Growing my own meat

[Steffenkbh]

I am interested in finding out what animal to use for my idear. Protein in form of meat is expensive in the shops and I don't like soya, but let me start at the beginning.

It all started some years ago when I was planning am apple orchard (ca 80-100 trees). I live in Copenhagen so I would need to buy or rent some land. As the plan matured I realised it was not the applestrees that matteret, it was getting away from the city. The orchard was just an excuse for how to produce something of value myself, so the plan grew a little hehe.
Appletrees = apples, most, cider, syrup and lots of dry wasteproduct after pressing. That started it all. Some animals would love that crushed apple wasteproduct. And if I just grow my own grass, I could get my own meat very cheap.

My plan is 3+ hectares for the orchard, grass/hay?, vegetables and so, but what animals are usefull if I want the meat to 'grow' on my grass. I would love a milkcow, but as I need to be away sometimes fri-sun (scoutleader), it would not be posible to milk it EVERY day. There is allso the first of january to think of and other days like that.

Chickens, gees, goats, pigs, sheeps, some dwarf-beef-cattle, I even consider rapids an option and my grate grand father was renown in danish dove circles 50 years ago. One thing I cosider a factor is the generation time, as an investment. One big animal needing to grow for 1 year is one big invesment, 10 smaller animals gives 10 smaller investments but with the same meat return in one year. I am just afraid to put all my eggs in one basket, that is my point above.

Gees keeps coming back to my mind as the perfect starter animal as they fit well into the orchard that are a growing part of my plan. Piglets is another option as they would help with some of the 'earthwork' while they grow and allso eat most stuff. Just I don't want to breed pigs, so I would need to buy new every year. Raising my own geeslings? is not as frihgtening
Winters are wet and mild, but we do ofc have snow and ice for a few months. I prefer the animals to be as hardy as posible, needing as little winter-asylum inside as posible. Using a stable is to me the first step to commecial farming, and I don't want that.

For now I just want to 'grow' some quality meat insted of paying for factory a product.
So you see, it neet to be an easy to handle animal as I come from town and need to start small. I promised myself not to overwhelm myself, I need an easy victory/foundation to build on.

Thanks
Steffen

 

[Denim Deb]

First off,

Secondly, no matter what kind of animal you raise, it's going to need some shelter to protect it from the elements. But it also doesn't need to be fancy.

How many people are you wanting to provide meat for? Are you going to do your own butchering? What kind of meat do you like? If you don't like something, it would be pointless to try and raise it.

I've never eaten goat, but have been toying w/the idea. Goats are easy to raise than cows and are a bit more forgiving when it comes to being milked.

Rabbits can grow rapidly, and provide meat fairly cheaply.

Do you have quail over there? People have said that they're easy to raise, and provide good meat quickly.

It sounds like you're doing the smart thing by starting small. Too often people want to do it all and start out too big. Then they get overwhelmed and quit.

 

[baymule]

Just make sure that what ever animals you get don't eat the orchard! I would start with chickens. They are easy to care for and you get eggs and meat. I don't know what kind of predators you have, but chickens need protection because everyone likes a chicken dinner! You can let them out during the day but secure them at night. A good outer fence to keep out wandering dogs is also a good idea, no matter what kind of animals you keep.

I ordered Pekin ducks from a hatchery this past spring, raised them to 12 weeks and butchered them for the freezer. Ducks are another hardy, small animal that will give eggs and meat. (but I still think chickens are easier) LOL

Goats, sheep, cows, horses all think orchard trees are their very own personal snack bar. So if you add any larger animals, be sure to fence the trees individually to keep them from being eaten. Small livestock are also prey animals and may need protection.

A stable is not commercial farming. It is good sense to provide shelter for your animals. Make sure you have a strong fence and shelter for your animals before you get them and are wondering what to do with them.

 

[Steffenkbh]

Yes I know they need shelter, I just don’t want their shelter be inside a brickbuilding (barn or stable). My plan is to buy famland with house/home, but I cannot (will not) use money for building extra buioldings, when chosing the right animals they could manage with a sound shelter. I allso plan to rotate the crops and animals including their home/sheler to a new area every year and supplement with mostly homgrown and as little bought feed as posible

I live alone without children, so only me. I would like to have some to spare for family or sell/trade but this is honestly not important in the begining. I do have experience with butchering chiskens, a lot, I imagin other birds are similar easy to butcher and carve out. Medium animals, I would like to learn and do myself, goats for example. The bigger animals like pigs, or if I chose to feed up a baby cow, I would hand it to a profetional and then deepfreez most of it. A pro butcher then gets $$$ or a % of the meat I guess.

I lived and worked both in Thailand and Vietnam so all of the normal for farm-animals are options for me. Let us just not get into dogs and cat, remember this is free-ganging on grass and the amount of rats needed are only avalable in the city sewer. I am moving out of the city

People in denmark do have rabbits and quails, but I belive thay would be deficult to fit into my crop and animal rotation plan. Also it does not need to be one signe species. It could be chickens first, then later more chickens or some goats. Or goats to start with and then some gees later. Maby the first species will sute me fine and then I just let the herd grow and adjust numbers acording to space and need.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Not sure if I have interpreted your post correctly. It looks like you want to raise animals but don't want to have to build extra buildings/shelter for them? Maybe your plan is to buy property with natural shelter?

I now have, or have had in the past, horses, calf, pigs, goats, sheep, geese, chickens, quail, and rabbits. Maybe some more that I've forgotten, lol. The ONLY animal that I believe could live without a shelter of any kind, is the geese. They stay outside in every kind of weather imaginable...the colder and wetter the better, as far as they are concerned. Horses and cows might, just might, be okay in a heavy forested area that will at least break the wind.

Years ago a veterinarian told me that weather stresses for animals are cold, rain and wind - and that most healthy adult animals are fine dealing with only two of the stressors. For example - they can withstand cold and wind if they are dry. Or they can be cold and wet if the winds are calm...or wind and rain if it's not cold....

Like Baymule mentioned - the best defense for your animals is a good perimeter fence, and like DD said - shelter is imperative, but can be accomplished with simple materials and ideas.

Some bales of hay stacked in a U-shape and covered with piece of plywood works great for a small, well-insulated shelter. However, if the species is hay eating they will eventually consume their shelter, lol. That can be circumvented with some chicken wire over the hay. They may still be able to sneak a bite, but the shelter should last for a season.

Stock panels bent into an arch, covered with some tarps works well too. It will block wind and rain. I had that set-up for several years and would put fresh tarps over it each fall. It served me well.

Maybe adult horses and cows can get by in a heavily wooded area that would break the wind and defer some of the rain... but goats would not do well in that type of environment.

Whatever you choose just remember that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"

Good luck in your venture!

 

[Steffenkbh]

OK I need to clear things up a little I think.
Buildings, including your home, stable, barn, tool-shed and so on, cost you money to own in Denmark. That is ontop of what i pay to build it or pay for it if present on the land I end up buying). That is why I want a shelter selution, NOT a stable or barn. I cannot afford to chose an animal that need more than a good shelter.
Some bales of hay stacked in a U-shape and covered with piece of metal sheet was what the naibougs used for their pigs at my grandparants countryhouse. A shelter is not a building = no buying building and no tax.

I hope this clear up my mess with shelter/stable/barn thing.

As I will start with the green stuff, I will have time to think about fencing before my choise of animal arive. One option is to fence in my hole lot and then a fence to protect my orchard. Other is to fence in my smaller lots of working area that the animals would be rotated on. Depending on cost I prefer a mix of the two. I would like cleaning/****ting among my espalier trees, that is why those gees keeps coming to my mind. Eating grass and discarded apples and giving me babys and meat in return sounds easy. Then I need only to fence in my orchard and anough grass pluss build a good shelter for the gees inside it. Gees fencing is allso cheaper to DIY than pig or goat fencing I imagine.

The reason why I want to talk of animals at this early point (I still go no land), is that I want time to think of solutions for fencing, shelter and feed I can grow myself.

I know that pigs are real Hudinis, they are trying hard to get out, so I know what I get into with them. Will goats try to test or brake the fencing like pigs, or will they just look for holes or jump over?

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a start...you are talking 3 acres. Your home will take up part of that. Three acres won't hold many livestock, none that are large, and you will have to buy and store feed from somewhere off your property if you intend to leave it to orchard/pasture. If you intend to grow something for feed, that cuts down on your pasture even further.

Your best bet is having animals that carry their homes on their backs~hair sheep. They are the easiest leave it and let it live livestock you can get that do not need grain based feeds, any standard shelters and very little maintenance. You would have to protect the trunks of your trees by wrapping them in a trunk wrap, but that's all...they will clean up your drops and keep your orchard fertilized and trimmed. They can get by with just a hoop shelter for winter and this is easily constructed with just cattle panels and T posts and just as easily taken down and moved if need be.

The other animal would be chickens...also can get by in a hoop shelter, removes bugs from your orchard, will eat dropped fruits, and provide eggs and meat.

You can also do rabbits in tractors and they will also benefit your pasture, while not needing a building, and can live on grass based feeds.

On three acres? It's not likely you will generate enough meat to sell for any great profit...not using the pasture based paradigm you are wanting. You may get some lambs to sell each year, but they will merely get you enough to buy some hay for the herd for winter and provide meat for your table. You could mix in some milking genetics and be able to make some cheese as another food for the family.

 

[Steffenkbh]

3 hectares are just about 7,5 acres. I'm looking for 3 or more hectares, so let's say ca 8-12 arcres.
I got to take care with those danish messurements
One farmer in denmark told me he used one half hectare per beefcattle, that would be 1,25 acres or so. If I convert that 1,25 acres into orchard and Gees home, there would still be lots of room for vegetables, posible future goat or sheep and all that, right?

 

[baymule]

So to avoid taxes on a barn/building, you want a temporary shelter. Would a hoop shelter on skids be considered temporary and therefore, not taxable?

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/our-hoop-coops

http://www.raincreekpottery.com/Pages/HoopCoopChickenTractor.aspx

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/467570/hoop-coop-roofing

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270088/permanent-hoop-coop-in-progress-update-see-post-34

 

[Hinotori]

A hoop shelter would definitely be the way to go. It works for pretty much all livestock depending on how you build it.