File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
ITT, you help me decide.

k, /an/, I need some sort of animal. BUT NOT JUST ANY ANIMAL...You see, I am trying to become as self-sufficient as possible. (basically a small farm) I live in a rural area and prices are just getting way too out of hand. I already garden, cook, forage, and have some farm knowledge, but what I'm looking for is some sort of animal that would be able to keep track of vegetation growth, maybe be strong enough to help me move things, like hauling wood in the fall, and also be good for the soil - as in contributing manure. I live on about 2 1/2 acres right now but have other nearby tracs of land that are suitable for grazing. I've been thinking about this for a while now, but I'm really not sure which way to go about starting...

Image is first result for shetland pony. I've seen some of these milling around on a nearby horseranch.
>> Anonymous
a donkey
>> Anonymous
>>232806

Any particular type? I live in the north.
>> Anonymous
Maybe a llama.
>> Anonymous
>>232809
sorry, i don't know much about farm animals but from what you posted, a donkey was the first thing that came to mind.

donkeys are good for carrying and pulling things and i've met some very friendly ones. if you're looking for harder work, there's always mules which is a hybrid between a donkey and a horse. but i highly doubt they are for beginners since they are huge and powerful.
>> Anon
Donkey, mule, or goat. All can be trained to haul. Though the goat will eat a wider range of forage than either a donkey or mule.
Believe it or not there are breeds of goats that get as big as a donkey. The local vegetable stand has two of the damned things...I don't know what the breed is called. Never stopped and asked.
Another plus is that cloven hooved animals don't rip up their turf as much as the single hooved animals. A pasture with 20 cows will have a less torn up pasture than one with 5 horses. Probably because of weight distribution and that single hooves are like mini shovels scooping up the soil.
Goats are less inclined to bite or kick..while those of the long-eared variety of equine seem to have no qualms. Goats also seem to have a better temperament overall.
>> Anon
>>232829Cont
Breeding goats is cheaper and easier than horses/donkeys. So if you had too..raise goats and eat them too.
Mules would be my second choice. I've never owned one, but I know people swear by them. They call them 'babysitters' as they take care of their rider/owner.
I'd never get a shetland again. I'd go with a welsh/welsh cob. Which would also go with the hauling.
I'm pretty much in the boat as you OP. Veggie and meat prices are outrageous and gas prices have forced us to use wood stoves. So cows and gardens are the way we're going.
>> Anonymous
Just get a small horse for cheap at an auction.. lots of small horses that are past their prime for riding but still make excellent working animals.
>> Anonymous
>>232831
also goats'll eat any/every plant in the yard; sheep, cows, and horses are all more picky and can get sick from some plants.
>> Anonymous
>>232831

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Yeah, I thought about goats...I had a science teacher last year who had goats, but I don't know where the hell she put them. "Someone else is taking care of them right now..." *ominous pause*

I've been mulling over the donkey option since I've heard good things about them from other people as well.

Once I can get things set up, I'd also like to get some chickens and/or geese. We had geese before but they were done in before I was too old to remember them. The eggs were TEH HUEG, I hear.

Goat eyes freak me the fuck out...
>> Anonymous
unless you are making your own electricity,dump your computer gear,you are dreaming.
>> Tasty Snakie. Anonymous
I didn't read your entire post but I think I got the just of it.

I glanced at some of the responses and I agree with them saying goats.

Goats will give u milk, of which I don't like the taste of it but meh, its milk....

You can breed them and make some money / get more of them. Some friends of mine "rent, yes rent" a male for the duration thats needed and then give it back to the owner.

They eat everything. Briers and all... Leash them up next to a patch of crap that you need to get rid of and bam its gone.

My mother, when she was young... gave her goat her cig butts so she didn't have to deal with hiding them from her parents.
>> Anonymous
goats are awesome, they are easy to care for, they just need a little house with bedding and a small heater (if u live somewhere with cold winters), they poop like deer so they dont make a shitty mess all over every thing, you can walk them on a leash, they can be trained to pull a cart.
you have to get at least 2, because they are social and will be lonely and miserable by them selves
if u have CHICKENS- do not let the goats eat the chicken feed, it can give then bloat, and its a terrible way to die.
>> Anonymous
>>233026

We already have wind energy in my area which I'm thinking of investing in. Maybe solar too. Internet belongs to my sister, whose house I am at currently.

Anyway, yeah, I'm looking more into goats as well. I'm thinking of expanding onto the next lot as well if they'll sell. Space for them to roam and forage certainly won't be a problem. I don't plan on being some big thing, unless I happen to like it.

Next time I'm out, I think I'll go try and find some goat products and see how I like it.
>> Anon
>>232841
Horses are going cheap now, but they are higher maintenance than a goat. And they're more sensitive to what they eat. I just buried my mom's 8 year old mare because the dumbfuck decided eating black locust was a good idea.
Goats on the otherhand...we were remodeling, Billy opened the cupboard and ate a huge box of rat poison. Sucker didn't even suffer a nosebleed.
So yeah, goats will rid you of any weeds that most animals don't eat, keeping their pastures well kept. But if you're going to milk them, watch what they eat. It can effect the taste.
>> Anonymous
>>233042

goat products make a wet dog smell like roses in comparison. Only children should consume milk. It's rich & fatty for growing kids fast. Too rich for people in their late teens and older.

Get a mule and become stump pullers.
>> Anonymous
Goats and Mules.
You're set!
>> Anonymous
Mules are generally more even tempered than a donkey (although you can get an ornery one) and they are big like a horse, but they still bray like a donkey, as an added bonus. If you want an animal that cleans vegetation, though, goats are what you're looking for. My dad raised dairy goats and we had 200+ at one point. We sold the goat milk to Arabs or something, I'm not really sure. I never drank it because it smells wierd and I don't like milk, but goat cheese is awesome. They can be aggravating to deal with, but they will keep the grass short and eat anything and everything.
>> Anonymous
>>232805
you probably shouldn't be asking 4chan for this.
>> Anonymous
>>233769
Oh god the mules that live on the farm where my mom keeps her horses make noises that sound like the world is ending >.o but yes, horses can be kind of lacking common sense at times, so it sounds like the plan to go goat is a good one
>> Anonymous
goats are total assholes to other animals
>> Anonymous
>>233893
Goat is now the official animal of 4chan.
>> Anonymous
>>233923
goat=/=livejournal