Livestock Species
Part of Animal Husbandry
A practical field guide to the major livestock species — what each animal provides, what it demands, and how to keep it alive and productive without modern veterinary infrastructure.
Chickens
The single best starter livestock. Fast reproduction, low space requirements, and dual-purpose output (eggs and meat) make chickens the foundation of any post-collapse animal operation.
What They Provide
- Eggs: 150-300 per year per hen depending on breed and feed quality
- Meat: Rooster culls and spent hens (2-3 years old)
- Pest control: A flock of 12 chickens clears insects from a large garden area
- Fertilizer: Manure is high in nitrogen — excellent for composting
Basic Care
| Need | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Enclosed coop for nighttime predator protection. 0.4 sq m per bird inside, 1 sq m per bird in outdoor run |
| Feed | Grain (corn, wheat, barley), kitchen scraps, insects from foraging. Laying hens need calcium (crushed shell, bone meal) |
| Water | Clean water daily. A chicken drinks 250-500 ml per day; more in heat |
| Health | Watch for respiratory illness (wheezing, discharge), mites (feather loss near vent), bumblefoot (swollen foot pad) |
Predator Protection Is Non-Negotiable
Foxes, hawks, raccoons, weasels, dogs, and rats will find your flock. A single fox visit can kill every bird in one night. Enclose the coop completely — floor, walls, roof. Bury wire mesh 30 cm deep around the perimeter to stop digging predators.
Breeding
Hens go broody naturally (sit on eggs to hatch them) if you leave eggs in the nest. A broody hen manages the entire 21-day incubation and raises chicks without intervention. Keep one rooster per 8-12 hens.
Goats
The most versatile mid-size livestock. Goats produce milk, meat, fiber, and leather while thriving on vegetation that no other domesticate can use — scrub brush, weeds, bark, thorny plants.
What They Provide
- Milk: 2-4 liters per day per doe for 8-10 months after kidding. Makes cheese, yogurt, butter
- Meat: Kids (young goats) reach slaughter weight at 6-9 months
- Fiber: Cashmere and mohair breeds produce harvestable fiber
- Land clearing: Goats aggressively browse invasive shrubs and brambles
Basic Care
| Need | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Three-sided shelter minimum (goats hate rain). Dry bedding. Draft protection in winter |
| Fencing | The defining challenge of goat keeping. 1.2 m minimum height, no gaps wider than 10 cm. Goats climb, squeeze, and headbutt through weak fencing |
| Feed | Browse (leaves, bark, shrubs) + hay in winter + mineral supplement (especially copper and selenium) |
| Water | 4-8 liters per day; lactating does drink double |
| Health | Parasitic worms are the primary killer. Rotate pastures every 2-3 weeks. Check inner eyelid color (pale = worm load). Trim hooves every 6-8 weeks |
Breeding
Does cycle every 21 days in autumn (short-day breeders). Gestation is 150 days. Twins are normal; triplets common in well-fed does. Kids nurse for 8-12 weeks, then wean onto browse and hay.
Sheep
The cold-climate staple. Sheep provide the only renewable source of warm textile fiber available without industrial processing. In temperate and cold regions, wool alone justifies keeping sheep.
What They Provide
- Wool: 2-5 kg per shearing (annually). Insulates when wet — no plant fiber matches this
- Meat: Lamb at 6-9 months, mutton from culled adults
- Milk: Some breeds produce 1-3 liters daily (less common than dairy goats but viable)
- Lanolin: Wool grease, extracted during washing, is a waterproofing agent and skin salve
Basic Care
| Need | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Minimal in mild climates — sheep tolerate cold well but need shade in heat and shelter from driving rain during shearing season |
| Fencing | Easier than goats. 1 m fence sufficient for most breeds. Sheep flock together, reducing escape attempts |
| Feed | Grass grazing primarily. Hay in winter. Grain supplement for pregnant/lactating ewes. Mineral block |
| Water | 4-8 liters per day |
| Health | Foot rot (in wet conditions — trim and treat with copper sulfate foot bath), fly strike (maggot infestation in soiled wool — keep rear end clean), internal parasites (same rotation strategy as goats) |
Shearing Is Not Optional
Wool sheep that are not sheared annually overheat in summer, develop skin infections, become immobilized by matted fleece, and attract fly strike. Learn to shear with hand blades — it takes practice but is a straightforward skill.
Breeding
Ewes cycle in autumn. Gestation 150 days. Singles and twins normal. Lambs nurse 8-12 weeks. Keep one ram per 25-40 ewes.
Pigs
The most efficient converter of waste into meat. Pigs eat anything humans eat and much that humans cannot — spoiled food, roots, acorns, insects, small animals, whey, offal. Nothing is wasted in an operation that includes pigs.
What They Provide
- Meat: 80-120 kg of pork per animal at 6-10 months
- Fat: Lard is a critical cooking fat and preservative (salt pork, confit). Also used for soap and candles
- Leather: Pigskin is tough and workable
- Land clearing: Pigs root up stumps, stones, and sod — use them to clear new garden plots
Basic Care
| Need | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Sturdy shelter with shade (pigs sunburn). Mud wallow in hot weather — pigs cannot sweat |
| Fencing | Very strong. Pigs root under, push through, and eventually destroy lightweight fencing. Board fencing, stone walls, or electric wire. Minimum 1 m high |
| Feed | Omnivore diet: grain, roots, garden waste, kitchen scraps, dairy waste, acorns, foraged plants. Protein needed for growth (insects, meat scraps, legume meal) |
| Water | 8-15 liters per day; more in heat. Pigs are heavy drinkers |
| Health | Internal parasites (rotate ground), pneumonia (draft-free shelter in cold), sunburn (shade and mud access mandatory) |
Boars Are Dangerous
Adult male pigs are powerful, fast, and can be lethally aggressive. Tusks grow continuously and can cause deep goring wounds. Handle boars with extreme respect. Never turn your back. Keep a solid barrier between you and a boar during feeding. Consider castrating surplus males young (within the first 2 weeks) for safer fattening.
Breeding
Sows cycle every 21 days year-round. Gestation 114 days (“3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days”). Litters of 8-14 piglets. Sows can farrow (give birth) twice per year, making pigs the fastest large-animal population builders. Piglets wean at 6-8 weeks.
Cattle
The most demanding livestock but also the most productive per head. A single cow can feed a family with milk year-round, pull a plow, and eventually provide hundreds of kilograms of meat and a large hide.
What They Provide
- Milk: 10-25 liters per day (dairy breeds). Makes butter, cheese, yogurt, whey (for pigs)
- Meat: 200-350 kg per animal at 18-24 months
- Draft power: A trained ox team plows, hauls, and powers mills
- Leather: The largest hides for belts, bags, shoes, harness, armor
- Manure: High-volume fertilizer; dried dung also burns as fuel
Basic Care
| Need | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Barn or three-sided shelter for winter. Shade essential in summer |
| Fencing | Strong post-and-rail or stone walls. 1.3 m minimum height. Bulls require reinforced containment |
| Feed | Grass/hay primarily. 10-15 kg dry matter per day for an adult. Lactating cows need grain supplement. Salt and mineral access |
| Water | 40-80 liters per day. Lactating cows at the high end. Water source must be reliable |
| Health | Bloat (sudden access to lush legume pasture — deadly within hours; drench with vegetable oil), mastitis (udder infection — hot, swollen quarter; strip milk frequently and apply warm compress), hoof problems (trim every 3-4 months) |
Breeding
Cows cycle every 21 days year-round but are often bred seasonally for spring calving. Gestation 283 days (roughly 9.5 months). Single calves normal; twins rare. Calves nurse 6-8 months naturally but can be weaned earlier (3-4 months) to maximize milk harvest. Keep one bull per 20-30 cows.
Rabbits
Often overlooked but potentially critical. Rabbits require minimal space, breed explosively fast, and produce lean meat efficiently. They are the ideal “apartment livestock” for communities with limited land.
What They Provide
- Meat: 1-2 kg per rabbit at 8-12 weeks. Lean, high-protein
- Fur/pelts: Warm, lightweight. Angora breeds produce spinnable fiber
- Manure: Cold manure — can be applied directly to gardens without composting
Basic Care
| Need | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Housing | Wire-bottom hutches elevated off ground, or colony pens with deep bedding. Protection from weather extremes and predators |
| Feed | Hay (unlimited), fresh leafy greens, small amount of grain. Woody branches for tooth wear |
| Water | Fresh daily. Rabbits dehydrate quickly |
| Health | GI stasis (stops eating — offer hay, gentle belly massage). Myxomatosis and hemorrhagic disease in some regions (no field treatment — cull sick animals immediately to protect colony) |
"Rabbit Starvation" Is Real
Rabbit meat is extremely lean. A diet of only rabbit meat causes protein poisoning (too much protein, not enough fat). Always supplement rabbit meat with fat sources — lard, butter, oil, bone marrow, or fattier meats.
Breeding
Does cycle almost continuously. Gestation 28-31 days. Litters of 4-12 kits. A single doe can produce 40-60 kits per year. Wean at 4-6 weeks. This reproductive rate means you can build from 2 does and 1 buck to a self-sustaining meat operation within 6 months.
Multi-Species Integration
The strongest operations run three or more species in complementary roles.
Recommended starter combination by community size:
| Community Size | Recommended Species | Expected Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 people | Chickens (12) + Rabbits (6) | Daily eggs, weekly meat |
| 5-15 people | Above + Goats (8-12) | Add daily milk, cheese, monthly kid meat |
| 15-30 people | Above + Pigs (4-6) | Add waste conversion, lard, bulk pork |
| 30+ people | Above + Cattle (4-8) or draft animals | Add draft power, large-scale dairy, leather |
Key Takeaways
- Start with chickens — they produce food within 5 months, require minimal skill, and feed partly on scraps and insects
- Goats are the best mid-size livestock for marginal land; sheep are superior in cold climates where wool is critical
- Pigs convert waste to meat more efficiently than any other large animal but require strong fencing and careful handling
- Cattle are the ultimate multi-purpose animal but demand the most resources — only scale to cattle when your feed base is secure
- Rabbits fill the gap between poultry and larger livestock with explosive breeding rates and minimal space needs
- Every species has a primary health threat — learn to recognize and manage it before you lose animals