Beginners Beware

[Almost Eden]

Which types of livestock or fowl do you think are best avoided by green beginners? I know some people will disagree with me, but I think pigs are a tough animal to start with. They are excellent escape artists, they are stubborn, and they quickly turn any pasture into mud if they aren't rotated about the land properly.

 

[kneedeep]

Honey Bees

 

[Julianna]

I'll second that one, @kneedeep. Sadly, many articles on farming and homesteading websites suggest that honey bees are easy to raise and great for newbies. When a lot goes into managing bee hives.

 

[Minty]

I was once convinced that honey bees are easy to raise as many have said so. But apparently it’s not. Though I guess some people are also way too scared when it comes to bees and some articles are trying to explain how it works in a simpler way.

 

[Urban Homestead]

I'm an urban homesteader and I heard all about how raising quail is super easy for people in an urban environment. I guess they think it's easy because they're small birds. But in my opinion, it's easier to work with chickens, ducks, or turkeys. Quails don't require loads of space, but they get sick easily, produce tiny eggs infrequently, and their meat doesn't offer much bang for the buck. In my experience, they aren't good about sitting on their eggs until they hatch so you'll need an incubator if you want to keep the flock going. They aren't hardy birds in my opinion.

 

[The Big Cowhuna]

I think pigs are tough on beginners too. They look cute and small when you first get them and so many newbies have no clue how to deal with the adult version. They eat a lot and will absolutely destroy the land if you aren't monitoring the pasture and moving them around appropriately. They are incredibly smart and stubborn.

 

[jjp8182]

Goats are also excellent escape artists. Raising wild turkeys can pose problems if there are wild turkeys in the area (potential for disease transmission) - plus the toms can be quite aggressive and dangerous. Ring-necked pheasants aren't too bad, but processing them can require some different techniques and they do require full enclosures (and may have the same disease concerns as turkeys if the species is also part of the local wildlife).