Anyone adding livestock trying to avoid food shortages this year?

[Tactically Fat]

IF anyone in west central Indiana wants some llamas...let me know. My folks are too danged old to keep their remaining 6 animals. Maybe 5 viable animals, I guess. One will be lucky to survive the winter.

I digress: I wish my folks could sell their llama wool. The folks that can use the wool want/need clean wool - not the hair straight off the animals. And cleaning it is quite labor intensive. So, my folks have basically just thrown away wool from 6 to 12 llama for 10 years now.

As far as them being guard animals: Yes. Llama can certainly make for good guard animals against dog-sized and larger predators. My folks have had their egg chickens in / next to their llama herd for years now. The llamas will basically just watch smaller predators take chickens. Like fox, raccoons, mink, etc. My theory is that those animals are too small to be a threat to the llama, therefore they don't run them off like they would a 'yote.

Seriously though. If you want some llama to guard your pasture - let me know.

 

[cg21]

So I read some of the comments. Not all so if I repeat something Sorry. I started “farming and hunting” six years ago all self taught city boy. Haven’t bought meat from a store since So I guess I’m doing ok. I have raised just about every critter that traditionally goes on a dinner table in the USA.

we started with big pigs durocs Berkshire did those 3 times. They get enormous and they eat a TON of food. We were told they would hit butcher weight 300# in 6 months but quickly realized since we allowed the animals room to move they took closer to a year. They absolutely destroyed our small pasture we had set up talking 6’ diameter holes 3’ deep.

so I love bacon and I love being self sufficient so we had to find a better option. We now breed raise and butcher kune kune pigs. They are small, they eat WAY less grow slower and DO not tear up our yards. We sell the meat and piglets some but the beauty is they are small enough to manage butchering at home. They graze similar to cattle/sheep and extremely docile. And when I say smaller at full butcher size typically 130-160# hanging weight at the butcher. But you can butcher them at any age at home, I butcher smaller to do whole pig roasts in my electric smoker lol and these pigs train very well to electric fencing so a single strand nose height and you can contain them once trained. Sorry I could talk about these pigs forever another benefit is the lard they provide for cooking soap etc.

 

[cg21]

I should probably look into that, but as far as I know there's still wild pheasant around Indiana and I'm not adding any new species of critter to the wild.

To have egg laying chickens you will have to over winter them if you supplement the daylight they will continue to lay through the winter. A strand of Christmas lights or something they need like 14hrs of light to make an egg so the short days make egg laying almost impossible.

 

[OurDee]

Pigs don't require much space. I knew a guy that kept some in the back of a pickup truck. When we had them in Tennessee, I remember the pen was about 15 by 15. I had to slop them in the mornings on the way to the bus stop. They are great garbage disposals.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I brought home two 80# feed bags of horse every trip to the stall cleaning gig. Compost is gold...

Just a reminder, a horse's digestive tract does not kill seeds. I'm assuming your composting method addresses that, but for anyone who's thinking of direct application remember you are fertilizing while also seeding the area with weeds. That may or may not matter, fertilizing a hay field or small flower bed it's not a bother. Having to weed 5 acres of corn by hand, that's a bother.

 

[cg21]

Pigs don't require much space. I knew a guy that kept some in the back of a pickup truck. When we had them in Tennessee, I remember the pen was about 15 by 15. I had to slop them in the mornings on the way to the bus stop. They are great garbage disposals.

The smaller the pen the worse the smell. There is a direct correlation lol look at the big operations pigs basically have their footprint not much wiggle room but managing waste is an operation in itself

 

[teddy12b]

To have egg laying chickens you will have to over winter them if you supplement the daylight they will continue to lay through the winter. A strand of Christmas lights or something they need like 14hrs of light to make an egg so the short days make egg laying almost impossible.

I've been averaging 2 - 4 eggs a day through winter, but my bantams have shut down completely.

 

[bwframe]

Just a reminder, a horse's digestive tract does not kill seeds. I'm assuming your composting method addresses that, but for anyone who's thinking of direct application remember you are fertilizing while also seeding the area with weeds. That may or may not matter, fertilizing a hay field or small flower bed it's not a bother. Having to weed 5 acres of corn by hand, that's a bother.

My gardens are surrounded with non treated pastures. There is a hundred years of weed seed in them before the wind blows even today.

Horse manuer isn't the good cow manure, that comes out more sterile, but it'll still get hot enough to kill seeds when worked into the right combination of greens and browns.

 

[spencer rifle]

Our chickens lay all winter with and without supplemental lighting.

 

[OurDee]

The smaller the pen the worse the smell. There is a direct correlation lol look at the big operations pigs basically have their footprint not much wiggle room but managing waste is an operation in itself

In the mountains of East Tennessee we located them around the bend in the holler on the side of the hill. Waste took care of itself, LOL. Not much populaton back there.

 

[Gunsmiff12B]

I have about 30 chickens between 2 coops, my wife has about 25 registered Nigerian dairy goats. She usually sells the kids in the early spring, for fair time. We have looked into getting a pig for the summer this year, and also meat rabbits, all the animals we have now are on 4 acres, not sure how much land you’re on, but they certainly keep our property cleared of brush in the summer

 

[nate77]

I’ve raised pigs, and dairy steers.

If you think human food is inflated. You should see the price of livestock feed. It would cost a fortune to raise anything right now.

Plus there is the problem of scheduling your processing a year or two in advance.

 

[NewHoosier51]

Last year I added some backyard chickens that started laying late fall. All things considered, it's been relatively easy now that things are setup and going. My wife tolerates this desire of mine, and I don't ask her to help with any part of it. Some of the egg production has shut down with winter, but it'll be spring before you know it so I'm not worried about it.

I've kicked around the idea of getting some bigger four legged critter this year. I'm not looking to turn myself into a farmer, but if there's a simple to take care of animal that starts small and cute ish and ends up being large enough to butcher in the fall without too much of my time being involved then I'm interested. I'm not a farm boy so a lot of this is new to me. I'm also not a city boy who likes to stay indoors. I've kicked around the idea of rabbits, goat, sheep, cow, and I'm open to anything, but I know some type of fencing will be required and as much as I'd prefer to make it moveable I don't know anything about that kind of thing.

Ideally, this would be something that my wife will say "when did we get a _____ out back" and I'll say it's been 3 weeks or so ago.

Any suggestions?

Backyard chickens are great. We had 6 at our last house. We were giving away 6 eggs per week to the neighbors. Bought us a lot of goodwill in the neighborhood.

We're looking for a place to get pullets in Indianapolis. All we've been able to find are chicks. Anyone know of a good spot?

 

[eldirector]

We're looking for a place to get pullets in Indianapolis. All we've been able to find are chicks. Anyone know of a good spot?

Indiana Chicken Swap on Facebook.

 

[nate77]

Backyard chickens are great. We had 6 at our last house. We were giving away 6 eggs per week to the neighbors. Bought us a lot of goodwill in the neighborhood.

We're looking for a place to get pullets in Indianapolis. All we've been able to find are chicks. Anyone know of a good spot?

Rural King sells both pullets, or straight run.

 

[Flash-hider]

I’ve raised pigs, and dairy steers.

If you think human food is inflated. You should see the price of livestock feed. It would cost a fortune to raise anything right now.

Plus there is the problem of scheduling your processing a year or two in advance.

These are good points. To go to large animal raising a person needs to make sure your pencil is very sharp when figuring the cost of raising verses buying it already raised and ready for the freezer.
I haven't read the entire thread but if your large animal needs a visit from the vet that alone can cost a couple of hundred dollars each time.

 

[Ingomike]

These are good points. To go to large animal raising a person needs to make sure your pencil is very sharp when figuring the cost of raising verses buying it already raised and ready for the freezer.
I haven't read the entire thread but if your large animal needs a visit from the vet that alone can cost a couple of hundred dollars each time.

That point is often overlooked. A farmer can spread vet costs over a larger number of animals and may well be able to take care of things themselves. A person raising one animal is playing the vet lottery.

However the topic is raising your own because of shortages…

 

[flyingsquirrel]

When I bought straight run chicks I ended up with about 10 extra roosters. What to do? I was working in Nappanee so I gathered them in a gunny sack and took a backroad. Found an Amish house with chickens in the yard and made them a donation. When I pulled away you could see feathers flying from the old cock.

 

[bw210]

We raise Silver Fox rabbits, several varieties of ducks and lambs. Use to do boar & dairy goats and turkeys also. We have between 75 to 130 animals at any given point. It is a 2nd full time job... starting before the work day and ending late st night. You will need to get over cuteness and learn to butcher your own meat. Originally, 10 years now, we bought 6 acres and a house that should have been bulldozed down to raise our food and control what we consume. At 51 years old, and working construction my whole life, we are working harder than we ever have. Larger garden, barns full of livestock, fruit everywhere. Now it sure seems like we made the right choice. Alwsys hard work but the eating is pretty damn good. It is not a lifestyle for everybody.

 

[cg21]

When I bought straight run chicks I ended up with about 10 extra roosters. What to do? I was working in Nappanee so I gathered them in a gunny sack and took a backroad. Found an Amish house with chickens in the yard and made them a donation. When I pulled away you could see feathers flying from the old cock.

Good way to spread disease to an unsuspecting farmer.