ok my husband and i are in a debat over how many animals we should have. i say the more the merrier, as long as they do not require large quantities of store bought feed and we have more food ones then pets. so here it goes our list: 4 dogs{3 of which are pyrenees we breed and sell},1 pony, 1 potbelly pig, 3 market hogs,5 goats, 2 calves, 1 rabbit, 20+ chickens, 8 ducks,2 geeseand cats. just wondering what everyone else has.

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), June 28, 2000

Answers

Renee: We currently have 6 horses, 3 sheep, 7 ducks, 43 chickens, 2 dogs and 3 cats, and that's it, unless you count the 40,000 or so ground squirrels! We really need a larger place, as we don't have enough pasture area for the horses, so they take a lot of feed! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 28, 2000.

Good question, We have two goats that keep us in milk, three laying hens and thier rooster that keep us in eggs and replacement chicks, 50 meat birds... 40 of which are on the way to the freezer next week, 1 house cat for house mice, 4 barn cats for mice and rats out there, and 4 horses--hubby and I each have a horse, a pony for the kids, and a young 2yr old filly. Oh yeah, and a dog, a Viszla, who does pretty much nothing these days, but she doesn't bother the free range heard of birds and she takes afternoon naps with the goats. PS - we are looking for another dog to replace Cherry, a guardian type breed that wont eat my stock, ideas/experiences welcome via email.

-- Marci B. (daleb@kent.net), June 28, 2000.

We live in a small town, so not as many animals as we would like to have! We have bantam hens, (one sitting on chicken eggs right now), Elmer, our bantam rooster, 2 fawn, runner ducks, 1 african gander, 1 chinese goose, 1 house cat, 1 sheltie dog, lots of barn & shop cats, hundreds of birds, we feed--wild turkeys that eat in our yard, deer that eat in our yard, & like my garden, 1 coyote that lives on the hill across from our house & talks to us each night, squirrels, wild rabbits, (& one drunken neighbor, we pretty much consider an animal). Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), June 28, 2000.

Renee - Sounds like you might be new to the country. We moved onto seven acres 14 years ago and I couldn't get enough animals. We have had chickens, geese, pigs, horses, goats, sheep, beef calves, meat chickens, rabbits and a stray peacock that took up residence in our barn. We ate the beef,poultry and pork but I must say it cost us more to raise than if we had bought it in the supermarket. I think the experience of learning about the animals was worth it but after about ten years we cut down considerably. We now have just dairy goats that we raise for show and milk. We are tied down in the spring and summer with milking and feeding the kids, but in the winter when the milkers are dry we can get someone to come in and feed them (it is a little harder when you have a Noah's ark of animals).

I know you will have fun with your new projects - we certainly did.

Marci Waterman

-- Marci Waterman (Hwater1933@AOL.com), June 28, 2000.

We determined from the beginning to only have animals that "pay" for themselves, either by producing meat, milk, or assuming an important task around the farm. We have 40+ guineas that free-range and keep the place virtually bug-free, six 4-H market hogs, a border collie that barks when someone comes on the property, 20 laying hens, 8 4-H Nubian goats (does), 6 California rabbits (meat breed), and five bee hives. We used to have 8 geese but we sold them when they became too zealous in their guardian roles and nipped our 3 yr. old daughter in the leg. They regularly "attacked" me whenever I went out to my car, but I just swung my briefcase at them and they backed off. The last straw for the geese was when they nipped at my daughter, however.

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), June 28, 2000.

We have 22 goats, a border collie, and about 20 ducks. I never thought we could have too many goats, but we do now. We had 15 freshen this spring, and the barn had been tight quarters before the kids started arriving. I have come to realize that it is worthwhile to keep and feed only the animals that you really want, that are really producing, as they will not perform to their potential if they are overcrowded. They get stressed out (So do I ),and fight more,eat more, get sick more, etc. It is hard to keep the numbers down, but the alternative is feeding them all. Right now we are going through an awful lot of feed, we had over 40 goats this spring, and still have to get rid of some more.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), June 28, 2000.

If you tell my husband I said this, I'll swear you lied. He doesn't read this forum as often as I do, so I'm pretty safe.

How many animals do we have? WAY TOO MANY. 2 cats, 3 Pyrs, a German shepherd and a mutt, 3 sheep, 16 laying hens and their rooster, 31 as hatched chicks (pullets kept for layers, cockerels to the freezer) and I'm embarrassed to say how many goats so I won't. The 2 female Pyrs are with the goats/sheep, the male keeps deer and varmints out of the yard, garden and orchard, and the other two dogs are in the house. One cat is an indoor mouser, the other is in the barn. Oh, I forgot to mention 2 goldfish in a water garden.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), June 28, 2000.

OK, I'm way new at this and we've only been here 2 years.....2 german shepherds, 1 cat, 1, 15 year old cockatiel, two goats. Can't wait to get chickens for eggs and someone recently offered me an adorable miniature donkey that I hav'nt mentioned to hubby yet....Judy in Md.

-- Judy Bates (Trailhppr@msn.com), June 28, 2000.

OK....you asked for it......

6 horses 5 head of cattle...three red brangus heifers we call our spice girls, Their names are Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Ginger, they were two years old in Feb and due to have calves in a month or so. One is a 2 month old jersey heifer (bottle baby) which we keep in the back yard. The other is a five year old belted gallaway cow that was a Christmas present. 12 belted galloways that we pasture for a friend (1 bull 6 cows 5 calves 1 spoiled donkey 1 worthless billy goat...sons pet 1 ten year old golden retriever male...worth his weight in gold. Cats......I can't bring myself to tell you how many 15 or so hens 1 white rooster with enough personality for 10 5 guinies we began with about 10...the duck hatched these 5 and they are the only ones still around 8 ducks....7 drakes and 1 hen...got them as babies...just my luck 2 white fan tailed pigeons 2 turkey gobblers...very intertaining, but I miss Stella, the hen (coyotes) 13 pigs...boar, sow, and 11 piggies 1 pet whitetail deer that visits several times a week 7 geese...gander, goose and 5 goslings(goose left the nest after the first four hatched.I stuck the last egg under a broody hen. The next day when I checked, the hen had left the nest. I thought she probably knew something I didn't so picked the egg up to dispose of it. As I picked it up, I heard peeping and saw a hole in the egg. Took it in the house and the kids got to watch it hatch....Cool! 1 ten year old daughter who is currently very involved with Nancy Drew 1 five year old son whose current favorite phrase is "Watch Mom, I can fly from here!" 1 dear husband whose current favorite phrase is "You are NOT bringing that (fill in blank with any animal above) into this house!) We do raise animals for food, but even those are pets of a sort. I have great country kids. They can play with the piggies and give them names, but they are already planning on ham and bacon!

God has truly given me the desires of my heart. I am thankful every day for his blessings!

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), June 28, 2000.

Sorry my post was so hard to read. I typed it in a list form, but it didn't come out that way for some reason. I'll try to work on that.

Oh yeah...forgot to mention 1 black and tan coon hound pup.

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), June 28, 2000.

Like others our 14 years here have entailed lots of different animals: ducks, pigs, sheep, iguanas, turkeys, doves, rabbits, always goats, dogs, hens, and a pet emu. Now we are keeping the hens for eggs, the emu until we butcher our next meat to grind with her, and the goats and dogs. I think all farms ebb and flow with the age of the children etc. Now with just me showing, milking, and doing chores our herd is smaller, 19 does (5 months to 10 years), 2 bucks (2 and 5 years) a perfect size for just me. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 28, 2000.

Right now we have just our old cat, a stray cat that has adopted our yard, five goldfish, and (I think) eight bee hives. (The beehives kind of expand and contract, depending on what hubby finds when he checks on them.) Based on past experience, what we *plan* to have when we move is above mentioned old cat, bee hives, start a flock of sheep and hopefully end up with about thirty of them, possibly as many as half a dozen head of beef cows (enough to justify keeping a bull with them, anyway), a yard dog, a guardian dog with the sheep, three or four horses, about two dozen or so laying hens and a couple of roosters, and maybe some meat rabbits. Oh, and a couple of feeder pigs each year, but I don't want to get into raising pigs. We'll see whether this all pans out, as we will have to cut all the winters feed for them, too -- and probably without a tractor!! But we won't have any critters that don't serve a practical purpose, though we do enjoy their company (even the ones that are destined for the freezer).

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 28, 2000.

Right now, 3 dogs and a billion cats. Well, okay...maybe just a million cats! We neuter what we can catch.

In the past, I have had herford and herford/chiania cross cattle - unplanned cross when the neighboring BIG farmer's very, very expensive Chi bull jumped the fence and bred my herford heifers - beautiful little black/white face calves! I have also had sheep, hogs, chickens, geese, rabbits and probably some others that I am forgetting. I WILL have chickens again - after this year's 4-H fair. Unc is planning on buying a mule, just hasn't found one to suit him yet, and if the price is reasonable next spring, I plan to get a couple of holstein bucket calves. WILL NOT have geese again, and I find myself unable to slaughter rabbits for some reason, so I reckon they are out also. Hubby teases me about getting a goat - he may just get a surprize one of these days!!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), June 28, 2000.

Right now, two cats, numerous fish (bass and blugills) in the pond, two nubian goats, both does and soon 50 Buff Orpington hens, 2 geese (chinese), a couple of ducks and six guinneas.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), June 28, 2000.

This is Sonda add 7 baby guinneas, to our list I go pick them up tomarrow morning! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), June 28, 2000.

Two donkeys, one horse, two steers, about 10 goats, two sheep, 24 pigs, about 30 rabbits, about a dozen ducks & geese, two dozen chickens, a dozen pigeons, about 6 cats, 18 dogs, 3 parrots, and two gerbils. Is this a contest? What do I win??? :)

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), June 28, 2000.

8 Pygmy goats (4 of them are pregnant), 5 Nubian goats, 5 Lamancha goats, 50 chickens (give or take a few), 3 roosters, 4 turkeys (sitting on eggs), 4 geese (sitting on eggs), 3 cats, 1 dog, 8 goldfish, & 2 gerbils (who are having babies every month). I also have a llama coming anytime. Is there really such a thing as too many animals??? :-) Wendy

-- Wendy (weiskids@nalu.net), June 28, 2000.

I dunno? 68? Most are fowl, tho...22 sheep, 5 cats, 24 or so chickens, 2 geese, and 7 adult ducks and now (as of day before yesterday)8 ducklings ( I think...hope the cats haven't eaten them!) Do humans count? Only 2 of us!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), June 28, 2000.

All together now.............

And a partridge in a pear tree......................!

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), June 29, 2000.

Ineed to let hubby read this .He always thinks we have too many .5 beef cows 6 pigs [sold 4 of the babies] 2 goats,3 sheep ,4 dogs 12 cats[oops didn't get to the vet in time]and at least 30 chickens.And 1 rabbit

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), June 29, 2000.

We actually have a farm, but we have been building our livestock for the past 3 years. We have 15 head of cattle, 8 sheep (my daughter's project), 5 goats, 15 horses (4 are for sale), about a dz chickens, dz ducks, 6 geese, 3 dogs, 5 house cats and several barn cats, oh and a couple rabbits. We too are cutting down on the small livestock and we are selling off the excess horses. I am trying to get in a position to breed and raise horses, but it takes time.

My husband also tries to say "You can't bring that in the house." , but right now we have 6 ducklings in a cage in the house (one of our male geese hatched them out and the other geese were killing them). We have had baby goats and lambs in the house, but no calves yet.

Like some of the others said, we prefer that the animals pay for themselves, which is why I am breeding horses, so I can pay for my "habit".

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), June 29, 2000.

I am rolling on the floor! You folks are soooo funny! It is so much fun to read this stuff. I don't know if I should let my hubby see this or not. I want more animals. This might scare him. Hee hee! HAAAAaaaa! But seriously now. We have 2 dogs (the border collie/sheltie mix is wonderful.The chocolate lab I fear will out live me.)We have to keep her chained up because #1. she loves to kill chickens.Just kill not eat.( my husband informed me that she is a bird dog after all) #2. She hates men in general( I don't know why) We've had her for 11 years and she was 2 when we got her.She is such a beastie hound but my Hunny loves her,so she stays. We also have 1 black rabbit in a cage (very tame) And I have lost count of how many chickens are running around.We have babies all over the place and four hens sitting.Well actually 7 hens on 4 nest.We've had chickens for 3 years now and they've never been this productive.We're still working on fencing the place. I hope to get a couple of goats by next year.(in the spring)I went up into the field yesterday to check on the pears and peaches.I saw two big fat red squirrels in one pear tree and no peaches at all. The collie was in the woods right beside the trees and spooked a wild turkey. It flew two feet over my head. Like to have scared me to death! OOps. Got a little carried away.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), June 29, 2000.

8 goats---6 does, 1 buck, 1 wether.

3 dogs---A border collie and a pomeranian and a mutt.

any number of ducks and Canadian geese.

1 or 2 stray cats that have taken up residence in the barn.

Have raised: turkeys, chickens, guinea hens, cows, hogs, and rabbits.

In the market for: a horse, a LGDog or maybe a llama.

For sale: 2 yearling goats (does).

-- Jim Roberts (jroberts1@cas.org), June 29, 2000.

We have 6 angora goats, 9 katahdin sheep, 2 romney sheep and 1 romney/katahdin cross (oops!), a llama, 2 peahens, 1 guinea, lots of chickens, a rabbit, indoor & outdoor cats, a collie/shepherd/lab mix (excellent dog!), 1 goldfish in a bowl. Planning to get more guineas and would like to get some hogs again. We have some of the goats & katahdins for sale and are planning to give the romney/katahdin cross to a young friend who loves him! We saw some baby geese at Farm Visit Day that were so adorable! Maybe we'll get geese some day, too. Thanks for asking Renee, it's been fun to read all the answers!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), June 29, 2000.

For just a little while longer we're stuck in rental property so I won't let myself acquire much in the way of animals that might be a problem to suddenly have to move. So at the moment I've got just the ten chickens, five of which are going into the freezer next month, and a dog.

Now once we buy property things will be different, much different.

I'm not out to waste money but to me the priority is not so much to be more economically efficient than coporate agriculture in raising my food but to be certain of it. By certain of it I mean both what it was fed or might contain and that it'll be there no matter what. My eggs might cost more than what I can buy them for at the grocery but I'll know how fresh they are, what the hens ate that produced them, and that they'll be there for me whether the grocer goes over the hill or not. Never mind that commercial agriculture can't match the quality of what I'll be producing.

Different strokes for different folks.

.........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5 http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@netscape.net), June 29, 2000.

We have 2 llamas, 7 ewes, 1 ram, 10 lambs, 8 goats, 1 75% boer buck, 17 kids (not all from our goats, we've bought some extras), a Jack Russell Terrier, 10 cats with more coming, 5 Royal Palm turkeys, 6 guineas, lots of chickens, and eggs in the incubator. We owned a fullblood boer buck for about 5 hours on Saturday, but less than 45 minutes after we got him home, he escaped from the pen and disappeared into the Ozarks, never to be seen by us again. Some lessons are very hard learned! Good thing he wasn't one of those really expensive boer bucks!! We hope to expand our flocks and herds as we get more of our acres fenced in.

-- Deb (andersland@webound.com), June 29, 2000.

lets see, hold still everybody so I can count you,7 cats,2 dogs,6 rabbits, 1 guinna pig,1 very old goldfish,2 horses, I think thats it today. I should get a prize for smallest yard 300 square feet in back and every thing lives here except the horses.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), June 29, 2000.

forgot add 2 chickens to above also.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), June 29, 2000.

I was wrong back yard is about 1000 square feet 1/2 of which is fenced garden.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), June 29, 2000.

I forgot our new goats, Siegfried and Roy! That makes, ummm, I think 70. (sorry, goats!)

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), June 29, 2000.

I moved to the country to keep my horse in the backyard. Now I never have time to ride. The horse has a pet goat, pygmy who didn't breed. I have a set up for more goats but just haven't gotten them. I'd like to get Dwarf Nubians but there are no breeders near. I have 12 hens, 2 roosters and 20 chicks (My husband, who wasn't raised with animals, had a fit because the chickens were doing the nasty on the car) Got rid of the Guineas. The noise drove me crazy although, I did pull a tick off me today. 11 rabbits (Mini Rex, Mini Lop, Dwarf and Holland Lop); barn cat; 15 year old, blind, deaf Bichon; parakeet; fish tank and two ponds, with fish. I'm looking for piglets right now too. Hope to get three. And I'd like to get another horse so I could have someone to ride with. Maybe that will get me riding again.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), June 29, 2000.

Well, I'd like my hubby to read what a tiny amount of animals we have! 9 ducks, grown as annuals here, 1 goose, a China and a perennial, 3 Shetland sheep, to be bred next fall, 6 pigs, also grown as annuals and ready for the freezer in 6-8 weeks. For controlling above, one awesome herding Border Collie, and to warm laps and my 4 year old daughters heart, one Jack Russell Terrier (she kills vermin too, as we don't care for cats). It's been fun to read what you all have. Jill

-- Jill Schreiber (schreiber@santanet.com), June 30, 2000.

My husband said no chickens, we now have 30. He said no geese, one wandered in to the chicken yard from where,we don't know and no one has claimed her, 1 goose, 3 bunnies that my 6 month old daughter got from her Aunt's for Easter (I told them they could get away with it cause they are Aunt's). And 1 black lab and 1 black cat both spoiled. I'm working on either a lamb or a goat at the present time but I'll have to figure out how to sneak it in

-- cynthia (chemenway@hotmail.com), June 30, 2000.

Hi! Maybe for us the question should read "How many animals have you had and how many are you successful with?!" We've had all the standard farm animals excluding the exotics (to us such as ostriches, llamas,etc.) We inherited a small scrub farm in Kentucky with cattle on it already. So after five years we have finally come to some conclutions about how many cattle this farm can support . Last year's drought pretty well destroyed all my illusions about having so many animals. I fed bread from the day old store,(cheap feed around here), drops off of neighbors' apple trees, hay that had been put up for winter, pumpkins, anything I could get. Chickens, ducks, etc. are relatively easy to feed compared with big animals with young and bred besides. So I guess what I am saying is "The size of animals, how many animals you have, availability of food, the amount of land you have as well as the quality of land and weather (unpredictable), and your feed budget all determine how many is too much! Oh, by the way, we have besides the 9 beef cattle and calves, 1 milk cow, 1 pet pot-bellied pig, 8 wild ducks, probably 25 (last count) muscovies, 3 guiennas, 1 dog, 1 cat, numerous chickens with chicks, 1 hive of bees....I think that's it! Also, I'd like to add, if you have storage, a truck, and a feed mill close by, you can cut down on your feed bill tremendous- ly. Also if you have good neighbors who will save food scraps, apple drops and pulp from cidar, etc you can cut down on the feed bill as well. Thanks.

-- deborah carmichael (brownswiss99@yahoo.com), June 30, 2000.

In defense of the often maligned husband, I brought most of our animals home. 6 pygmys,65 chickens,1 duck,2 pigs(need 10 feeders) My Spice Girls-cinnamon,netmeg,and sugar,MY 3 red angus heifers,4 rabbits,2 zebra finches,3 stray cats, and 3 of the most beautiful children you have ever seen.

-- Tom Calloway (Calfarm@msn.com), July 02, 2000.

Not many gerbil keepers in the bunch. Hmm. Well I've got geese, one rooster, sheep, dogs, cats, birds, fish, gerbils (of course). Think I'll get chickens and rabbits again. Don't know if I'll go back into bees again or not. Don't want horses again. Might raise some pigs or cattle. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), July 03, 2000.

OK here is my list: 2donkeys 150 feathered beasts(geese,chickens,guineahens,ducks,turkeys,etc) 55 sheep 3 pigs 2 dogs 5-7 cats 1 rabbit 1 canary (poor girl, everytime we get a male they always escape and get stuck uder the couch or eat some people food and die)

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), July 04, 2000.

at this time we have 2male and 3 female poms wich we breed we are not a puppy mill as they all live in our house and most sleep in our bed lol we have 2 pigs we grow for the freezer , 3 cats ,1 nubian doe , 6 registered alpine does and 2 registered alpine bucks ,6 geese ,12 ducks ,20 rhodeisland red laying hens 2 roosters , and several banties namly japs , a pair of white turkeys , would like to get a GP dog for my goats , 2 emus , 1 calf , 22 quail ,and 15 rabbits , I think thats it lol . you can visit our web page at http://www.geocities.com/sugarmountain

-- Lee Jobe (sgrmtn@moaccess.com), December 29, 2000.

Well, since this thread came up again, I will update a little -- we now have (in addition to our old cat, five goldfish, and beehives): a farm-collie pup, two Nubian goats (one still milking), and deposits on three kids to be picked up in March. Also a deposit on another farm collie pup. Hubby has been building rabbit cages, and wants to get some Silver Fox rabbits. And we'll be getting chicks in the spring. So whether or not we move, we are back into animals again!! Oh, and I almost forgot the little abandoned cat we were given, who needs to be fixed pretty soon, or we will be raising cats!! Juniper wants a donkey, but may be persuaded to settle for a pony (work type)!!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), December 30, 2000.

HEY EVERYBODY I REALLY NEED TO BUT SOME LAYING HENS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO SELL? PLEASE EMAIL! THANX ALOT ANITA

-- anita lynn hart (anita_hart4@hotmail.com), March 18, 2001.

we have 3aligator lizards, 2bearded dragon Lizards, 9chickens, 6quails,3dogs and cats,1frog,1snake and i'm getting phesants,ducks and guinea hens

-- Adam Joshua Mickleburgh (DCMDBR@aol.com), April 08, 2001.

Does anyone know of any farm collie breeders in California? Or possible English Shepherd breeders? Thank you, Lori

-- Lori Ann Silva (LAmama@icnt.net), December 04, 2001.