Microlivestock -- What's Been Your Experience?

[Lady Tonka]

When it came time to buy the heritage-breed poultry I wanted, it was my hubby who sensibly pointed out that the banties I'd told him about from my teen years of keeping chickens on the farm would cost less to feed, make less mess, and go broody to hatch out their own chicks. Husband points! So we now have banties.

I want to add a few geese and ducks to my little spread and am interested in smaller versions of them, too. So I did a little research and stumbled across this manual for developing counties that is a wealth of info on the subject of all kinds of little-known micro-livestock. (Giant rats! Green iguanas! LOL) While I'm not ready to figure out how I can raise even micro-goats or micro-sheep on my little piece of property, I would love to hear from you if you have raised any kind of small livestock. Was your experience a good one?

Oh, and did you happen to make any money off them, BTW?

Microlivestock: Little-Known Small Animals with a Promising Economic Future

 

[Lady Tonka]

Almost a hundred views and no one out there has any input about smaller livestock??? :confused3:

All righty then, here's some additional information I found that might spark a response or two:

Advantages of raising micro livestock:

For those of us who are unable to keep up with constant price increases at the grocery store, raising livestock that can provide you with meat, milk, cheese and eggs will help you cut your grocery budget down significantly.
Raising micro livestock teaches us to be more self reliant.
Is a good bartering product.
Smaller species tend to use less of the resources from the land.
Micro livestock grow faster and reach sexual maturity faster than regular sized livestock.
Their greatest advantage is their compact size which is a result of living in harsh environments where they had to adapt. Therefore, they are highly adaptive to unconventional environments.
Some breeds of micro cattle have unusually high tolerances to disease, internal and external parasites.
Goats need less attention compared to other livestock breeds.
Breeds such as goats, chickens and ducks startle easily and can alert you to dangers in the area.
Micro livestock can help do work on the micro farm. They are good foragers, and can clear parts of land that are riddled with roots and weeds, and naturally fertilize the land.

Disadvantages of raising micro livestock:

Depending on the animal, space could be an issue.
The smaller the animal, the easier the prey.
Typically, microlivestock have a higher energy level, and may require more food.
Smaller breeds may not match the overall productivity of the larger breeds.
Like all livestock, animals can succumb to diseases if proper conditions are not met.
Some animals do not thrive well in hot conditions so other living areas need to be built.

List of micro-livestock breeds:

Cattle Zebu Cattle, Miniature Herefords, Mini Holstein, Red Panda Cow, White Dexter, Lowline, Miniature Longhorns, Miniature Galloways, Jerseys, Ayrshires
Birds -turkeys, chickens, ducks, pigeons, quail and guinea fowl.
Goats Terai, Nigerian dwarf, West African dwarf, Pygmy, Nubian
Pigs - American Guinea hog, West African dwarf, Chinese dwarf, Criollo
Rabbits Cinnamons, Californias, American Chincilla, Creme D'Argents, Blanc D'Hotot, New Zealand, Palomino, Rex, Sables, Satins, Silver fox (Source)
Guinea Pigs Long haired, Short hairs, all different color variations
Miniature Deer mouse deer, musk deer, blue duiker antelope

How Micro Livestock Can Be Used For Suburban and Rural Sustainability | Ready Nutrition

Waiting hopefully for real-world stories...

 

[lockhaven]

I caught a deer mouse once, does that count

 

[forgeblast]

We thought about them, especially the cattle, due to space issues and feed issues. But the cost of some of the animals is out of our reach right now.

 

[phiferpharm]

I don't think my miniatures are really what your asking for input for. I have a miniature horse and a miniature pig. They are both great fun, and easy to care for. The Horse works great as a small pasture mower, and the pig has better manners than my dogs. Of course, he would not be big enough to serve as an appetizer for a meal.

 

[Bird]

When I was a kid, we usually had a pretty good sized flock of chickens, but for awhile I had one bantam rooster and two hens. It used to be fun to watch that little rooster chase a big old White Leghorn rooster if the Leghorn got close to "his" hens.:laughing: