If you are starting to learn about survival prepping measures, then you’ll most likely know that the supply chain can be interrupted at any minute and you may not be able to simply run to the store whenever you need clothing, food, and other goods.
Because of this, you need to have other ways to source some supplies. Animals are a good source that can provide you with food, milk, and even other things that you need such as fibers for household goods and clothing.
But raising farm animals is a major step in your survival prepping journey. You don’t want to simply buy some livestock animals on a whim without knowing how to properly care for them because these are living beings, and you want to take care of your investment correctly.
When you have another source for food and fibers from farm animals, you’ll be ensuring that you have an additional level of self-sufficiency in your survival journey. These can include things such as milk, eggs, meat, and more.
Each of the animals that you are considering for your survival homestead can provide different things, but you still want to make sure that you can care for each animal correctly before you begin building up an entire farm.
You might be thinking of it in terms of getting chickens for your eggs and meat, cows for milk and meat, and goats for milk, meat and fiber – but if you are inexperienced with how to keep them properly and how to meet their needs, you won’t have the type of yield that you are looking for.
Not only do you need supplies on hand to care for farm animals, but you also have to have skills and knowledge so that you can take care of them properly. You’ll have to know what to feed them, how to breed them, what kind of diseases may pose as a threat for example.
How to Select the Right Farm Animal for Your Homestead
To begin your journey, you have to know which is the right farm animal for you to choose as your initial investment. There are different factors that come into play, not just your personal preferences.
The first thing you have to determine is how much space and what resources you have to raise any animal. If you don’t have a large pasture and feed available for a large animal like a cow, then you shouldn’t start out with that type of animal.
You need to make sure that before you invest in any animal, you have money set aside to pay for veterinary care, proper shelter and feed. You may be able to start with a couple of chickens in your backyard at very little cost because they don’t use up a lot of space.
Even if you plan to move to a larger homestead later, you can get started learning about and caring for animals on a smaller property so that when you do make the move, you’ll be one step ahead in the process.
Chickens are probably one of the most common survival animals people start with because all you need is a coop to keep them in with nesting boxes so that they can lay eggs for you. In addition, you need a dedicated outdoor area that is secured from threats so that they can forage for food. Chickens are one of the best choices if you are on a tight budget and you don’t want to do a lot of heavy maintenance in caring for your animal.
You’ll need to keep them fed and watered, but primarily protect them from any type of predators including snakes, coyotes, foxes, and more. This includes your family dog if you have one – it might be the sweetest little puppy and never bit any human, but a chicken might trigger its hunting and killing instinct. Even the most docile and domesticated dog still has enough predatory DNA in it to react to a small animal running away from it.
Goats don’t require too much extra space, but you do need to have some sort of fenced in area so that they can graze. You’ll need a shelter that they can get under in extreme weather events, and you’ll have to make sure they have sufficient water daily.
With goats, you’ll want to have a veterinarian on hand to give them checkups to make sure they don’t have any common illnesses or parasites. If you are able to use them on your property to control weeds or to provide you with milk, fiber, and meat, this is a great option that is comparable to raising cows, but that doesn’t take up as much space.
Sheep are similar to goats, and you need the same types of things such as a grazing area, water, shelter, and food. Not only will you need the periodic health checkups, but you also need to understand how to sheer them.
You’ll be able to use their milk, meat, and wool. This is a great choice for most climates and this is also a low maintenance option.
Many survival preppers often think they’ll immediately get a cow for their property.
But each individual cow needs a significant grazing space. They also need shelter, fencing that cannot be easily torn down, water and food. You’ll want to have a veterinarian on hand and also understand how to breed cows so that you can continue using them for milk and meat.
With many of these animals, don’t forget that their manure can serve as a great enhancement to your soil if you are growing a survival garden, and you may even be able to turn it into a source of income if you can sell it to others.
Getting the Animal Area in Order
Before you bring an animal onto your property, make sure you have everything set up properly. Having a fence that both keeps your animals on your property and keeps predators out is very important.
You also have to have shelter that they can get under in the event that it is raining or snowing, and even to protect them from harsh sunlight, depending on what climate you live in.
Try to learn every proper fencing and shelter needs for each type of animal that you consider raising, because some will be able to escape or the shelters you have provided may not be enough to protect them from various predators.
You also need to have a system in place to keep them provided with ample drinking water, such as a large trough and some sort of ongoing continuous watering system. Although your animals may graze or forage, you’ll probably have to supplement that with additional feed. All this comes at additional significant cost.
You may also want to get a large guard dog to protect your livestock. There are different breeds you can consider including the Anatolian Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, Akbash and Maremma dogs.
Make sure that you pay close attention when you first bring the animals onto your property to carefully check for any type of problems that might arise for example a breakdown in your fencing structure or inadequate shelter.
What Are the Skills You’ll Need for Raising a Farm Animal?
In addition to having the right space and supplies to raise your animals, you’ll also need to have skills and knowledge that you can apply. This starts by understanding the nutritional needs of each animal, and also how to recognize any type of medical problem that may show up.
Sometimes, a disease can start with one animal and then quickly spread to others, so you want to have a keen eye on the situation. You need to know what is normal behavior and what is something that should be alarming to you and requires immediate action – like separating the sick animal from the healthy ones.
Another skill you have to have to learn is to create a daily care routine for your livestock. You need to have a specific time to feed them, check their water, and check their body for any sign of illness.
You also need to know how to clean their living environment to ensure that they are not living in a mess. Learn about how much exercise they need or how often they need to be put out to pasture for grazing.
Starting Off on the Right Foot with Animal Husbandry
When you have everything ready, you’ll want to begin the process of acquiring the animals for your property. You always want to make sure that you are purchasing from a reputable breeder or farmer, and not just buying from anyone who says they’ll give you a great deal. If it’s too good to be true – it usually bites you in the butt later!
It can be a very expensive and painful experience to purchase an animal just because it’s cheap initially, and then have to spend thousands of dollars on veterinary bills or end up losing the animal completely.
Start out small, regardless of which type of animal you decide to start off with, and raise a few at a time so that you get the experience you need and gain the confidence you need to add more into your flock or herd.
When you feel good about how things are going, make sure you are teaching your family to take care of the animals as well. They can take on chores such as feeding, watering, cleaning, and walk the fence every day to make sure the fence is intact.
This is not a skill that you will master in a single day. You may have setbacks and need to remain patient as you go through the learning process. Reach out to others in the community that can help you understand how things work and eventually you will have animal husbandry as a strong survival tactic you can use to get through any emergency situation.
Now that you know how to pick a farm animal for survival it is time to find out how to Network with other survival-preppers – anonymously. Check out how it is done in our next chapter: Part 28: How to Anonymously Network with Other Survival Preppers
If you missed the previous installment you can read it here: Part 26 – How to Prepare for Hygiene and Sanitation Issues