Livestock Thread

[Hecate]

View attachment 6157436

"Can I fucking help you?!"

 

[Hecate]

Nigga that sounds like animal cruelty. They have to walk and sleep on metal grates for their entire life? You don't even let them have hay to sleep on???

Rabbits don't have pawpads and their feet are completely padded. If you are using the correct type of wire they do not experience pain or discomfort from wire floors. Urine and feces can hurt them, and unless you are cleaning their cage twice or more day a solid bottom cage can damage them more then even the wrong kind of wire floors. Urine scald is a real issue, and I refuse to use any kind of wooden floors because of it.
Safe wire for flooring is usually 1/2x1 in. 16ga wire, and most rabbit keepers I've met and talked to (me included) all use a plastic or tile "resting mat" if the rabbit needs it.
There is one rabbit breed called the Rex that can have issues with wire flooring, but that is a genetic issue with them having too little fur on their feet, and must be culled out of a line if it is found. Rex rabbits also have the same issues with solid floors so it's really just an issue with the breed.
Wire floors can be terrible for other kinds of animals, but that simply isn't the case for rabbits. Don't let those coockoo house rabbit groups convince you otherwise

 

[Freya]

"Can I fucking help you?!"

I love their little dino sqwawks. my cat is scared of the chickens

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

I've been thinking of getting Welsummers as a dual-purpose breed that's supposed to be good at foraging. If anything I'm more concerned for them to eat grasshoppers than I need the eggs or birds for the pot. I've got plenty of room, but I want a hardy bird that will eat lots of bugs for me, and deal with temperatures ranging from 110 to 5 fahrenheit. If it's easy to tell male and female chicks apart, so much the better.

Plus Welsummers are very pretty.

Am I on the right track?

 

[Smoke Manmuscle]

I've been thinking of getting Welsummers as a dual-purpose breed that's supposed to be good at foraging. If anything I'm more concerned for them to eat grasshoppers than I need the eggs or birds for the pot. I've got plenty of room, but I want a hardy bird that will eat lots of bugs for me, and deal with temperatures ranging from 110 to 5 fahrenheit. If it's easy to tell male and female chicks apart, so much the better.

Plus Welsummers are very pretty.

Am I on the right track?

I got Delawares because they are exactly all of that. Plus they are docile and I don’t have to worry about the tiny dinos chasing my kids around. They lay decent and are pretty good for the pot but nothing compared to the production layers or dedicated meat birds.

Also not sure if been mentioned but if you live in the US you can get day old chicks mailed to you via USPS. You will have to pick them up at the post office but through a quirk of legacy postal rules you can still mail live animals.

 

[Freya]

Getting chicks by mail is horrifying. A few end up arriving dead and others die shortly after. It's cruel. They will be stuck in a box with no water and heat up to 90F.
You're betting off checking craigslist and FB marketplace to see who's selling near you

 

[${Sandy}]

Idk where the idea that cats will eat your chickens came from, back when I used to have chickens, the only one that ate some was the dog.

Ironically I have a pitbull mutt that is very protective of my chickens and she chases cats out of the yard.

 

[Freya]

Ironically I have a pitbull mutt that is very protective of my chickens and she chases cats out of the yard.

"chases". no, your shitbull is trying to maul them.

 

[${Sandy}]

"chases". no, your shitbull is trying to maul them.

As long as she isn't mauling the chickens.

 

[Stan]

I used to keep ducks and it was so much fun, and also, totally heartbreaking like most of the time. I do love their little quacks and watching them was very charming.
There was the time two of my drakes fucking drowned a third like the mobster animals they were.
Another time, by favorite drake got shanked by a coyote and died while I was holding it.
My own dog managed to kill like 6-8 muscovies... I ended up prepping those for food every time and hated having to do it on short notice.
There was the time I elected to slaughter some myself, which wasn't that bad. But the HR people getting after me for talking about it at work sure was!
And finally there was that time in Feb 2022 when the coyotes got into the coop and killed all of my overwintering birds (all 15 of them.)
That was the last straw... farming is brutal man.
Those eggs tasted really good though. Maybe if I put them up in a very high security enclosure (more security than the last enclosure) and I only keep females... maybe I'd do it again.

 

[Procrastinhater]

View attachment 6157436

Lol I guess if a giant kept lifting up the roof of my house I'd skwark too.

I love their little dino sqwawks. my cat is scared of the chickens
View attachment 6157587

I know right? Anyone who's watched a flock of chickens hunting down mice has no problem picturing their relationship to dinosaurs.
Chickens really show their Therapod ancestry when they're hunting mice or frogs, they're like little feathery Velociraptors with red hats.

 

[Farsided]

Wire floors can be terrible for other kinds of animals, but that simply isn't the case for rabbits. Don't let those coockoo house rabbit groups convince you otherwise

It's also much easier to collect their droppings, pretty good fertilizer.

Not a wire floor per say, but I keep a tight (10mm - ~1/2 inch) wire mesh stretched on a reinforced wood frame as a floor for a raised chicken coop with bedding on top
Keeps the bottom dry and the straw bedding last for a long time. Just gotta keep turning the bedding with a hoe so their droppings falls to the bottom and eventually through the wire.

 

[Stan]

Can I post duck photos? These are old but still. Some of em had names, others not. I could never get any of them to live longer than like, two years, though I know they can live to seven or eight We just have a lot of predator pressure; coyote-wolf dogs in particular.
RIP beloved ducks. You were delicious, and that was ur downfall <3

 

[${Sandy}]

There was the time I elected to slaughter some myself, which wasn't that bad. But the HR people getting after me for talking about it at work sure was!

There is nothing even remotely offensive about procuring your own meat and anyone who says otherwise can go get fucked with a cactus.

And finally there was that time in Feb 2022 when the coyotes got into the coop and killed all of my overwintering birds (all 15 of them.)

I have coyotes in my area even though its the suburbs. I haven't had issues with them yet but apparently its perfectly legal to merk those fuckers if they are attacking your animals. I go outside with my dog frequently check on my birds to make sure nothing is attacking them.

Anyone who's watched a flock of chickens hunting down mice has no problem picturing their relationship to dinosaurs.

Not just that. One time we had a problematic rooster who kept attacking everything and he constantly made these dinosaur sounding screeching sounds. He even made em while we were getting him ready to make some chicken noodle soup.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

I have coyotes in my area even though its the suburbs. I haven't had issues with them yet but apparently its perfectly legal to merk those fuckers if they are attacking your animals.

If the coyotes are *not* attacking your animals, I suggest you live and let live. Shooting coyotes doesn't do much to reduce overall numbers, but you will be killing the coyotes who aren't aggressive towards your livestock.

I'm not being a bleeding heart, here. I'm saying don't start no shit won't be no shit. We've been at peace with our local packs for years; they've come right through our pastures and had the good sense to stick to rabbits.

 

[${Sandy}]

If the coyotes are *not* attacking your animals, I suggest you live and let live. Shooting coyotes doesn't do much to reduce overall numbers, but you will be killing the coyotes who aren't aggressive towards your livestock.

I'm not being a bleeding heart, here. I'm saying don't start no shit won't be no shit. We've been at peace with our local packs for years; they've come right through our pastures and had the good sense to stick to rabbits.

Yeah. Im not going around hunting them down. I don't like to hurt animals. I simply meant I go outside with my dog and check to make sure my chickens are safe throughout the day, if I end up seeing a coyote or something attacking my chickens I'm gonna do what needs to be done. I'm not gonna go kill every coyote I see walking up the side of the road lol.

 

[Phalanges Mycologist]

How hard are chickens actually to raise? Like if you have them what sort of time investment per day are you talking?

Easy, the problem isn't the care or feeding of them but the pest's they can bring and you need to keep the area clean especially if it's in a urban area.

Why don't more people own chickens then? I know Mexicans do, but if eggs cost as much as bullets in the US, what's stopping more people from raising chickens? They seem to have less space requirements than dogs.

They do, they are just small scale 3 / 5 is the most common flock in the UK on Facebook an some Reddit subs you see adverts for Roster Rental and that's the BIG one that stops people from having them as the Roosters are harder to manage and make a lot more noise.

Lot's of people keep Rabbits for Food and you would be shocked at the numbers an kinds me an the Mrs have been thinking of trying to keep some of those big Belgian Blues for the meat an Pelts, hell you could also look at Angora's if you wanted a more long lived kind that has a utility in life and when they are old can be put into the pot.

Then Bee's they are really common to find urban / suburban hives and the associated keepers Bee's are easy to keep as they look after themselves 99.9% of the time it's only when it comes to harvesting the Wax and Honey you need any sort of special education but you can learn that as you go an there are a lot of people more than willing to help you out with equipment, and education - I am looking at getting a few hives next year, so I expect to be swimming in Honey (the only food that never goes off) and Wax a substance that has 1000 uses.

 

[${Sandy}]

Got some new chicks. If I end up with more than one rooster I'm thinking tacos.

Also I have some quails that should be hatching soon, I'm planning on making those into a stew when they are ready.

I am looking at getting a few hives next year, so I expect to be swimming in Honey (the only food that never goes off) and Wax a substance that has 1000 uses.

Bees wax is also really valuable. If you can get yourself alot of it you might make some good money selling it.

I'm considering getting myself a bee hive some day. Call me king cobra because I'm gonna make some fucking mead.

 

[Phalanges Mycologist]

Bees wax is also really valuable. If you can get yourself alot of it you might make some good money selling it.

Tell me about it I use it a lot for various treatments for metal an wood and I make some small candles and the Mrs is planning on preserving stuff that comes out of the garden with it to seal jars so having my own source makes sense,

 

[Smoke Manmuscle]

Getting chicks by mail is horrifying. A few end up arriving dead and others die shortly after. It's cruel. They will be stuck in a box with no water and heat up to 90F.
You're betting off checking craigslist and FB marketplace to see who's selling near you

If you are looking for a specific heritage breed this might be the only way to go. Trick is to always order ~10%-15% more then you intend to keep long term. You will have some die in shipping and raising. Welcome to farming.

have coyotes in my area even though its the suburbs. I haven't had issues with them yet but apparently it’s perfectly legal to merk those fuckers if they are attacking your animals. I go outside with my dog frequently check on my birds to make sure nothing is attacking them.

Most states classify coyotes as pest animals which allow them to be shot year round no questions asked. Other common pest animals on that list are possums, raccoons, and feral hog. Check your state regulations.