I’d like to mention that Pygmy goats are a thing. Most mini livestock has problems, like other people have mentioned, but small breed goats tend to do fine. They say that Nigerian dwarves are for milking and pygmy goats are for eating. I can tell you my Pygmy mama produced some serious milk though. They just won’t stay in milk as long as a lamancha or toggenburg will. If you just want your own livestock and don’t have that many mouths to feed look at small goats perhaps. I would not want to eat mine, but they are well muscled and have some good flesh. You can also milk them if you want to keep a milking mom and eat/sell the offspring. When I get the ability to I want a full sized milk goat personally, but that is because my goat would have to have a long milk through to make her worth it.
For me I look at logistics and add Murphy’s law to everything. Or maybe Macdonald’s law (he had a farm you know) and assume things will be twice as expensive as I calculated. For instance, someone was selling a standard donkey, big enough for me to ride and cheaper than a horse. I found that a donkey eats about 1.8 to 2.5 % of its body weight per day in hay. At least that’s what the internet said. This was a young donkey and I would make her a work animal so I always assume top number. I also assume she’s the max weight for a standard donkey. I found that with the bales my local farmer grows I would need about 36 for a year. Five dollars a bale unless he goes up with gas prices. The internet also said donkeys do not need grain, but can use some extra food something. I, again, assume that the donkey would need this. Because I do not have enough grazing land to feed the animal I assume I will have to pay for 100% of the feed. The grass I do have should offset this, but I already have goats and other animals and don’t want to assume anything in my favor. Trust me, it’s better to assume nothing will go your way. From there I look at farrier costs and assume this animal will need frequent trimmings. Multiply the most expensive farrier times 5. That’s four times a year and an emergency trip. Then, I take medicine and wormer costs. Assuming this is the sickliest donkey who ever walked my path, and that it will need antibiotics and heavy wormers and vaccines and something else. I also assume two vet visits. Basically, this donkey should be assumed to be the sickliest, poorest, wretch of an equine by my assumption.
Then, I look at possible problems. Like the fact that donkeys don’t often like dogs as would probably kill my old ones. I’d have to fence off a dog yard separate from the donkey. Donkeys are also smart and destructive. Add expenses for toys. Then add expenses for shelter and extra fencing. Because I’ve never had a donkey I figure in costs for a trainer in the first year too. While I would not expect to need one, if I do I want the budget for it. Whatever isn’t used up one way will be used another. I then add $1,000 extra Just because. Now, if I can’t afford that I can’t afford the animal. Oh, and to laugh harder; multiply by two because donkeys need a friend. This is at least how I talk myself out of animals.
Don’t forget to calculate the work increase too, including emergency work hours too. If the animals gets sick or escapes guess who’s responsible...yeah welcome to animals.
You’ll notice I don’t have a donkey.
Good on you for doing your research first. Sorry it’s not the answers you wanted.
