How to Take Care of a Small Stock Farm

Small stock means small animals, fowl, pigs sheep, goats and Pygmy versions of large stock animals like cows and horses. Taking care of a small stock farm is nearly as much work as taking care of a large stock farm since the size of the animals does not make much of a difference in the type of care they require.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Book on small stock farming

1. Know is that just because the stock is small animals, the work is not going to be lessened. The amount of mess might be lessened by having smaller animals but get enough of them in one place and the mess is just as big as on a large stock farm. Get organized. Learn how to do stuff ritualistically, in other words, try to do everything the same way each time so that you don't forget anything. What you will have to do is feed the animals and water them, clean out the areas of the barn where the animals live on a regular basis and make sure that they always have clean bedding.

2. Be aware that life is pretty regimented on a farm. You get up at a certain time of the morning to do the morning chores which are essential to start your livestock on their day. Without you they have no fresh food or water, they cannot get out of the barn because you have to open the doors and their home will remain dirty. This is an every day job. Evening chores are regimented as well, you have to put them safely back in the barn again, because on a small stock farm you must watch out for predators. If an animal is left out overnight, you could be looking at either a seriously injured animal in the morning or a dead one. Either way, it is safer to simply herd all of the animals back in the barn in the evening.

3. Count the animals before you lock them up for the night--it's essential. Animals invariably get out of their pen or fenced-in area from time to time and when they do it can create all kinds of havoc with the neighbors if farm animals are out just wandering around loose. Also, if you live near a heavily-driven highway, your valuable animal might end up getting hit by a vehicle driving past. It takes no time at all to count the animals as they come through the barn door and if one is missing for any reason you know it immediately.

4. Know that manure needs to be taken care of as soon as possible and this is done usually by hauling it away in a wheelbarrow and spreading it with a pitchfork on the garden if you have one or around your fruit trees. Excess animal manure could be placed into a compost pile to eventually create non-scented fertilizer or you can just skip the middle-man altogether and spread it everywhere you have growing things. The smell can be a bit noxious but the results are outstanding. When your corn starts growing to be eight feet tall or taller, you will be grateful for the stench you had to put up with.

5. Buy feed for the animals. It's a fact of farm life, small stock or otherwise. If you cannot afford the feed then you have too many animals to feed in the first place and some culling needs to be done. Keep your farm only as big as you can afford and no bigger. Sell or destroy any excess animals, particularly in fowl populations since having too many males it can upset the balance of the pecking order.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to maintain a regular schedule with your livestock. They depend on you and you depend on them for your livelihood. Any upset in routine, even a small one, can create chaos in your production.
• Be very careful when using tools like pitchforks, as they can cause serious injury if used carelessly.

Resources

• www.journeytoforever.org

[sharilox]

on 10/10/2009 we have 40 six-month old pheasants in a large coop that has a dirt floor, how important is sanitation w/ pheasants. Also we strictly feed our birds scratch/screen grain from our local grain elevator, is this enough nutrition for our pheasants?