Bianca Morton wrote:
Pigs, sheep or goats, which one do you prefer and why?
Which ones are easier to take care of?
Which ones are most profitable (i will not kill them myself. id prolly sell byproducts and later sell to a butcher, maybe)?
What are some average care costs for each, food, medicine, supplements ... (im in northern CA)?
How many should I get? Was thinking maybe 4?
Average purchase price for babies to teenagers (this is a hard one because of location)?
1] I own both pigs and goats, but have no
experience with sheep. In my opinion your best bet would be pigs. Though both goats and pigs would clean-up your blackberries I am not sure that the goats would give you the desired gleying effect you are searching for. Pigs are certainly experts in such a situation as sealing ponds [and as I have found even making their own].
2] I think both are easy enough to care for though there is definitely a greater concern for supplementation of goats depending on your area. As far as fencing them [knock on
wood] I have not experienced the issues that many have speak of in regards to keeping them in a certain area. I rotate them around depending on where I want them to go and how the
land is holding up, what I wanted them to do, etc. I have raised them all from a young age or birth so perhaps that is why? I use pallet fencing for both animals and haven't spent any time chasing either. I haven't had health issues with them either and have delivered kids and piglet. I keep them all natural without the use of any meds or antibiotics - treating with herbs if anything arises. I have heard about goats having issues with worming, etc. and can suffer quickly from illness. We dust them with
DE and haven't had any issues.
3] I would guess pigs would be most profitable in that most folks enjoy pork, bacon, hams, etc. where as goat meat is mainly still an ethnic market from what I understand. Truly it would depend on what you want to
profit from I suppose depending on how this animal will fit into your long term plans. If it is a once and done then definitely pigs. If you go further into dairy goats or fur goats they could prove more profitable depending on your market.
4] Rough costs in our area from
feed mill: Pigs 100# meal about $22.00 Goats 50# pellet 16% protein $18.00 Goat mineral 25# $20.00 Hay ranged by season. Unless you are planning on planting feed crop and preparing the land first you may get stuck with a feed bill. Pigs are definitely the more versatile eaters with more unique chances of gathering scraps, extras and such.
5]Four sounds like a nice number and that is what I usually split my herds into so as not to overuse the land they roam.
6] Not sure what pricing would be like in your area but here goats cost quite a bit more than pigs a that age. I have seen piglets go from $20.00 and up were kids going from $60.00 and up. [Though I have not had to buy them in recent years.]
Hope this gives you a bit of help!
DISCLAIMER: I only raise my animals for our own family consumption and keep them for breeding to sustain our meat/dairy supply. I have not dabbled in the 'market' or modern circles.
