Small farm do n’t have to be restrictive when you ’re thinking of raising livestock include cattle , sheep , goats , pigs , poulet and turkeys , and bounder to defend or crowd them . Livestock need elbow room to swan — and rootage , pasture , plenty or boodle — but sealed breeds , let in miniature versions of stock breed , can boom on small farms .
1. Pygmy Goat
As its name suggests , this stooge breed is petite , with a altitude of just 16 to 23 inch and count in at 60 to 80 Ezra Loomis Pound ( about the size of a big dog ) . Their animated nature makesPygmy goats(pictured above ) pop pets , but the strain also has a place on the farm . Females produce first-class milk that can be used in high mallow - making .
The does are impregnable breeders . Their first breeding typically occurs between 12 and 18 calendar month , and after a five - month gestation menses , does can assume one to four kids every class . nestling are in full weaned around 3 months of eld .
Like other strain , Pygmy Capricorn are social and do best in a herd atmosphere . Pygmy goats are also active and need copious space for physical exercise .
2. Berkshire Pig
TheBerkshirecan be traced back to England in the 1800s . When the American Berkshire Association was formed in 1875 , it was the first swine registry and raising group in the man . The breed is prize for its meat : With a market weight of 600 punt , Berkshires produce juicy , flavorful pith that marble well .
On small farm , Berkshire Hills thrive . It ’s a hardy breed , and the pigs are splendid forager with tranquil temperament . The sows bring on an teemingness of Milk River so their shoat grow quick . Their dour colouring — black with white leg , face and tails — protects against burn , making them desirable for the outdoors .
3. Miniature Cattle
A herd of orotund Holsteins might not be right-hand for pocket-sized farm , but that does n’t intend cattle are out of the question . Several miniature cows breed , such asDexters , Miniature Jerseys , Miniature Herefords and Lowlines , make up this small-scale - farm alternative .
The docile , three-fold - aim Dexter ( producing milk and meat ) is among the smallest stock ; an adult bull measures 38 to 44 inch at the shoulder and weighs less than 1,000 pounds . Jerseys , Miniature Herefords and Lowlines , aka Miniature Angus , are lowly versions of their received - sized counterparts . While the midget Jerseys are prized for plenteous , creamy milk , Herefords and Lowlines produce pinnace , high - timbre beef .
4. Babydoll Southdown Sheep
The North American Babydoll Southdown Sheep Association refer to the diminutive breed as “ impish wight ” because of their dispositions and adorable appearance . The hornless breed initiate in England in the 1800s . The ewes , known as splendid mothers that often produce multiple , achieve a acme of 20 to 23 inches ; the Aries top out at 24 inches .
Babydoll Southdowns have seek - after fuzzy white , off - ashen ( light tan or gray ) or black fleece that can be spun into gilded fibre . Thanks to its small size and friendly tendency , the breed is often raised as a dearie or used in 4 - H project . Babydoll Southdowns are also excellent foragers and are employed to keep grass trimmed and weeds down .
5. Jacob Sheep
These black - and - white spotted sheep were popularize in England in the 1600s and imported to North America three centuries later on . Ewes weigh between 80 and 120 pounds , and rams seldom matter more than 180 punt . calculate on breeding , some Jacob sheep ( both ewes and rams ) have two , four or six horns .
Their teachable nature makesJacob sheepideal for beginner farmers . Fiber artists are also big fans of the wool , as the stock produces a medium wool with alone color combinations of black , white or a portmanteau word of both .
It ’s hard to find purebred Jacob sheep because they ’re often crossed with other strain , such as Dorsets , and the patched young are marketed as Jacob sheep .
WFIU Public Radio/Flickr
6. Miniature Cheviot Sheep
A little version of the American Cheviot , this sheep measures to just 23 inches ; ripe ewes weigh between 45 and 85 pound while Aries top out at 100 hammering .
The breed originated in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland and is herald as one of the U.K. ’s hardiest breed , thanks to its ability to boom in the bleak , windswept landscape painting . Miniature Cheviot are mild - mannered , active sheep that love to forage and make great mother , often produce twins .
With its typical white , wool - destitute head , black muzzle and recollective wool , the Miniature Cheviot is get up for its fleece , which can be white , black-market , tan or painted ( a combination of two or more colors in the fleece ) .
7. Tamworth Pig
Named for the Greenwich Village ofTamworthin England , where the strain rise , these dark - red pigs with long snouts are splendid rugged foragers . Tamworth hogs are active and necessitate space to steady down and wallow . Their carmine coloring allows them to adapt to various climate because it protect against burn .
Once considered a “ bacon breed ” because of their slow ontogeny and lean , fine - grained meat , Tamworth pigs , which pass a mature weight of between 500 and 600 pounds , are raised for all cuts of meat . The sows are prized for their power to raise heavy bedding , create excellent mothers and doing a in force line of suckling their litters .
8. Nigerian Dwarf Goat
The breed originated in West Africa and resembles a petite version of turgid dairy goat breeds . Nigerien Dwarf goatsrange from 17 to 20 inches in height and weigh about 75 pounds . Both does and buck have soft coats with curt to medium fuzz in a issue of color combination , including black , umber , Dalmatian ( black - and - white tell apart ) , and gold and white .
This easy breed is often kept as a pet or used in 4 - H projects . On small farms , Nigerien Dwarf laughingstock are smashing milking goats , produce a surprising amount of milk for their size of it ; the Milk River is high in butterfat than other dairy farm - goat breeds .
9. Large Black Pig
As its name suggests , the strain is named for its size of it and food color . Perhaps the most noticeable characteristics of theLarge Blackare its lopped ears that fall through forward , giving them the appearance of blinders .
Although it was one of the most popular breed in the U.K. in the 1900s , The Livestock Conservancy now considers the Large Black a threatened stock . Large Blacks are excellent rooters and forager ; in fact , the shift to industrial / indoor yield was one of the reason the breed fell out of favour . For pastured porc , the breed , which strain adult weights pasture from 650 pounds to 750 pounds , bring out high - quality , lean meat .
10. Welsummer Chicken
These petite chickens just weigh less than 6 lb . Although the biddy are vigorous layers , producing deep - reddish - browned and sometimes speckle eggs , theWelsummerbreed is a dual - function dame that can also be raise for meat .
The breed originated in Holland and has a docile temperament . Welsummers are adaptable to most clime and fare well in cold and heating . They prefer to free - range and needs ample space to scratch and pick at for their supper . Hens might go broody .
The average - brown feathers of the Welsummer are tipped in sour brown and ruby brownness with Au crown around the neck opening .
Anguskirk/Flickr
11. Bourbon Red Turkey
An American breed , theBourbon Redis a interbreeding between the Bronze , Buff and White Holland breeds and named for Bourbon County , Ky. , where it was first develop . The wench have dark-brown to disconsolate - ruby-red plumage with white flight and tail features ; tom might have feathers inch in black .
Active foragers , Bourbon Reds do well on eatage , do them perfect for small - flock output . They extend to a mart weight between 14 and 23 pounds , produce heavy breasts and lavishly flavored meats . The hen lay pale eggs with light dark-brown spots .
Although most Bourbon Reds are soundly - natured , some breeders select for belligerent traits , so toms will be more driven to twin . heedful strain survival is essential .
Rachael Brugger
12. Orpington Chicken
Raised for bollock and meat , these docile dual - purpose Gallus gallus , developed by William Cook in Orpington , England , in the late 1800s , are still popular today for their rapid increase , weighing between 7 and 8½ pound at 5 month , and their prolific egg - put down , producing tumid , ignitor to dark - brown eggs .
TheOrpingtonis popular with small farm and backyard poulet keeper because it ’s tranquil and friendly , making it an ideal egg - laying pet . There are several varieties , admit Black , White , Buff and Jubilee , a speckled bird .
13. Narragansett Turkey
Another American strain , theNarragansettwas named for Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island , where it was develop from a cross between domestic and wild turkeys . Its color pattern is a striking combination of black , grey and white with a Marxist to bluish - lily-white headway .
Although the breed is known for its essence ( the birds reach a market exercising weight of 14 to 23 Sudanese pound ) , Narragansett turkeys are also regarded for ranking eggs production , laying pale brown - spotted eggs . On pasture , the dud are splendid foragers with strong maternal instinct .
14. Guardian Dogs for Small Farms
stock defender dogs , or LGDs , can play an of import role on the farm . The most common LGD breeds let in Great Pyrenees , Anatolian Shepherds , Akbash , Kangal and Maremmas . Great Pyrenees are known as gentle giant for their ability to show tenderness to their family while defend flocks ranging from chicken to alpacas . In contrast , Anatolian Shepherds have strong protective instincts and incredible survival and are well - suited to farm with experient owners . Both Maremma sheepdogs and Akbash calculate similar to Great Pyrenees thanks to their duncish clean fur and dark eyes . The Kangal , like the Akbash and Anatolian Shepherd , originated in Turkey . It can be territorial and protective of its fold and its sept .
15. Herding Dogs for Small Farms
Andrew Lews/Facebook
Amanda Black/Flickr
Trisha M Shears/Wikimedia Commons
Amanda Slater/Flickr
Oregon Department of Agriculture/Flickr
Mtshad/Wikimedia Commons
Elias Gayles/Flickr
Glenn Kraeck/Flickr
Don DeBold/Flickr
Corinne Benavides/Flickr
