What livestock to pick

The livestock you pick for your homestead changes the entire game. Every homesteader has what they would believe to be the most important livestock animal. For me, it's chickens. Chickens require very little space and can be very cost efficient. There are no farrier bills, mainly only vet bills when they are day old chicks, and the cost to build a chicken coop can be rather reasonable. With a flock of 20 chickens, 10 Rhode Island Reds and 10 White Leghorns, you could easily be getting anywhere from 10-20 eggs per day during the hen's prime. This means you could be getting more or less of 540 eggs a year! Another popular livestock breed would be the Nigerian Dwarf Goat. They are small, gentle, and easy to care for. Their hooves do need to be trimmed every 6 weeks though. The average doe produces 1.5 quarts of milk a day, but it can be as little as .5 and as many as 4 quarts. They also require very little space due to there sides and fit well (with room) in most backyards. Jersey Cows are another popular choice, but they take significantly more room. They also require lots more food making them suitable for only large farms. Sheep can be an interesting choice. There are hair breeds and wool breeds. They can be raised for meat or wool, and some breeds have both. A small flock of them can be keep in a relatively small pasture which makes them suitable for small homesteads.
On the left of the picture you can see me with some chickens