topic 1- Preparation, Initial steps in preparing for Animals

Being part of the solution n not the problem means there are certain steps that should be taken before acquiring any farm animal. Here is a brief synopsis of each of the steps that must come first and foremost .

1. Identify your natural resources. Find out what amount of acreage you have available to you. Look at climate and elevations. Identify the types of soil and the vegetation on the land, look at the erosion of the area in its natural state . What is the availability or both drinking and irrigation water. Identify potential problems now, so that you can make the necessary steps before they arise. By doing this it will help you to decide; what types of animals you can raise without modifications as well as with. It will show you how many animals your piece of land can accomodate as well as many management techniques that you may or may not have to employ in order to keep your animals and property safe and well maintained.

2. Consider your goals. How much time will your livestock take and do you have that time. Do you want pets, breed, show, sell ,compete go commercial. Animals means $, vet care, feed, supplies, fencing, protection etc, is the cash available? Can the amount of land you have support the animals you are thinking of raising? Is the water available? What are the zoning laws in your area?

3. Commitment level. What sort of commitments are you ready to make by raising animals. Most living things require time and attention. Do you have the time that is going to be necessary in order to do what you are wanting to do? Do you understand that animals are a lifestyle, just as being a parent is,. they need shelter, food and tlc. Are you prepared for breaks in fences, emergencies in health,etc etc....


These are just basic categories at present. In order to give everyone a general idea of the thought process that has to go into raising any animal, no matter what size property any of us has. Each one will be taken a bit more indepth this first week of class.. What I would like all of us to do is consider the three steps to planning outlined above. If you have land available to you, go have a look at it and see what you have to work with and get abasic idea in yer head of all three points mentioned and perhaps give us an overview. For those of us who have very small land masses (under half acre) available to us it will require thinking abit out of the box.. Maybe even design you own dream plot out in your head and take into consideration what you future goals are ... Think on smaller terms of farming,,, rabbits, chickens guineas, worms ,, etc... there are small animals that work into very small areas while still allowing us to farm. Again if ther are any questions or comments be sure to post them or ask.

Beginning tomorrow, i will break the three topics mentioned above down further into what each one entails and we will begin building our own virtual homestead.

 

As was mentioned in the synopsis above, taking an inventory of our natural resources is the primary step that needs to be taken. The amount of land you have available is going to be a huge factor in what types of animals you can raise.

Amount of land

For those of us with less than an acre, anything larger than a guinea hen is most likely out of the question. The animals you are able to have, will need feed, shelter and protection from predators. Small animals means smaller amounts of waste and a compost pile in the back yard would do for your manure management practices.

When we have two or three acres to work with, our animal raising capabilities rise immensely. In addition to the small stock, you can also go into small ruminants ( meaning goats, sheep etc). Again, most feed will have to be provided to the animals and they will require a pasture or fenced in area for them to graze about in. Predator protection is still needed as well as cover from extreme weather conditions. Manure management with small ruminants is still pretty easy since there excrement is in pelleted form and makes great compost material.

Moving on up into the five acre range, our options for livestock also become larger . A single cow or horse is not out of the question . A hog can be raised , as well as a single or pair of burros or llamas, alpacas along with the smaller animals mentioned above. This amount of land is still not enough to maintain animals solely off of the land. All aforementioned steps are still needed and feed costs do become a a factor when we move into the larger animals. manure management practices also have to be amended and taken into consideration. The small back yard compost heap is now a mtn and it becomes a necessary step to actually have a manure heap in its very own place on the land.

With ten acres or more of land, the opportunities for raising most any farm animal is there. Of course the more land you have the more grazing animals can do and the less they have to be supplemented with feed. Guardian animals become a good means of protecting from predators and your manure pile keeps on growing. The larger the animals you choose the less of them you can raise. Cows , if fed only grazed grasses need about 25 - 30 acres of good pasture land per head of animal. keep in mind as well most animals do better in pairs , most are herd animals and do not well on there own .

Elevation and climate

Elevation levels will dictate what vegetation can and will grow on your property. The higher up you go , the less vegetation there will be . Different animals prefer different types of vegetation. How much work is it going to be to turn the over grown brush into pasture? Think about what your elevation levels are as well as the weather conditions in your area. Some conditions are not suited to some animals.Will yo be able to provide housing or shelter for the animals in these conditions? Have a look see at the slope and overall lay out of the land.Some of our four legged friends do not do well on steep terrain while others thrive,, just as all humans don't enjoy mtn climbing, neither do all animals.
Walk outside in the rain sometime and look at the run off of the land. Where water runs , manure will run. Look at where the water runs too, where is it going? Find out where run off is naturally,where does it end up, polluting our water sources can be a huge issue,not only health wise but monetarily as well. Keep in mind that animals also cause new run off areas in the land, they tend to blaze trails (soil compaction) where they make the same loops in pastures daily...thereby causing new runoffs and sedimentation .Buffer zones between waterways and animals are wonderful in keeping the pollution problems down as well as giving natural wildlife new habitat areas.

Availability of water

Find out what sources of water are available on the piece of land.Aniamls need fresh clean water and plenty of it. Is there a well that you will be using? If so , can it handle the animals needs as well as your own? Is there natural water on the property? Does this water go to supply anyone else water ? Is that water safe for an animal to drink or does it contain pathogens in it not suited for consumption. If there is not enough water available naturally , how will you come up with enough water to supply your livestock? Will you have to carry water to the animals or is there a means to get it for them near where they are housed? Again, keep in mind the bigger you go, the more water they drink . It is pretty typical for a cow to drink upwards of 35 gallons of water on an 85 degree day, where a chicken or rabbit may drink a quart . Carrying 35 gallons of water 500 foot every day is not fun.

 

I am going to assume that most of us here have less than 20 acres of land to work with. Many of us have much less to work with. Rather than going through the oodles of different styles of confinement etc, at this point in the planning, i will wait and go directly into the animal breeds and into full detail on each of them in those specific topics. We are going to explore the life cycles of each, breeds within a species, housing/ fencing / feed needs and various options, veterinary and health care, product versus meat and so forth .

For a project, start to plot out your homestead on a large piece of paper. .If you have a yard, plot it out , no matter how small you think it is. If you don't, have a yard at all , come up with an idea of what it is you would like... ( Keep in mind almost no property has everything wonderful and perfectly set up to just move you n your barnyard friends in without some sort of modifications. I know we all dream of finding a perfect plot with flat open spaces, well groomed fences and barns with rolling hills and plenty of water sources etc...they are out there but few and far between. If there is a house or outbuildings sketch them and any fencing in. If you have outside water sources, be sure to mark them. Pay attention to run off areas, show where they are... This is just for a general idea of what you have to work with, so that in the course of the class you can decide what beast is best for you and your homestead . If you don't already have a compost heap or bin started, think about where you could strategically locate one. (a good rule of thumb on compost is,,, between animal and garden areas, but out of the way). Begin to get a n idea of possible locations animal housing and fencing.( It is nice to be able to see your animals from a window or door in the house if possible, just for keeping an eye on them.) When done , keep your map handy so that we may add to it as we proceed along.
If you would like to post a map or plot of your layout , go ahead and do so, i think it would be a neat thing to share and perhaps critique amongst us . I am attempting to make a basic layout here on the farm to use as an example,,, however me n computers are just not art buddies , so may take me a day or three to work it out..

Happy mapping

 

I would Ideally like to have 20-50 acres I could do more with less, and would ideally like 100 acres so I could have some private hunting land, but will accept being very close to a good public hunting ground. I have found mini cows which can graze 4 to ever 2 acres. I want to raise goats as well as chickens, and rabbits pigeons and doves (these would not be fore eating the doves and pigeons.) I would like to use the 1/8th an acre per person rule in permaculture. Ideally an offgrid home . I have plans through this book for what I would ideally like to do.
these two books are where I am getting most of my ideas
http://undergroundhousing.com/
http://simplesolarhomesteading.com/