Goats, Sheep, Pigs & Cows

Small-farm livestock for beginners: dairy and meat goats, sheep, pigs, a family milk cow, meat rabbits and home dairy.

Goats, sheep, pigs and a family cow can turn a few acres into milk, meat and fibre, but each species has one or two rules that beginners learn the hard way, like the copper that's safe for goats and deadly for sheep.

Start here for breed choice, housing, fencing, feeding and health basics, all drawn from university extension research, plus home dairy and processing guides for when the freezer starts filling up.

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All Goats, Sheep, Pigs & Cows guides (9)

Processing a Meat Rabbit

Fryer age and weight targets, dressing steps, dress-out percentages by breed, and why the carcass needs a 24-hour rest.

Raising Meat Goats

Boer vs. Kiko, the calcium-phosphorus rule that prevents urinary stones, weaning and market weights, and FAMACHA deworming checks.

Home Dairy: Cheese, Yogurt, Butter

Turn a milk surplus into yogurt, butter and an easy first cheese: sanitation, raw milk safety, and the temperatures each one needs.

Build a Goat & Sheep Shed

Square feet per goat or sheep, how to site a three-sided loafing shed, and bedding and feeder-space numbers for a small herd.

Keeping a Family Milk Cow

Jersey or Holstein, the land and barn space a cow needs, real water and hay numbers, and why the dry period before calving matters.

Raising Sheep

Wool vs. hair breeds, the fencing that holds sheep, the copper mineral trap that can kill a flock, and lambing basics.

Raising Pigs for Meat

Space, fencing, feed by weight, temperature and timeline numbers for raising a feeder pig or two for the freezer.

Raising Dairy Goats

Dairy goat breeds, housing and fencing, feeding and the copper mineral trap, and kidding timing, from university extension research.

Raising Meat Rabbits

Cage size by weight, feeding amounts, breeding and kindling timing, and health warning signs for a backyard meat rabbitry.