How to Choose the Best Homestead Animals

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How to choose the best homestead animals to raise that fit your home, your family, and your time of life. Know what you need to have ready for each option, how easy they are to raise, and tips for care so you have the full story to make the best decision.

Homesteading tips that will help you to set things up in a way that everyone enjoys the work that is involved to keep things running each day.

how to choose the best animals for your homestead

Whether you have a homestead now or are just starting your new journey, there are many decisions that come with this way of life.

  • Where should I put the garden?
  • Will I grow an orchard?
  • Do I want chickens and ducks?
  • Should I raise large animals, small, or both?

Beginning your homesteading journey can be overwhelming as you figure out where to start. New homesteaders often struggle with these questions, eager to jump into everything all at once.

Do You Need Animals on a Homestead?

Animals are not a requirement for a successful homestead, but they can offer many benefits depending on your overall goals. Chickens, goats, or bees, for example, can provide eggs, milk, or honey, while larger livestock like cows can contribute additional dairy or meat.

On the flip side, raising animals requires time, space, and often significant resources, which may not be practical for everyone. If you do not have the money to create a stable setup for what you hope to raise, there are other areas where you can focus—gardening, foraging, and bartering with nearby farms can give you an alternative option.

Ultimately, the decision depends on what fits your lifestyle, budget, and your overall goals.

young goat in a pasture. Choosing the best homestead animals for your farm

How to Choose the Best Homestead Animals

Farm animals and homesteading go hand in hand. But how do you know which animals to start with and when it is time to add more? Is there a way to choose animals without overwhelming yourself and your resources?

Let’s break things down so you can narrow in on what animals, if any, will work best.

Why do you want livestock

Farm animals may be adorable, but they also come with added responsibilities and costs. Before picking up those charming chicks at the feed store or bring home a few baby goats, consider the reasons for wanting them on your homestead.

  • Food Production – Livestock like chickens, goats, and cows provide fresh eggs, milk, and meat, allowing your family to enjoy nutritious, home-raised food.
  • Taking Control – Raising animals helps create a self-sufficient homestead by reducing trips to the store. The work involved is small in comparison to the rewards you get overall.
  • Soil Boosters – Your animals do double duty by fertilizing and aerating the soil, making your garden thrive.
  • Life Lessons – Taking care of animals is rewarding and teaches you skills while deepening your connection to the land and your food.

With each reason, however, comes skills that you will need to have for the work and care involved, but knowing your purpose will help you to go into this venture more prepared.

The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best Breeds for Small-Space Farming, Produce Your Own Grass-Fed Meat, Gather Fresh ... Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle, & BeesThe Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best Breeds for Small-Space Farming, Produce Your Own Grass-Fed Meat, Gather Fresh … Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle, & BeesThe Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best Breeds for Small-Space Farming, Produce Your Own Grass-Fed Meat, Gather Fresh ... Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle, & BeesThe Ultimate Guide to Raising Farm Animals: A Complete Guide to Raising Chickens, Pigs, Cows, and MoreThe Ultimate Guide to Raising Farm Animals: A Complete Guide to Raising Chickens, Pigs, Cows, and MoreThe Ultimate Guide to Raising Farm Animals: A Complete Guide to Raising Chickens, Pigs, Cows, and More40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead: A Hands-on, Step-by-Step Sustainable-Living Guide (Creative Homeowner) Fences, Chicken Coops, Sheds, Gardening, and More for Becoming Self-Sufficient40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead: A Hands-on, Step-by-Step Sustainable-Living Guide (Creative Homeowner) Fences, Chicken Coops, Sheds, Gardening, and More for Becoming Self-Sufficient40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead: A Hands-on, Step-by-Step Sustainable-Living Guide (Creative Homeowner) Fences, Chicken Coops, Sheds, Gardening, and More for Becoming Self-Sufficient

 

Considerations when choosing livestock

After pinpointing your reasons for wanting livestock on your homestead, take these factors into account when choosing the right animals.

1. Are Animals allowed where you live?

If you’re in a city or suburb, there might be restrictions on the types of animals you can keep. While some areas are becoming more lenient with backyard chickens, many HOAs still prohibit farm animals.

It’s important to adhere to the rules you agreed to when you moved in. If larger farm animals or chickens aren’t allowed, there are still options to look into such as rabbits or bees.

What are the Best Animals for a One Acre Homestead?

2. How much room do you have?

Different animals require different amounts of space and we will go more into this in a moment. Just know it is important to ensure each animal has enough room to grow healthily both inside a shelter and outside in a pasture.

If your space is limited (less than an acre), consider starting with chickens, rabbits, or bees. With more space, you can expand to include goats, pigs, cattle, or a dairy cow, as these animals need much more room to roam and graze.

goats out grazing on green pasture in the spring

3. Do you go out of town often?

Raising animals, regardless of their size, is a commitment you should fully understand before diving in. While it’s true that some homestead animals are more independent than others, leaving for trips or vacations will involved hiring daily care.

All animals require feeding, watering, and protection from predators with some needed more routine care than others.

  • Chickens and Rabbits – You can set up automated systems for feeding allowing them to be content for a few days without much intervention.
  • Honeybees – Bees are quite self-sufficient, especially during the summer months.
  • Cattle – Cows can graze and drink from a pond in the summer but need more care in the winter.
  • Dairy goats or cows – These animals require the most daily attention, often needing to be milked twice a day, except during calving season. If you choose to have a dairy cow, ensure someone else is trained to handle the milking when you’re unavailable.

Get tips on How to Vacation When You Have a Farm.

4. Will they produce something useful?

In my view, the ideal animals for self-sufficiency should contribute something valuable to the homestead. Being cute, is good for a pet, for homesteading it just isn’t enough.

Raising livestock involves costs, so having a byproduct can help offset expenses and potentially generate profit, turning your homesteading into a home-supporting business.

a woman in red handing eggs to a buy at a produce stand

This could include meat, milk, cheese, eggs, fur, honey, manure, or other byproducts. After all, you’re providing food, water, and shelter for these animals, so they should also give back to the homestead.

5. Will you eat your animals?

This can be a sensitive topic, as not everyone is comfortable with butchering animals for food. If you do plan to eat your livestock, learning how to butcher is a skill that might be worth learning.

If you lack butchering skills or have no desire to learn, there are local areas that can do the job for you and most will butcher any sized animal including chickens and rabbits or larger ones like pigs and cattle.

If you choose not to slaughter your animals, you can either sell them to someone that wants meat or you can keep them as pets. Just know this can be a very long commitment depending on the animal.

Ultimately, this is a personal decision and should be considered when choosing which animals to raise on your homestead.

6. Are they a good fit for my climate?

Not every animal is cut out for every homestead environment. Some breeds handle the cold well and even thrive in it, while others are more suited to hot and humid conditions.

A good tip is to talk to local farmers or homesteaders in your area to see which breeds do best in your neck of the woods.

chickens in the snow

Different Animals to Raise on a Homestead

There are many kinds of animals you can add to your homestead from common livestock to the uncommon such as llamas, alpacas, even exotic birds like peacocks.

This list is just the basics of homesteading animals to give you an idea of the possibilities when you are starting out.

Chickens

Backyard chickens are often dubbed the “gateway animal” for homesteaders, and they’re usually the first thing people think of when it comes to homesteading or farming.

What they give: Chickens provide daily eggs, meat, and manure for your garden, all in exchange for daily water, food, and protection.

What they require: Chickens need daily feeding, fresh water, and a secure coop to keep them safe from predators.

Routine care: Check on your chickens daily, replenish their food and water as needed, and collect eggs at least once a day.

More Chicken Reads:

Meat Rabbits

Rabbits are another popular homestead animal and for good reason. They’re easy to care for, reproduce quickly, and provide a steady source of meat.

What they give: Rabbits can be raised for their meat, fur, or as pets. They also produce manure that is great for fertilizing your garden.

What they require: Rabbits need a secure hutch with plenty of space to move around. They also need fresh food and water daily.

Routine care: Clean out the hutch regularly, provide fresh food and water daily, and check on your rabbits’ health periodically.

a group of rabbits in a pen with a hay feeder in the middle

Honeybees

Honey bees are essential for pollinating plants and producing honey, making them a valuable addition to any homestead.

What they give: Honey bees provide pollination for your garden, as well as delicious honey that can be used for cooking and medicinal purposes.

What they require: Bees need a hive and a source of nectar and pollen. They also require regular checking and maintenance to ensure the health of the colony.

Routine care: Check on your bees regularly, provide food supplements if needed, and harvest honey when it is ready.

bee hives. Choosing the best homestead animals for your family farm

Goats

Goats are versatile animals that can be raised for milk, meat, or companionship for larger animals. They’re also great at clearing overgrown areas on your property.

What they give: Goats provide milk, meat, and fiber. They also make great companions and can help with landscaping by eating unwanted plants and weeds.

What they require: Goats need access to fresh water, a shelter to keep them safe from predators and extreme weather, and proper nutrition through grazing or hay. They also need a pasture to give them outdoor grazing and exercise.

Routine care: Check on your goats daily, replenish their food and water as needed, trim hooves regularly, and ensure they have regular veterinary check-ups.

More on Goat Housing:

Pigs

Pigs are intelligent and social animals that can provide meat, manure for your garden, and even entertainment. The are on the bigger side so you will need to be aware of their care before committing.

What they give: Pigs provide meat, lard, and manure for fertilizing your garden.

What they require: Pigs need a secure pen or pasture with access to fresh water and a balanced diet. Regular veterinary check-ups are also important for their overall health.

Routine care: Check on your pigs daily, clean their pen or rotate them in the pasture regularly, replenish food and water as needed, and take care of any issues as they come up.

a homestead pig in a pen

Cows

Dairy and beef cattle are popular livestock options for homesteaders, providing milk, meat, and other by-products such as cheese or butter. Being a large animal, they can be intimidating when first starting out.

What they give: Cows provide milk for dairy products, meat for consumption, and their manure can be used as fertilizer.

What they require: Cows need a spacious pasture with access to fresh water, proper nutrition through grazing or hay, and regular veterinary care.

Routine care: Check on your cows daily, ensure they have access to food and water at all times, monitor their health and behavior closely, and schedule regular vaccinations and check-ups with a veterinarian.

Raising animals on a homestead is a rewarding way to be self-sufficient close to home. By getting to know what each species needs and how to care for them, you can keep your animals healthy and productive from day one.

Whether you’re raising chickens, goats, sheep, or other livestock, a bit of planning and prep will help you to enjoy the journey from day while also be prepared for what this commitment entails.

More Homesteading Resources:

homestead animals

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