We often hear about dog rescue, but did you know there is farm animal rescue in New York? Farm Sanctuary houses tons of rescued barn animals.
After fire destroys their 100-year-old farmhouse, a Michigan couple rebuilds by blending classic charm with modern design.
Each year on April 10th, National Farm Animals Day focuses attention of the humane care of farm animals. The day also aims to find homes for abandoned and abused farm animals.
It's been a minute since I've specifically shared and talked about our sheep! So here's your Babydoll sheep update!
Free plans and instructions to build this DIY goat shed that I use for my dairy goats but can be used as a small barn for any backyard livestock or 4H animals!
Two New Babydoll Ewes! Our flock family feels complete! We welcomed two ewe lambs last week and I can't wait for you to meet them!
Bringing Home Baby
In Nyack, New York, "trail monster" Eleanor Pigby can often be found hiking with two goats, two dogs and students from The Summit School at Nyack
Sheephive - an Unconventional Sheep Shelter: Following on from making "The Playhive" for my goats, I decided that a larger version would make an unconventional shelter in one of my sheep paddocks. Link to "Goathive" https://www.instructables.com/id/The-Playhive-Z-Cl... Again I used the gener…
What a great and cheap way to make a feeder for your animals. It only took about 2 hours to build. Do you have some small critters that like to waste hay... or won't eat it after it has gotten wet? This project just might save you some cash. 1. Cut barrel in half. 2. Build 2 end frames. The uprights are 48" (1 8' 2x4 cut in half for each pair of legs). 3. The bottom support for the base is 32" and the legs are 16" apart (outside dimension). 4. The 2 cross rail supports that hold the bottom barrel are 42" long and mounted at 10" from the ground (top of the 2x4 is at 10"). This puts the edge of the barrel at about 18" and was a good height for my goats to reach into. 5. Place barrel half on cross rail supports and screw 16" 2x4 above each side of the barrel (inside the legs). Drill holes in the bottom of barrel for rain drainage if it will be outside. 6. Mount a 39" flat-face-up 2x4 on top of the ones holding the barrel in place. 7. Cut your stockade/wire panel pieces. Mine are 20" tall and 36" long for the main panels and 20" tall by 12" wide on the ends. 8. Mount 2 42" long cross rails at the height to catch the top of the wire panel (I didn't measure, just lined it up). 9. Use U nails (fencing nails, chicken wire nails, etc) to secure all wire panels in place). 10. Place in goat pen and fill with hay. Note- this is a critical step. 11. Put other half of barrel on top, upside down. Secure with a bungee cord over the top. credit: backyardherds.com
Save money by building your own DIY sheep trailer and livestock hauler! Large enough for multiple small animals and even a calf or two.
Having the right plans for building a shelter for your dairy goats makes all the difference when it comes to protection, organization, and feeding.
We have been very busy getting the Milking Parlor set up and finally going. It took a bit of time to train the girls to the new space as well. They have to step up three times to get onto the milking stand. Ariel, my one large goat (Nubian) had the roughest time. She is long and has to step up just right with her head down to get into the stanchion. The milk stand has a stanchion for small goats and Ariel has adapted to it. I do have a taller stanchion, but it is to tall for my yearling nigerians to reach the feed bucket. Ariel then has to come off the stand, swing around to come down the step ups. She has been doing great, but was a bit scared at first. She is up pretty high for me to milk standing up. It took some apple flavored treats to convince her she was not going to be eaten. Clean room is pictured left. Milking area with machine. The goats enter from the right and step up 3 levels to the stand. They are then the perfect height to clean and milk while standing in comfort. UDiamond is pictured to the left showing the Milking Parlor in action. The small goats got into the routine quickly because they like to climb on things anyway. So the higher the better for the little Diva's. Everyone comes into the Parlor one at a time except, of course Brat. Yeah, we are still putting up with her. She is last and after you go out to get her, she runs into the parlor and jumps up where she is suppose to go. Always has to be a Drama Queen & act stupid. So far we have 3 goats who have qualified for stars with several others very close. Of course nothing is official until the lactation ends and the results are submitted and approved by the Goat Associations. Even Ariel is close and milking quite well. Her last test was 8.1 pounds. She is a Nubian now, not a Nigerian. My top Nigerian is UDiamond who milked 4.1 pounds on her last test as a first freshener. Alexa's sister Babette, who I need to get a good photo of, milked 4 pounds on her first test, raising triplet sons sired by Fairlea Jean Louis *S. The photo to the right is Oldesouth Babette. She is not clipped, but her udder can be seen fairly well. She has a lovely fore udder too. She is pictured at the Goat & Sheep Expo in March where she was on display with her triplet sons. We attended a couple of Goat Shows. One in South Carolina at Teena's Farm and another at Carrolton, Ga. We were so busy showing, I did not get but a few decent pictures. Arlene and I showed. Our young Jr Buck, Lost Valley PG Superb *S won Grand Champion Jr buck in one show and Reserve Champion Jr Buck in the other show. Sunra took 2 first places and we had several 2nd, 3rds, etc with some stiff competition. UDiamond took 3rd and 2nds in both shows, with her class being one of the largest. Each show we attend, we get better at presenting our goats and move up the line. I guess I was having an off day and my photo's were blurry and had to dump most of them. Oldesouth Sweet Mocha is pictured in her Jr Doe class. Look at her beautiful topline and dairy character. The photo above shows how wide she is in the rear as well. We are preparing for sheep shearing this up coming weekend. We hope to get most of them done. We shear on a stand and I do it. I tried hiring a pro, or so he called himself. He did not do an acceptable job and cut off a teat and cut a penis on one of my rams. Of course he tried to blame his incompetence on my sheep. Sorry my sheep have teats and male genitals that were in your way... NOT! Why can I shear the entire herd and everyone was still in tact when it was over? It does not take that much time to be careful and do a good job. The Icelandic's especally must be smoothly shorn with no chunks left to felt and ruin the new fleece coming up underneath. The photo below is what a group of yearling Cheviots looked like after that IDIOT was done with them. Not only were they cut up, but look at the chunks of wool left... (a picture is worth a thousand words...) We were lucky to be missed by the Tornado's that hit Tuskaloosa, Alabama. We are thankful and are praying for the folks who have lost loved ones and property. It was terrifying to watch the Tornado live on the news as it was hitting Tuskaloosa with the weather woman frantic for people to take cover. We were at the hospital monitoring the news while working to make sure our patients were safe if we needed to move folks to interior areas.
If you are thinking of getting goats, here are some housing ideas.
Whether you want to the make most of a small plot of land or add diversity to a large farm, raising miniature livestock can be a fun and profitable experience. With expert advice on choosing a breed that suits your needs, Sue Weaver shows you how to house, feed, and care for miniature goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, horses, cattle, and llamas. You’ll be inspired by profiles of successful breeders as you learn everything you need to know to keep your miniature livestock healthy and productive. Product DetailsISBN-13: 9781603424813 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Storey Publishing - LLC Publication Date: 01-06-2010 Pages: 400 Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d) Series: Storey's Guide to RaisingAbout the Author Sue Weaver has written hundreds of magazine articles and many books about livestock, horses, and chickens, including The Backyard Cow, The Backyard Goat, The Backyard Sheep, Storey and The Donkey Companion. Weaver and her husband share their ridgetop farmette in the southern Ozarks with an array of animal friends.Table of Contents Table of ContentsWhy Raise Miniature Livestock? Section 1: Raising Miniature Livestock 1 Before You Begin 2 Which Species? 3 Getting Started: Education, Vets, and Where to Buy 4 Selecting Miniature Livestock 5 Livestock Guardians 6 Facilities and Fences 7 Feeding 8 Health 9 Identification 10 Transportation 11 Breeding 12 Got Milk? 13 The Business End Section 2: The Species 14 Miniature Cattle 15 Miniature Equines 16 Miniature Goats 17 Miniature Llamas 18 Miniature Pigs 19 Miniature Sheep Appendix: Emergency Euthanasia Resources Glossary Index Show More
If you are raising livestock, it is possible to grow your own animal feed. How to grow feed for pigs, chickens, goats, sheep and cows.
