5 MUST-HAVE ANIMALS FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD

STORY AND PHOTOS BY HILARY WHITE

Chancelor Havlik of Czexas Ranch in Goliad, Texas can barely wrangle his smallest kid, Pea, for photo ops anymore. Pea was born in March 2022.

What do soaring gas prices, food shortages, a deteriorating supply chain and crowded, mismanaged cities all have in common? They’ve all got a lot of people thinking about dipping their toes into homesteading.

Whether you plan on forsaking your day job to become self-reliant and make a living off homesteading, or you simply have the space and time to add another hobby to your repertoire, homesteading can be made a lot easier if you cut out the trial-and-error and know just where to start. No homesteading project is complete without a clutch of dependable animals, and with this list, you’re sure to start out on the right foot with a well-rounded, synergistic group.

1 GRAZING ANIMAL

Moo or bahh? Which animal you choose hinges on your main purpose: do you want it for meat, milk or wool?

True, you can eat sheep, but do you like mutton? A cow will produce more meat than a sheep, and also might be preferable to eat. If you get the right breed, a cow can do double duty as a source of both milk and meat.

However, if you’re interested in textile production, sheep’s wool will be the main draw. Another thing to consider is how many you want. Do you have a small homestead and only want one or two grazing animals for your family’s needs, or are you looking to raise livestock for profit?

Cattle are probably the highest-maintenance animals for a small homestead, but if you have the pasture, at 430 pounds of usable meat per animal (which will feed nearly 2,300 people), they may be the biggest bang for your buck.

Cow. What farm is complete without a cow? This is probably your best bet if food is your primary concern. You will want to do your research on which breed is best for your region, budget and meat preferences, but a few of the most popular beef cattle are Angus, Texas Longhorn and Hereford. If you want something a little smaller and more versatile, consider the Jersey cow. They are top-notch milk producers and are said to yield delicious beef. Your main concern with a cow will be feed costs and whether you can provide enough pasture.

A single sheep can produce between two and 30 pounds of fleece annually, but getting into the wool business requires substantial effort. If you are able to produce high-quality fleece, you could get between $15-$20 a pound for it, but on the commercial market, it only sells for about 75 cents a pound.

DALIBOR SEVALJEVIC / DREAMSTIME.COM