What kind of livestock are easy and inexpensive to raise?

Question

I have 20 acres and am looking for easy livestock to raise.I have severe artritis in the ribs which limits my lifting and mobility.

Answer 1

Chickens for the eggs with your health problems would be the best. Most other livestock will require heavy lifting.

Answer 2

Chickens are fun, we have chickens at home. They are out of cages because they seem to be healthier if they can run and get exercise and plus eat bugs and things like that. The problems we have with them is that predators will pick them off. Especially owls and coyotes. Also, they will try to make nests away from the barn so you can't find the eggs. Certain breeds are worse than others when it comes to this. A Dominique is what we liked the most.

Here is a guide to some different breeds.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html#d

It is not a fire an forget type arrangement though. You have to take care of them every day and make sure they don't get lice or start to become deficiant in any minerals.

Any livestock will require some sort of heavy lifting. A lot of times with feed. The bags of feed for the chickens came in 50 lb bags.

Answer 3

Wow, and you want to raise livestock. Well why don't you start with a few chickens. Then a couple Rabbits and work up from there. Depending on if your raising this for your own self or for sale. 20 acres isn't much to have livestock on. You might want to check with your county Planning and Zoning to see if you can raise livestock. If you live in an area that doesn't bother the neighbors and such you could go into confinment Hogs or chickens. You could Raise Thousands on a small parcel like 20 acres...

However with raising livestock there will be heavy lifting. And if your slow in moving you may need to reconsider.

Answer 4

Chickens. You eat the eggs and when they don't lay you eat them!

Answer 5

None that I know of.