Livestock!

[Ellie4740]

Well, the only "livestock" I've had was a mealworm farm that died off about as soon as the mealworms turned to beetles; I didn't want to clean the box and apparently no one else did. I do however think meat rabbitry is really interesting, and a farm with larger animals such as horses and cows sounds like one of the best places ever to me.

[TNHawke]

Well, the only "livestock" I've had was a mealworm farm that died off about as soon as the mealworms turned to beetles

Did you give the mealworm eggs a chance to hatch? I don't know how long they incubate, I've never paid attention.

When I raise mealies (which I'm doing now) I buy one container of large mealworms from a pet store. Then I make sure to have a Critter Keeper - the little plastic box cages and dump maybe a half inch of Fluker's Cricket food (the powder, not the gel) in the Critter Keeper. Next, in goes the entire container of meal worms from the store. I also toss in a row of egg crate cups just long enough to fit in the cage, with the open end of the cups pointed down. The worms won't use it much, but the beetles appreciate it. In my little Critter Keeper, 3 cups fits nicely.
I do give them the gel Cricket Quencher at least once a week, usually about 4 days or so. Do NOT refrigerate the mealworms.

Then, it's pretty much just a matter of waiting for the mealies to grow up and pupate.

The trick at this point is to make sure that they have enough food, because mealworm poop is the same color, texture and size of the Fluker's cricket food. You can dump more on top, or sift out the worms as they begin to pupate and dump out all the old powder, refill and go again. Or, what I've done a few times now, and will probably continue to do-

I set up a second Critter Keeper the same way that I did the first. When the worms become pupae, I remove the pupae from the worm cage and drop them into the new cage. This also keeps the worms from eating their helpless older siblings, which I find happens often enough (especially if I don't give them the gel for moisture)

From here, they will breed and lay eggs. I have never seen a mealworm egg. I remove the beetles as they die off. I also feed live beetles to my lizard. (I also feed pupae to him, he LOVES them) Even if you have no more adult beetles and no visible baby worms, hold on to that container. Don't bother with the Cricket Quencher until you see babies. Every few days, you can stir up the powdered food with a finger (or stick or whatever) Then, let it sit, and watch for movement. Newly hatched mealworms are TINY. ... and kinda cute, in a nasty mealwormy sort of way...

When first getting your colony started, it can be helpful to start a third container with another package of meal worms from the store. This way you have an egg/tiny generation, and an about to pupate generation.

From there... just maintain their food supply, harvest what you need, and you're good to go!

[Brynmala]

Probably going to have to put the momma cow down as well. ... this birth was very hard on her, and she still has a bloody discharge which indicates internal bleeding. If it hasn't stopped by tomorrow we'll be putting her down too (most cows have stopped all discharge within 24 hours of birthing).

Any news on the cow?

I like your mum's attitude as well, though possibly not always the best if you are trying to make a living. We don't really have livestock, but the animals that arrive don't leave without a very good home to go to. We lost the pony my partner had as a teenager last year - he arrived aged 6 and died at 35...

[Jenn]

Cow is eating again and seems to be doing better - although she will now probably go to the auction house Monday. She is not suffering in the meantime which was/is our main concern.

[GlassWalker]

Oh God, went to TSC and got some Meat Chicks and Ducklings. I wish they'd stay fuzzies foreva'. First time with Ducklings... and though cute, so messy.

I'd really like some poults in May... Just have to coerce the husband... .... ...

Because Turkeys.

[Jenn]

Regulations here have gone down - so thankfully I'll be able to just go buy chicks at Rural King instead of having to find someone to split them with - used to have to buy 25 at a time and we don't want or need that many. Lighter regulations mean you can buy as few as 6 at a time, woohoo! First I have to get the old coop section of the barn ready for them though so that's the plan for Sunday.

[GlassWalker]

Regulations here have gone down - so thankfully I'll be able to just go buy chicks at Rural King instead of having to find someone to split them with - used to have to buy 25 at a time and we don't want or need that many. Lighter regulations mean you can buy as few as 6 at a time, woohoo! First I have to get the old coop section of the barn ready for them though so that's the plan for Sunday.

Nice! Everybody needs 2-3 hens for eggs and I'm glad regulations are continuing to allow for this. We had the same problem with ordering a bunch. Though we're in Ag. land, I didn't want that many. The feed store doesn't have an extreme variety as online hatcheries... but now I have 16 hens and waaay too many eggs, lol.

Any breeds in particular you adore?

Haha, we just de-winterized our coop last weekend... So much dust. Ugh.

[TNHawke]

So jealous... I want chicks.

Stupid city regulations say that my pet RAVEN is 'livestock' and in order to put him outside for a few hours a day, I have to have a freaking permit. Something like chickens also require permits... guh. I think I just need to move outside of city limits.

[Jenn]

We'll be using the eggs, as well as my parents and I have some friends that are have been finding financials to be a major problem lately so if I can give them some that would be helpful for them.

I haven't looked at particular breeds much yet, but I admit I find some to be beautiful. Pretty isn't the goal though, good layers, and calm/tame enough for my 7 and 9 yr old to handle safely (they've been around animals of all types their entire lives, so they know how to treat them, but I want to make sure I don't end up with a variety of chicken that is notorious for being aggressive or anything).

Any particular recommendations? I like blue andalusians and blue copper marans for color, as well as buff orpringtons... I'm looking at images now, but really its more about personality and how good of layers they normally are.

[TNHawke]

Shy away from leghorns then. Excellent layers, but extremely flighty personalities. Even the 4H groups around here don't work with them much simply because they're a pain in the butt.
All of the Aracaunas (not certain on the spelling) I've ever met have been decent layers (and the colorful eggs) and have had nice personalities. Plus, they come in many different colors and patterns.