We finally bought a house with a little over 2 acres & I can get started on my mini farm. Lol My wife calls me Farmer Mike now. We plan on getting a flock of 10-15 layers & prob 2 goats. The goats will mainly be pets & I am contemplating on waiting until next year for the chicks. Any general advice or warnings etc.?
Farmer Mike here
- Thread starter Spanky357
- Start date
ldawntaylor
Loving the herd life
First welcome,
Second do you have experience with goats or chicken?
With so many layers in mind, do you use a lot of eggs or have a way to sell excess eggs? I only have 6 full sized laying hens and find the eggs a challenge at times. You can find some info on this site about chickens. The threads are under other animals if memory serves.
Other than that, keep reading and if you have any questions ask.
I hope you enjoy this journey you are starting.
Second do you have experience with goats or chicken?
With so many layers in mind, do you use a lot of eggs or have a way to sell excess eggs? I only have 6 full sized laying hens and find the eggs a challenge at times. You can find some info on this site about chickens. The threads are under other animals if memory serves.
Other than that, keep reading and if you have any questions ask.
I hope you enjoy this journey you are starting.
RollingAcres
Herd Master
Welcome Farmer Mike!
There are a lot of help and knowledgeable chicken and goat folks here who can help you with questions and such.
I normally just read the posts or you can even try to search by typing in a keyword and see if you can find any related topics...
There are a lot of help and knowledgeable chicken and goat folks here who can help you with questions and such.
I normally just read the posts or you can even try to search by typing in a keyword and see if you can find any related topics...
- Thread starter
- #4
Thank you so much! I have a little experience with chickens, but not goats. I plan on starting small & building from there. I have family close by & I am sure they'll be able to use excess eggs. TY for the comment!
Wehner Homestead
Herd Master
There is an actual section on chickens. There is also the option of BYC (Backyard Chickens), a sister site.
As far as goats go, they can make great pets. Just do your research and be prepared first. Lurk in the goat threads and you’ll find all kinds of useful information. Several people have recently asked questions about obtaining goats for the first time and what suggestions we have for them. Those might be a good place for you to start. You’ll also find great housing, fencing, feeding, forage, and basic medical information, along with milk and meat discussions.
We are in Southern IN and raise Nigerian Dwarfs and will be starting a line of Mini Lamanchas so I’ll be interested in seeing what you decide. We also have 72 chickens at the moment that are a variety of ages. Our other ventures include beef show cattle, finishing pigs, several dogs and barn cats, and 2 guinea pigs. Lol
Alaskan
Herd Master
my goat advice. .. fencing, fencing, fencing. excellent fencing!
Baymule
Herd Master
Welcome from Texas!
Greetings and welcome to BYH Mike, from NE TX! So glad you joined us. Sounds like you're off to a great start! Most of us get the animals first, THEN worry about housing, fencing, security, feeding, waste disposal, etc. Your choice to follow suit or do things in a much more sensible order 
There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!
PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
RollingAcres
Herd Master
Most of us get the animals first, THEN worry about housing, fencing, security, feeding, waste disposal, etc. Your choice to follow suit or do things in a much more sensible order
Hahaha, couldn't agree more!!
When we got our cows, we had nothing fenced in! We called the sellers and agreed to buy the cows and told them we would pick up the cows in a week. We then hurried up and got the fencing materials so we could get it done before the cows got here. Doing things completely backwards but that's part of the fun!
