A resurgence of small farming operations, or “hobby farms”, has resulted in an increased number of individuals keeping livestock on small acreages. With limited space, there is a need to maximize productivity in tight quarters, while minimizing losses caused by disease, parasites and predators.
Using livestock to protect smaller livestock
One of the risks of keeping livestock is attracting predators. Unfortunately, farm animals make appealing meals for many types of wild animals, including raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and birds of prey such as hawks and owls. Keeping smaller livestock, like chickens and other fowl, with compatible larger livestock, such as goats or sheep, can make an easy meal less appealing for smaller predators such as foxes or owls. Llamas or donkeys, which can also be kept with sheep and goats, can offer protection against coyotes and dogs.
Reduce manure build-up and parasites with chickens
Chickens are excellent for manure control, as their scratching and foraging not only breaks up clumps of waste, but also reduces the survivability of common parasites by exposing their microscopic eggs to the elements. Because most parasites are species-specific, their lifecycle can be safely broken in this manner. In addition, the chickens help return the manure to the earth, where it can fertilize naturally, either in the barnyard, or by being transferred into the garden. Free-run chickens also consume less feed, as they forage for a large portion of each day, and can clean up grain dropped by other livestock. Besides, sheep and goat droppings are small, making removal by hand far more difficult than that of horse or cattle. And spread manure composts quickly, increasing soil quality.
Overcrowding increases the risk of disease
Keeping single types of livestock in close quarters can increase the risk and spread of disease that can devastate farm production. Smaller numbers kept in uncrowded pens can generate better quality and quantity of produce, whether it be eggs, milk, fibre or carcass. Keeping several pens that each contain a small flock of chickens, and a couple sheep or goats may work better than keeping one pen solely for chickens, one pen solely for goats, and one pen solely for sheep. Alternatively, a single large pen may be used for all the livestock, so long as the fencing is appropriate to the animals it contains.
Pigs, however, should not be kept with other livestock, as they are omnivorous by nature, and may injure or eat the other animals kept with them. Horses and cattle can also be kept with smaller livestock, so long as the enclosure is of substantial size.
Keeping a common barnyard can increase production, while decreasing the cost and labour of maintaining livestock. Many types of livestock can be kept in a communal group creating a mutually beneficial relationship. By decreasing predation, disease and parasites, more time can be spent enjoying the bounty produced by the family farm.
Amanda Stewart - Amanda Stewart has a small off-grid farm in British Columbia, where she writes about her passions - farming, gardening, and livestock.
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