Livestock Basics

I was reading a modern homesteading piece on MotherEarthNews.com today. The article was about planning the perfect homestead. It had a small side piece on the perfect livestock for your space. Many people dream of running off to the country and buying a large acreage. However, space shouldn't necessarily be a deterrant if you don't have 10, 20, 40 acres. You CAN live a self-sufficient life anywhere and zoning aside, you can keep animals on small holdings too.They provided a general guide for the most beneficial animals to keep on your land and what they would require of you as an owner/carer. Just goes to show you can start as big or small as you want.

This is what they say...

Bees
Suggested minimum space for one animal:  
One hive, or wooden beekeeping box for (Average 20,000 bees/colony)
Type of food: Pollen, nectar
Benefits: Honey, wax, pollination  garden and orchard

Chickens
Suggested minimum space for one animal:
Housing: 3 to 4 square feet/bird
Types of food: Pasture, greens, insects, cracked corn, a balanced poultry ration
Benefits: Eggs, meat, pest control

Ducks
Suggested minimum space for one animal: 
Housing: 5 to 6 square feet/bird
Pond access optional 
Types of food: Pasture, greens, snails, insects, cracked corn, supplemental pellets
Benefits: Eggs, meat, pest control  

Goats
Suggested minimum space for one animal: 
Housing: 20 to 25 square feet
Pasture area: 0.2 to 6 acres
Type of food: Pasture in the summer; hay and  supplemental grain in the winter; salt and mineral mix
Benefits: Meat, milk, manure, control of brush

Sheep
Suggested minimum space for one animal:  
Housing: 15 to 20 square feet
Pasture area: 0.2 to 8 acres  
Types of food: Pasture in the summer; hay and supplemental grain in the winter;
trace-mineralized salt at all times
Benefits: Meat, milk, manure, wool, "mowing" grass, weed control

Pigs
Suggested minimum space for one animal:
Housing: 48 square feet with exercise yard 
Types of food: Pasture, corn and soybean meal, small grains (wheat, oats, barley, etc.
Benefits: Meat, manure, "tilling" garden spaces

Cattle
Suggested minimum space for one animal: 
Housing: 50 to 75 square feet
Pasture area: 1 to 40 acres
Types of food: Pasture, supplemental feeds such as shelled corn, soybean meal, molasses
and rice bran, crop residues, hay
Benefits: Meat, milk, manure

*The acreage and feed requirements above are general guides. The lower ends of the pasture suggestions are for rainy areas, the higher figures are for arid regions. The types of food that animals need can vary widely depending on the farming methods being used.