fun.

You make it sound so easy. What do you mean, "I mothered the calves up to the goats"? Surely a goat wouldn't stand for a calf nibbling on it's udder...

Hair sheep are incredibly easy. I had no idea how easy they could be - if I did, we would have had them a lot sooner.

I'm thinkin' that chickens will be fine. If you're just doing them for meat, get cornish x - they won't fly anywhere! We have raised them in A-frame tractors, and they grew well (we slowed them down a bit to cut down on hyper-growth issues), and they fertilized our orchard very well. :)

Good luck on your new place, glad to welcome you to HT!