What kind of farm animals or pets u have?
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443 Posts
we have a mommy & daddy pig... 15-20 chickens ( 2 roosters & the rest hens ), & 3 dogs, & a handful of semi wild farm cats...
mommy pig is ready to have babies any day now... we have high hopes... we raised 5 pigs ( 3 feeders & Miss Piggie, & Porky ) 2 years ago, & had hoped to have babies to raise for the freezer last year, but the parents must have been too young... my goal there is to keep the adult pigs separate most of the year, & put them together late fall / early winter, & get babies in the spring, after we separate them again
mommy pig is ready to have babies any day now... we have high hopes... we raised 5 pigs ( 3 feeders & Miss Piggie, & Porky ) 2 years ago, & had hoped to have babies to raise for the freezer last year, but the parents must have been too young... my goal there is to keep the adult pigs separate most of the year, & put them together late fall / early winter, & get babies in the spring, after we separate them again
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299 Posts
I have...
1 Tortoise
2 Cats
1 Dog
1 Horse
4 Laying hens
30 Meat Rabbits w/ maybe 10 more to be born in the morning.
Rabbits and chickens are a food source. Although, I'd eat the horse if it came to it. It would have to get pretty bad tho.
1 Tortoise
2 Cats
1 Dog
1 Horse
4 Laying hens
30 Meat Rabbits w/ maybe 10 more to be born in the morning.
Rabbits and chickens are a food source. Although, I'd eat the horse if it came to it. It would have to get pretty bad tho.
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427 Posts
For me it’s less pets vs. food and more are the animals strictly pets or do they serve a function?
Functional Animals:
3 Dogs – they alert when something is wrong, scare off stray dogs, keep the neighbors cats away from my chickens. I don’t expect them to offer protection but I do expect them to intimidate an intruder.
6 Chickens (expecting 15 more this week!) – Eggs, insect control, fertilizers. Will eventually use them for meat but our original flock—the six we have now—are “safe”.
4 Ducks – They produce baby ducks which will be eaten, but the original 4 breeders are “safe”. They also serve as an early alligator alert system. If the ducks start disappearing, I know I’ve got a gator in the pond and can remove it before it goes after my chickens.
6 Goldfish – Every week I clean out 25 gallons from their tank and use it in my garden. They live in a 35-gallon tank on the porch with one bubbler.
Next week I will be acquiring some rabbits, as well. If I can keep them alive through the summer (our summers are murder and bunnies don’t like the heat) I will accuire some breeding pairs. They will be used as meat and for fertilizers.
Pet Animals:
4 Cats – Just pets. They do keep the spider population down.
3 Cockatiels
Functional Animals:
3 Dogs – they alert when something is wrong, scare off stray dogs, keep the neighbors cats away from my chickens. I don’t expect them to offer protection but I do expect them to intimidate an intruder.
6 Chickens (expecting 15 more this week!) – Eggs, insect control, fertilizers. Will eventually use them for meat but our original flock—the six we have now—are “safe”.
4 Ducks – They produce baby ducks which will be eaten, but the original 4 breeders are “safe”. They also serve as an early alligator alert system. If the ducks start disappearing, I know I’ve got a gator in the pond and can remove it before it goes after my chickens.
6 Goldfish – Every week I clean out 25 gallons from their tank and use it in my garden. They live in a 35-gallon tank on the porch with one bubbler.
Next week I will be acquiring some rabbits, as well. If I can keep them alive through the summer (our summers are murder and bunnies don’t like the heat) I will accuire some breeding pairs. They will be used as meat and for fertilizers.
Pet Animals:
4 Cats – Just pets. They do keep the spider population down.
3 Cockatiels
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19,805 Posts
At the moment, five laying hens and the neighbor girl's cat that adopted us. If we get more property, I would like to have goats for milk and meat and a good dog.
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5,438 Posts
lots of goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, calves/cows, a few emus,turkeys, horses, guineas, and llamas. 3 guard dogs and a few cats. Just enough to keep us busy and broke. I stopped raising pigs and just shoot the wild ones the visit. We only eat wild pigs and turkeys. We do eat lots of eggs and milk the goats to raise calves, lambs and goat kids. In a time of chaos we would have a perpetual source of food.
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10,339 Posts
We are a suburban farm. No HOA, but still ... city codes and neighbor's feelings have to be considered.
We have 4 big hens (2 buffs and 2 leghorns) left over from last year. They have a nice big pen that they sleep in. Roam the back yard fro the most part, otherwise.
We have 6 red pullets GR brought home from TSC last month or so. Seems maybe 4 RIR and 2 sex linked ... we shall see ... they are growing like weeks.
Traded a trio of rabbits for a due of Pekin ducks (both hens, both laying daily). Need to find a drake eventually.
Have 2 bucks and 4 does ... A just kindled 8 kits, 7 survived. B has not kindled yet -- I'm starting to think she didn't take ... C and D will get bread this weekend (along with B if she doesn't kindle tonight tomorrow or Friday.
It's time to get this show on the road ...
Same with the ducks. If I can snag a drake, we will be setting duck eggs under that broody hen and getting me some duck to harvest ...
Between these and getting the garden off the ground I think I will be in pretty good shape for the summer ... My goal is to do what I can to extend my season with cold weather veggies and fruits ...I would like to be putting something up ALL the time between now in the next couple of weeks and well into the fall ...
Tomorrow I've found a hugh bunch of dandelion flowers and weeds ... I'm off to forage and see what else I can find. Pretty sure I saw some Plantain there too. And wild onions ... I can hardly wait for the berries and fruit trees to start ...
We have 4 big hens (2 buffs and 2 leghorns) left over from last year. They have a nice big pen that they sleep in. Roam the back yard fro the most part, otherwise.
We have 6 red pullets GR brought home from TSC last month or so. Seems maybe 4 RIR and 2 sex linked ... we shall see ... they are growing like weeks.
Traded a trio of rabbits for a due of Pekin ducks (both hens, both laying daily). Need to find a drake eventually.
Have 2 bucks and 4 does ... A just kindled 8 kits, 7 survived. B has not kindled yet -- I'm starting to think she didn't take ... C and D will get bread this weekend (along with B if she doesn't kindle tonight tomorrow or Friday.
It's time to get this show on the road ...
Same with the ducks. If I can snag a drake, we will be setting duck eggs under that broody hen and getting me some duck to harvest ...
Between these and getting the garden off the ground I think I will be in pretty good shape for the summer ... My goal is to do what I can to extend my season with cold weather veggies and fruits ...I would like to be putting something up ALL the time between now in the next couple of weeks and well into the fall ...
Tomorrow I've found a hugh bunch of dandelion flowers and weeds ... I'm off to forage and see what else I can find. Pretty sure I saw some Plantain there too. And wild onions ... I can hardly wait for the berries and fruit trees to start ...
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443 Posts
added a couple more pigs yesterday ( we had babies 
: ) unfortunately she had them when while I was out of town at a meeting, she had 9 & everything went well, as far as birthing, but this was her 1st litter, only 3 were feeding when I got home
but now we have 3 little pigs... 3 little pigs
hope to put mommy & daddy back together as soon as these are weaned & get another litter late summer ( we were hoping to put 2 in the freezer, & sell the rest to help pay for feed ) hoping at least 2 of these survive, & sell the next litter for feed over the winter...
: ) unfortunately she had them when while I was out of town at a meeting, she had 9 & everything went well, as far as birthing, but this was her 1st litter, only 3 were feeding when I got home but now we have 3 little pigs... 3 little pigs
hope to put mommy & daddy back together as soon as these are weaned & get another litter late summer ( we were hoping to put 2 in the freezer, & sell the rest to help pay for feed ) hoping at least 2 of these survive, & sell the next litter for feed over the winter...
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560 Posts
I've got
4 rabbits and 5 more that will be killed soon
1 Rooster and 23 hens
1 German Shepard<-- My best friend and running partner other than my Wife of course
Quail are in my near future along with some goats
Once I have those that will probably be all for my animals until I retire
4 rabbits and 5 more that will be killed soon
1 Rooster and 23 hens
1 German Shepard<-- My best friend and running partner other than my Wife of course
Quail are in my near future along with some goats
Once I have those that will probably be all for my animals until I retire
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17,930 Posts
Probably 30 hens and a few roosters; a few ducks but they're just for looks, one steer, two heifers, and one yearling steer calf. I've always really not enjoyed keeping cows too much but with the rising cost and declining quality of retail beef, and wanting to provide for others, I am going to try to increase my cows by one or two this winter. I let someone else do the slaughter and butchering for halfs, I feel that's fair--I raise, feed and care for them and make sure they are healthy and comfortable, and then my friend takes care of the rest. I don't have facilities here to do any slaughtering/butchering other than poultry, but my friend does so he can do it pretty quickly and easily.
Some years I raise turkeys but I didn't this year. The cost of poults is too high--you pay as much for one poult as you do a turkey at the grocery store. If I could find some viable alternative to the high cost of poults, I will raise them again.
I also have two little dogs, one 8 lbs. and one 18 lbs.
Some years I raise turkeys but I didn't this year. The cost of poults is too high--you pay as much for one poult as you do a turkey at the grocery store. If I could find some viable alternative to the high cost of poults, I will raise them again.
I also have two little dogs, one 8 lbs. and one 18 lbs.
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724 Posts
three hundred and forty four head of cattle and one dog
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10,339 Posts
LOL ... I was so excited about the new baby bunnies that I completely forgot about the 2 dogs (1 GSD, 1 stray mutt that followed me and Nero home from the lake) and the 2 cats (leftovers from a litter nearly 15 years ago from a stray one of the kids drug home from the parking lot at work) ...
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7,803 Posts
Dog, cat, duck, chicken, turkey, cow. Sounds like a farm here
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1,725 Posts
rabbits: 2 does & 1 buck
chickens: 10 laying hens, 2 roosters, and 6 pre-teen barred rocks to be ladies in waiting (few of 10 layers get evaluated & replaced), pair of guineas, 6 assorted chicks (gifts)
meat chickens: 22 still alive
ducks: 8 pekins and 17 mystery
ground hog: in my sights
goats: on the want list
oxen: pair on the want list
pig: on the want list
chickens: 10 laying hens, 2 roosters, and 6 pre-teen barred rocks to be ladies in waiting (few of 10 layers get evaluated & replaced), pair of guineas, 6 assorted chicks (gifts)
meat chickens: 22 still alive
ducks: 8 pekins and 17 mystery
ground hog: in my sights
goats: on the want list
oxen: pair on the want list
pig: on the want list
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4,293 Posts
Birds. 2 amazons and a conure. Annoying little creatures...but they talk so at least theres the entertainment value :
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