Personal subsidiary farming - animal husbandry for beginners

Livestock is a lucrative business. On private farms with an area of ​​more than 20 acres, workers are engaged in breeding cows and pigs. Raising cattle takes more than one year. In addition, a warm barn needs to be built to keep the cows, which is expensive. The costs are especially tangible for a novice farmer.

Therefore, in personal subsidiary plots, mainly small livestock and poultry are bred:

• chickens;
• ducks;
• geese;
• guinea fowl;
• turkeys;
• sheep;
• goats.

It is not necessary to create ideal conditions for keeping these animals.

Bird keeping

If there are no moles and shrews on the site, a clay or earthen floor is made in the chicken coop and several perches are installed. Every year, before launching young stock, the chicken coop is cleaned and covered with lime to protect the birds from coccidiosis.

Ducks and geese, in addition to a room, need a small reservoir. The waterfowl has a strong immunity, so geese are kept in wooden buildings without insulation, and ducks are kept in a common room with chickens.

In the poultry house, each animal species should have its own separate area with feeders and nipple drinkers. The distinction is made in order to avoid fights over territory and food. The walking area for ducks and chickens may be common.

Exotic birds such as guinea fowl or quail are kept in separate cages. Different rooms are allocated for small birds to protect them from stress. It is better to provide a separate room with a closed walking area for turkeys, otherwise other birds may die due to battles for territory.

Keeping small ruminants

Dairy goat breeding and sheep breeding did not take root in Russia at the industrial level due to the low milk yield, but it is from goat and sheep milk that high-quality cheeses are made.

From one goat, you can get up to three liters of milk per day, sheep meat - dairy breed gives five liters. The advantage of goat breeding and sheep breeding is that these animals can be kept in non-insulated rooms. Therefore, breeding goats and sheep for personal subsidiary plots is an excellent alternative to common dairy farming.

In nature, goats and sheep spend all their time outdoors and travel long distances. These animals are adapted to both low and high temperatures. The more sunlight and fresh air enters the room where small livestock are kept, the stronger the animal's immunity will be.