What livestock animal would be lowest maintenance?
Question by Carlyn: What livestock animal would be lowest maintenance?
We have roughly 5 acres fenced in, and we are looking for a good livestock animal to be a lawn mower and a pet. There is a bit of rough terrain in one paddock too.
My dad wants lowest maintenance so here are a couple rules:
No shearing (that boots llamas, alpacas, and sheep)
No shoeing (horses and mules)
So we were thinking it comes down to either a couple cows or a couple large goats, maybe a donkey.
What are your suggestions of those three, or are there others besides the animals I have listed?
Thank you for feedback!
What do you think? Answer below!
6 Responses to What livestock animal would be lowest maintenance?
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Even goats can need hoof care. I’d go for a horse or horses. What’s wrong with shearing? You can sell the wool and pay for a shearer. You may only break even, but what’s wrong with that. How about boarding horses? You can make money that way, without vet or hoof care. Make the boarders get the feed.
Susan M
January 14, 2013 at 4:16 am
i personally would go with a few goats, they are great grass eaters. donkeys are very noising and very stubborn. my family has raised boer goats for years. goats are very loving and cute. the only thing u would really have to do with them is trim their feet, which really isnt that bad. there are 2 main types of goats to choose from- dairy and meat.i dont know too much about dairy but boer goats are meat goats are primarily for showing which is what we do. and goats are good with kids if u have any. also i would recommend that u get nannys (female goats) rather than a billy (male goats) because billys tend to be more aggressive. and kid of a FYI baby goats are the cutest thing ever!!! hope everything works out! let me know what u think!
A
January 14, 2013 at 4:41 am
I agree with Susan that boardings a great idea! You would gain money and get the grass down! 🙂
Angel
January 14, 2013 at 4:46 am
Goats definately.
Barb
January 14, 2013 at 5:03 am
you can get some goats. you can trim their hooves yourself and is not that hard I have have 6 and one will be have kids.
Ana
January 14, 2013 at 5:06 am
I know you said no llamas, but they are actually lower maintenance than the others that you listed.
Pros: The only hands-on care that they really need is shearing once a year, and hoof trimming.
Depending on how rough the terrain is, and how much it wears their feet down, a llama may never need their hooves trimmed at all. Llamas eat very little (relative to their body size), hardly ever need a vet, and aren’t hard on fences.
For shearing, you would need either invest in a clippers, somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 100-200, or get a hand shearer, which would take a lot more time and looks uglier, but still does the job. Their personality is more like a cat- they don’t really enjoy being petted and fussed over. They are able to be halter trained though.
Goats
Pros: They’re super friendly (good pets). They will clear out any brush that needs to be eaten, but they will eat anything leafy before eating grass. You could have dairy goats, which are generally calmer and friendlier, and you can experiment with making goat cheese and such. They do not need to be sheared. They don’t need a farrier.
Cons: You would need a very secure fence, which could get to be expensive for 5 acres. Goats will jump over, duck under, and squeeze through anything they can if they get bored. (Most goats anyway). Goats also need their hooves trimmed, anywhere from once a month to once a year. It depends on the terrain and the goat, just like llamas. Trimming is easy though, and only takes a few minutes once you get the hang of it.
Cows
Pros: Dairy cattle are friendly, beef are normally not very friendly. You could get a small breed like a jersey or a dexter. They will keep your pasture mowed well. Hooves are not normally a problem and don’t normally need to be trimmed often. Umm, cows are just fun in general!
Cons: They are big, so they need more of everything. More feed and such. If they do end up needing a hoof trimming, you normally need to have someone come out to do it.
Donkeys
Pros: Donkeys can be trained to do things like horses can. Most donkeys are friendly. They don’t eat very much, and pasture is normally all they need. (Too rich of feed actually causes them health problems.) In the winter you would probably need to feed them hay of course. Donkeys make awesome noises and you’ll always be able to make ass jokes.
Cons: Like I said before, donkeys will have problems if they get too rich of feed. It’s also easy to overfeed them, which is why you see donkeys with fat deposits on their backs and necks (the fat deposits are pretty much permanent) Donkeys need regular hoof care from a farrier. Their hooves are less touchy than a horses, but they still need to be taken care of.
So that ended up really long, but out of everything you listed, goats are actually my favorite. But, if you’re looking for what has the lowest maintenance, I would suggest llamas. (don’t let the shearing scare you off too bad)
Missy
January 14, 2013 at 5:55 am