I walked out of the city and into livestock thanks to a pony and my friend Deb. Steve’s dad bought our oldest daughter a pony for Christmas when she was 10. We didn’t have a barn, a pasture or much of a clue about taking care of a pony beyond proper grooming. Deb boarded the pony on her farm for us. She was willing to teach me all that she knew about goats, sheep, pigs and cattle while my daughter tended to her pony. Deb gave me a great start. The most important lesson I’ve learned is one I pass along as often as possible: Raising livestock can be as complicated as you want to make it.
Raising livestock can also be reasonably uncomplicated. Something is going to go wrong some where along the way. That’s just the way it is. I’ve learned to move unborn goat kids around without giving it a second thought. I’ve retrieved Belted Galloway cattle from a corn field a half mile up the road using farmcollies I bred and trained. The kid couldn’t have been prevented. It’s just one of those things. The cattle incident could have been avoided. That shouldn‘t have happened, especially not two mornings in a row... I’ve since learned more and put it to good use.
Here’s some of what I’ve learned. Remember, this is only an introduction. You’ll need to do more research but this will get you started in the right direction. May you never hear the phone ring at 6 a.m. because your livestock is in someone’s corn.
Pigs
Housing - Pigs have few requirements in housing. They need to be able to stay dry, to get out of hot sun, and be sheltered from the wind during cold weather. I’ve seen three set ups for pigs that have worked well.
If you’re raising pigs on pasture you can provide simple A-frame shelter resembling a dog house. The shelters are moveable from pasture to pasture. Place the shelter on high ground so that pooling water isn’t a problem. Each hog needs 12 to 15 square feet of floor space. If you’re farrowing on pasture each sow needs her own shelter.
We had a house for our pigs. It is raised off the ground in a pen. Being raised off the ground kept a lot of the mud and dirt out of the house. In the winter we bedded them down in straw and filled their water from just outside the house. Since our sows weighed 600 pounds we avoided going into their house as much as possible. They were very friendly but still, they were 600 pound animals with sharp feet. You can easily be caught between two or three hogs and get hurt, especially at feeding time.
The third setup impressed me in spite of the pigs not being able to go outside. The pigs were moved into a large box stall when they were weaned. They were given two bales of straw for bedding and had a cement food bin they couldn’t tip over. The stall is on the outside wall of the barn. Windows were replaced by doors that swing open and closed. The doors are high enough that the pigs can’t get out but can see out. The bedding became deep by the time the pigs were sent to slaughter because of the hay they were fed. Yes, by the way, pigs do eat hay. These pigs were obviously content with their housing situation. On the cold October mornings I was there the pigs slept in their hay.
Food - Pigs will graze, eat vegetation from gardens, enjoy food scraps and eat commercially prepared foods. If you decide to mix your own food be sure to speak with someone who can tell you the proper ingredients. I mixed whey from cheese making and extra cow and goat milk into the commercial food.
Raising pigs on pasture allows them move, eat naturally, and improves both their meat quality and lifestyle. Pigs that move around normally have a better textured meat than those that seldom use their muscles. Pasture rotation allows for reseeding where necessary, minimizes root compaction and aids in parasite management.
Pasturing pigs can reduce your feed costs significantly. The pasture should be young grass that is low in fiber and high in protein. To avoid rooting damage, rotate pastures frequently.
Water - Pigs love water. We started with large Fortiflex pans for piglets. Those quickly became toys or mini swimming pools. We tried several things. You cannot convince 600 pound sows to not tip over, lie down in or otherwise play in the water if that’s what they want to do, but you can make it more difficult. A simple solution is to cut a 55 gallon plastic barrel in half, cut off the bottom, dig a hole and all but 18” of the barrel. Place the barrel in front of a post. Mount a nipple on the post and turn on the water. The barrel keeps the pigs from walking through and laying down in the mud. The bottomless barrel allows water to drain instead of creating a bin for muddy water. If necessary, drill drainage holes in the barrel.
You might need a temporary water source for piglets until they’re large enough to reach the nipple.
I looked at several watering systems while we were setting up for our pigs. Because they root, pigs have dirty noses. The dirt washes off their noses when they drink and creates a muddy mess at the bottom of the container. Mounted nipples took care of this problem and eliminated the need to dump the container and wash it out before refilling it.
Fencing - Electric fencing works well with pigs. They quickly learn to respect the fence line thanks to their intelligence. Fence posts can be temporary or permanent. High tensile wire on temporary posts is easy to move. Permanent posts with woven wire has done well for me. The only problem I experienced was with hogs that discovered a grounded out hot wire and rooted up the fence posts before I saw what they were doing.
More - In warm weather they need shade and mud to stay cool. Mud serves two purposes. Pigs don’t sweat so the moisture helps them cool off, and they have little hair so it helps protect them from sunburn.
Cattle
Housing - Beef cattle don‘t need to be sheltered indoors most of the year. In winter they should be offered shelter from rain, snow, wind and cold. Shelter can start with as little as a wind break in warm climates to a barn in cold climates. Shade trees and cool ground should be enough to keep cattle cool during a hot summer.
Dairy cows should be provided with shelter in poor weather. Temperatures of 0° and above can be compensated for with additional feed if a barn is not available. A walk-in shed is often enough for a dairy cow in good health when temperatures are below 0°. Most importantly, provide a draft free environment in wet weather.
Water - Clean water should always be available. Natural springs that have been developed work well for us. The spring empties into a container away from the spring. This keeps the cattle from walking through the water and from destroying the spring. Water should be offered in an area that allows you to see the animals.
Food - Cattle are efficient grazers when on good pasture. During droughts and winter in cold climates, pasture can be replaced with hay. Grain can be supplemented to dairy cattle based on gestation and milk production. It can also be supplemented when finishing out beef animals.
Fencing - Electric and barbed wire fencing work well with cattle. Calves might touch the electric fence a couple of times before they realize it’s going to zap them every time and stop.
Goats
Housing - Housing should be draft free and dry but have good ventilation. Box stalls allow goats to move around freely. If your goats are going to spend most of their time outside 10 to 12 square feet per animal is enough space for the average sized dairy goat to allow for movement and avoid overcrowding. Dirty bedding can be forked daily to make sure there’s always dry bedding on top.
Food - When combined with good quality hay, commercial feed makes feeding simple. When necessary, minerals in block or loose form can supply the balance of minerals and vitamins needed. Selenium is deficient in parts of the US. If you aren’t sure about your area ask your vet.
Hay, corn stalks, silage and root crops such beets, turnip and carrots provide the roughage goats need. Grass alone does not provide enough minerals.
A manger with slats that allow the goat to stick on its head through to get hay helps keep hay clean and from being wasted. This is especially important since hay prices are so high in some areas right now.
Water - Goats are my fussiest livestock when it comes to food and water. If a duck walks by and dips its bill into the goat water the goats are probably done with that water. No feed in the bucket, no floating hay, no straw - water only. Dump, scrub and rinse buckets as necessary.
Fencing - There are several options for fencing. I use six strands of high tensile wire. The bottom three strands are electrified. I use an electric fence charger. Solar and batter charges are available. Ten strands of non-electric high tensile works well. Be sure to keep the strands taut. If you have a jumper you can opt for wide fencing. You’ll need to construct a frame for high tensile wire. The bottom wire is 9“ from the ground and 5‘ away from the fence line. The second wire is 9” higher and 4’ from the fence line. Continue up to the top of the fence. The width rather than the height of the fence is usually enough to keep the goats from jumping.
Cattle panels work well on flat ground. Be sure they are well secured so that they don’t give way when goats stand up or rub against them. Woven wire also works well when firmly secured to posts.
Portable electric fencing can work well with goats but I’m don’t like it. The first day I put my goats in this fencing Brekke tried to jump it, got tangled and was shocked with each half-second pulse. I was there when it happened and took care of this quickly. Not all of the goats I’ve seen in this predicament have fared as well. I’ve seen goats that were tangled for so long they’d gone into shock. If you use this fencing be sure to spend enough time with the herd to know they have this fencing figured out before you leave them.
If you have a hole or weak spot in your fence, or you forget to turn on the fence charger, the goats will take advantage of it. They might not go far but their curious nature will get the best of them.
Being well informed and well prepared for livestock before you bring your animals home is always a good idea. If you're still unsure of yourself after you've spent time researching and reading I highly recommend finding someone who will let you visit their farm and get some hands-on experience.