Best all around livestock animal?

[Packin' Heat]

minimoo?

[Anianna]

Milking horses does not sound ...... efficient. Or pleasant.

Your dog would be far more valuable for protection and hunting than as livestock.

Most of the small to medium livestock animals can be mobile and critters like goats and sheep have been kept by nomadic peoples throughout history. Even cattle were once raised on open prairies and moved long distances to market without the use of trucks and trains.

[Ad'lan]

Milking horses does not sound ...... efficient. Or pleasant.

Your dog would be far more valuable for protection and hunting than as livestock.

Most of the small to medium livestock animals can be mobile and critters like goats and sheep have been kept by nomadic peoples throughout history. Even cattle were once raised on open prairies and moved long distances to market without the use of trucks and trains.

Even Cattle? One of the most Iconic images of Americiana is the cowboy, with his herd across the open range, driving them to market. The easy of mobility is something that influeneced my first post against small animals.

[ZombieGranny]

Small fowl were carried West by pioneers, hung from cages in the wagons.

I find ducks foul their water bins far more than chickens (even with a place to swim) and the roosters have a larger harem than ducks. I must admit ducks are quieter, but have never had an aggressive rooster.
Ducks seem to mate more in couples and Ménage à trois. Chickens have orgies.

[RachelBB]

Our ducks are noisy. Far more annoying than a rooster, IMO.
Chickens are good, but you've got to have a hen that goes broody (sets on eggs and raises chicks). When the hen is brooding eggs, she doesn't lay more eggs. Say she hatches 6-8 chicks each time she broods. Some breeds are frequent brooders (games, silkies, many bantam breeds), but many large laying breeds only go broody once or twice a year, if that. Many hatchery hens have been breed to not go broody, to increase egg production. A dual purpose rooster takes 4-5 months to get to a decent eating size, and it will look nothing like the cornish cross meat birds you buy at the store. So if you're relying on chickens, you might not be eating meat as often as you think. The eggs are a good deal, though. A good layer will give you an egg about six days a week for over a year before she takes a break to molt.

I don't know how much meat you realize from butchering a goat? I know it depends on age/size, but I'm thinking you usually butcher at six months or so? Does anyone know what hanging weight would be? I think does usually only go into season once a year (if they're bred), so you'd get one or two kids from each doe per year.

Rabbits are ready for butcher in 6-8 weeks, I think? A rabbit doe will have 6-8 kits every three months or so. One buck can cover many does.

I'd think rabbits are best for consistency, the others for variety. And as mentioned, in the US we eat a LOT of meat. That would change.

[ZombieGranny]

What breed of ducks do you raise?
Ours were white Pekins and seldom made any noise at all.

[bonanacrom]

Highland cattle - Guinea pig - The Yak. The highland cattle are known to be able to eat much poorer wild foods than cows and thrive on it. The guinea pig requires about 3 square feet of grass per animal pretty much just like rabbits, but the breed more often ( than most ) rabbits and are larger ( some breeds ) than wild rabbits. - for small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs a pen built on sled runners can be dragged it's length daily to prove the new grass and no other attention is required ( water ) My favorite is the Yak - largest of the bovines ( except american buffalo ) they will eat much poorer food and do well, they won't eat grain but require grass and such. They are used as draft animals, you can ride them milk them get wool ( or what ever you call it ) from them, they can handle extreme winter and find there own food. The biggest concern for a food animal in a paw is going to be your ability to keep others from taking them. Cattle require more open grasslands and so do sheep, these can do well in less open areas.

[flsgear]

I'll throw my 2c in here...



Chickens. They've got to be the most idiot proof, low maintenance, high yield, easymode livestock on the planet.

You get:
Eggs
Meat (if you desire)
Poop (yes, this is a good thing - world's best fertilizer)
An automatic weed-eater

[wee drop o' bush]

I'll throw my 2c in here...



Chickens. They've got to be the most idiot proof, low maintenance, high yield, easymode livestock on the planet.

You get:
Eggs
Meat (if you desire)
Poop (yes, this is a good thing - world's best fertilizer)
An automatic weed-eater

Ok because of that awesome photo I've changed my mind to chickens!

[RogerK]

Sheep, preferably one of the primitive breeds (Icelandic, Shetland, Finn). All three are 'triple threat' (meat, milk and fiber).

Remember that sheep are grazers, goats are browsers.

Chickens (especially the old fashioned breeds, more parenting skills).
Rabbits.

As for feeding rabbits and chickens during the summer, there is always animal tractors.

The advantage to sheep over lets say cows is they are smaller and easier to handle. The larder stays on the hoof and is moe transferable (100# of lamb/mutton compared to 1000# of beef). Finn sheep in particular as they are good mothers, have multiple births and can breed twice in a year. The record that I was able to find fo 1 Finn was 30 lambs in 5 years. Yup from 1 ewe.

[RogerK]

My grandad kept bees. Without sugar beet or imported cane or maple/birch, it's the only source of sugar. There's somany uses for honey, mead and meat preservation are two key ones. Honey cure ham

And they might be vital if commercial hives scum to colony failure.

I'm familiar with how to get sugar from the others, including maple syrup- but I've never heard of birch being a source. Would you be willing to expand on that, please? There's quite a few maple trees tapped in out area- one guy right in town has the three trees outside the front of his house tapped in the spring. I don't think he gets much, but I give him credit for trying. Do you tap birch the same way? or is there another method?

Well, I learned something new.

http://www.3dchem.com/moremolecules.asp ... ch%20sugar

http://www.xylitol.org/about-xylitol

I'm still looking for how it gets from the tree to a granular sugar, though ...

well- that DOES explain why I never feel the need to sweeten my birch twig tea.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut) makes soome good sap/syrup,, too.

[Anianna]

I'll have to give that a try. We have a few black walnut trees.

[ineffableone]

I am glad people are mentioning the basics. Ducks, bees, rabbits, and goats are all very great choices.

I prefer ducks over chickens for the reasons others have already mentioned.
Bees are very necessary for the pollination of crops and provide honey and wax.
Rabbits are a great fur and food source, though you do need to augment your meat source with rabbit as it incomplete for humans.

The topic is best all around, and for this I would vote goats. The obvious meat, dairy, textiles, and pack animals. With the bonus of easy of feed and maintenance and protection. You could probably do some light plowing etc with goats if you had to. Goats tend to be better than sheep at protecting themselves against predators. For shear versatility I think goats win.

Llama might also be another possibility, though not sure about milking llama, though I do know llama were used for meat for a long time great pack animals, of course textiles. Llama are large enough to fill some simple farm jobs in a limited amount that you would normally need a larger animal like horse or ox, like plowing etc. Llama are also decent at protecting themselves against predators.

One thing I was a bit surprised no one has brought up yet. Fish.

Fish can be raise in ponds, lakes, even aquariums.
Some links on tilapia fish farming. Though I would not necessarily limit myself to tilapia, I understand they have a huge breeding rate, and can be an easy to farm fish. Fish farming is something I am only just recently looking into.
http://tilapiafarmingathome.com/basics.aspx
http://tilapia-fish-farming.info/TilapiaInfo.aspx

From what I know and gather, there is never just one animal that will give you the best of everything. This is why though I vote for the goat, since they fill the most for the all around category this thread is about. Are they the best in one area only, probably not. But specialization creates weakness in other areas.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Fish ARE a good source of nutrition, but the original premise was "being on the move". A nomadic lifestyle precludes taking the fish with you. But, if you took the time to stock waters along a route you regularly travel, your fish would be waiting for you, rather than having to be hauled around.

Most everyone is familiar with the image of desert nomads, wandering (to the casual observer) through the desert sands, in search of water or trade, or maybe both. What actually is going on, is that the tribe knows exactly where it's headed, not searching for water, but heading for a water source that is known to them. If you were to adapt the practice to a location like mine; NY State, moving from sizable water to sizable water, hunting and foraging along the way while your herd grazes or browses, you could support a sizable family unit or clan. Smaller water sources would abound along any route given even moderate planning beforehand, so drinking water could be easily obtained. A nomadic shelter system, and this sort of Traveler lifestyle would actually work, today, or later on. Until relatively recent times, Travelers have done pretty much exactly this same thing.

[Kvaedi]

Goats are amazing. They are smart, they produce milk, they eat anything, AND they are self sufficient. They can and will take care of themselves better than any other livestock animal, from cows to sheep to horses to oxen.

There are downsides however. They can be tough to control. They are smart, which means they will figure out ways to make your life hell. I think the problems are outweighed by the benefits however; they will survive in any climate you can. They will eat anything, which means you don't have to carry their food with you if you have to move. And again, they are smart. They will solve a lot of their own problems, are tough or fast and agile enough to handle practically all predators, man included. Their smaller size, which you mentioned as producing less protein, can be a benefit. Larger animals eat more. Which means you will A- have to find food for them B- have to move them periodically. While the same is true with goats, you will have to do so less, and will have less problems when doing so... Sheep, cows, and pigs are rather vulnerable and stupid animals. Goats will take care of themselves.

Oh, and they have rectangular pupils. That's just cool.

[buck85]

I think you all have made some good points, but you have not change my mind yet.(read previous post)

[nateted4]

... are tough or fast and agile enough to handle practically all predators...

We lost our first herd to roving feral dog packs. They still need protection from them, and possibly coyotes.

[ThePhuckStopsHere]

My vote goes to chickens , can't go wrong there . The feathers also produced can be used as insulation for blankets etc.
In terms of keeping livestock , if you live in a semi rural area , have a bag of red salt , or salt lick block on your property , once the local deer/elk population find it , you'll have an abundance of livestock coming to you , livestock you don't have to feed or water , they do an excellent job of taking care of themselves . I work in Renton , Wa and there is a neighborhood up in the highlands that is overrun by deer and I have seen bucks so big they would net a national title . They live on the BPA and Pipeline ROW lands , hunting isn't allowed . I was greeted on a residential street by 20 deer just wandering along . Eating roses in people's yards.

[buck85]

Chicken.... no, no, no. dog, ah.., the other white meat... no, no, no, taste like...., no, no, Oh yeah, man's best friend. and when i died,feed me to my dogs. I wonder,'do i taste like chicken?' or are they saying to each other' I was always wondering? but darn he sure taste like cat!!

[Crazy Wolf]

Sheep were/are popular among the Navajo and Apache, so if you're living in the Four Corner States, you might want to keep that in mind. Dogs require meat, do they not? As such, they would not be as good a choice. Plus, a pack of them can have dominance issues and be more unruly and louder than actual livestock. If I recall correctly, carnivore (or omnivore) poop is not good for composting/fertilizer due to parasites, so keep that in mind. You'll be getting a lot more poop than meat from any animal, it might as well be useful poop.

EDIT: Sorry Granny, but I figure posting good reasons not to do it is better than just saying "don't go there" or "but they're man's best friend!". Hopefully this is the end of it.

[buck85]

Come on lighten up! The question is 'Best all around livestock animal?'An honest answer, done with a little humor. I have never said that anyone was wrong or that mine was more correct . This is about survival and paw is not going to be political corrrect.I got three dog that are my best friends!!!

[ZombieGranny]

I believe that you have been given an honest answer...
Dogs are not a good livestock animal, let alone the "best all around livestock animal" as the original question asked.
No milk, little weaving fiber, no feathers, no good fertilizer.
Just skins and meat, and a lot of trouble if the pack is big enough to feed a family.

[buck85]

Livestock (also cattle) refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor.

Zg, I respect your opinion and if you are looking at this question from the western cultural view I would agree with you a 100%.But....
In the far east, dogs are raised for food.
In many sub culture around the world dogs are bred for the ability to hunt,
Dog hair can be spun into yarn and then woven.
Lighten up!! this is all about sharing ideas, information and opinions.If you beat me, beat me with facts,don't smother with emotion.
Thank you for at least letting me talk I will not go any further with this.

[ZombieGranny]

This is supposed to be a serious thread.
I have given you a seriously thought out answer, and for some reason that annoys you.
There is no need to continue to tell me to 'lighten up', as I shall no longer read your posts.
Carry on.