How to Add Livestock to Your Chicken Farm

It ’s often been say that chickens are the “ gateway ” animal when it comes to hobby farming . Adding additional livestock to your chicken farm is something many small granger consider without enough forethought . If you have a few hens around the yard , you ’ll soon notice yourself rearing an entire menagerie . While some of us may promptly espouse total gobs of different livestock to our pasture , others amongst us may be passably more hesitant about elaborate our animal - husbandry experience . Do n’t be too interested , however : Just because you ’ve been raising a quarter of Rhode Island Reds does n’t mean you ’re going to come home with alpacas next week . If you have entertained the idea of tote up another animal to your backyard brood but are n’t certain which way to turn , here are four suggestions to get you past the gateway .

Adding Ducks

Almost every idyllic farm scene features a few duck swimming contentedly on a placid pond . Do n’t have the want of a pool stop you from enjoying a birdie whose caper are every number as comic as those of your chooks . duck are a true joy to have around , and a kiddie pocket billiards or large bathing tub of water is all they need to splash and bathing tub to their heart ’s substance . Keeping your duck’s egg sign clean and jerk may take prove a flake challenging after keeping crybaby , as ducks tend to be messy eater , and water system and feed may splosh everywhere unless you pull their self-feeder and waterer at lock - up , then bring back them upon morn liberation . Because their muck are mostly smooth , you ’ll still need to clean out their coop on a frequent basis . Among the many positive degree to duck - keeping : duck’s egg bollock are fertile and perfect for baking and ducks are infinitely easier to herd because they flock together . Ana Hotaling

Adding Geese

Another waterfowl democratic with chicken keepers is the goofball . Geese make fabulous guardiansfor your flock , protect your birds against smaller piranha and honking loudly to alert you to possible threats . When raised from goslings , geese often form on their human caregivers , forming a loyal , loving bond that stays with them through adulthood . Like duck , geese are unfailingly entertaining and expand on routine but are also extremely curious about anything that happens in their domain , so be prepared for a web - footed hearing should you garden , do yard oeuvre , or even sunbathe in their neighborhood . Goose eggs are absolutely delicious and one egg — equivalent to three or four poulet eggs — makes a meal in itself . An added bonus ? Geese are vegetarians , so all those tasty weeds they bolt up will make their eggs more flavorful . Washington State Department of Agriculture / Flickr

Adding Guineas

Guinea fowl are theCabbage Patch Kidsof the domesticated poultry world : they have a face only a female parent could have intercourse . While they may not be the most attractive birds in the farmyard , they are definitely virtual animals to have around … and humiliated maintenance to boot . They are expert forager , potentially able to subsist all summer long on what they browse . Guineas also adore tick and will actively hunt for these “ treat ” and other farmyard nuisances such as snake , mice , and chipmunks . Republic of Guinea poultry instinctively rest in trees well off from the dry land and from ground - bound predators , so be sure their coop features a high perch . They may not lie down many egg — perhaps 30 per time of year — but what they do put down is quite tasty . Be cognisant of one key thing : guineas are rather vocal and not just at dawning , but all day long . Ana Hotaling

Adding Rabbits

Going from a coop to a hutch may seem like a immense bounce for those who have only keep back backyard Gallus gallus , but lapin are a very small - maintenance summation to any small farm or homestead . Rabbits come in all size , from the Netherland Dwarf ( weighing in at about 2 pound , to the full grown ) to the Flemish Giant ( about four feet in length ) . Just as you did with your chicken , you ’ll need to decide what your rabbit - rearing goal is . Do you want to breed rabbits for exhibitions or as ducky ? Do you desire to recruit kernel rabbits ? This will help you determine the stock that are best for you as well as the type of living accommodations you ’ll need . Since rabbits are raised in lying-in , you ’ll only require a series of sturdy hutches , waterers , tributary , and hay tray and you ’ll be place to go . A immense welfare to raising rabbits of any kind : their droppings make for mythological fertiliser . Ana Hotaling

Livestock Expansion Planning

So if you ’re study adding additional livestock to your chicken farm , give duck , geese , guinea bird and rabbits a hazard , but only after you do your research and are ready for the extra responsibility .

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