Similar to starting a business it’s a good idea to have a farm plan. It could be as simple as “I plan to do things that bring me peace.” Or it could be a complex as starting a artisanal cheese business. It can and probably will change as you proceed and gain experience.
When you get into this be prepared to be overwhelmed with other people’s opinions. Now that I’ve been doing this awhile I also have my own opinions.
My “rules” are fairly simple. Form and function are important. I want my animals to be healthy, pretty and produce. Also, they need to be friendly. I have too many people visit to have aggressive animals – with one exception…Bria. She’s my oldest hen and she’s mean as hell. Her spirit animal must be a mountain lion. I keep her because I rescued her and she’s an excellent mother – not all animals are good parents. Bria is a rockstar mom and raises healthy, robust babies. And, no, they aren’t usually mean like their mom. In fact, she raised several who are sweet and seek human affection. I always warn people not to go near her or touch her chicks.
So as a mostly set rule, I don’t keep animals who are mean or destroy the peace here.
Other things to consider outside of any business you have in mind are things like breeding, selection, culling and Standard of Perfection (SOP). These things don’t matter to everyone but others are hard core and often secretive about their breeding programs. You’ll see a lot of snobbery in the farm world, believe it or not.
Some of the best advice I’ve gotten is from a farmer who told me to focus on breeds I was drawn to and ignore the trends. Yes, just like fashion, there are major trends with animals. The latest, greatest, rarest breeds are often cause for crazes and usually end up hurting the breeds due to over breeding and lack of proper selection. I tend to breed towards the SOP but I also have personal preferences in my animals and you will too. For instance, I love goats with blue eyes and I also love the more solid colors – such as Gemma Jane:
The biggest thing I can suggest is to visit farms. Visit farms who have breeds you want and those who don’t. Learn about what they prefer and why. When I was in the research phase I just KNEW I wanted Nigerian Dwarf goats. They are small, have blue eyes and come in a wide variety of colors. When I visited a farm with them (there were over 50 goats) I asked if they milk their goats and the woman was honest and said they were really too small to milk comfortably for her. Spending time with the goats I realized they weren’t really for me either. So I went to the next best thing and got into Mini Alpines – a breed originally mixed with Nigerian Dwarf and Alpines to create a larger goat but smaller than the full size Alpines. This was a perfect match for me and a breed I hadn’t considered previously.
The same goes for chickens, geese, rabbits – anything you’re interested in – even tomato varieties. If you can visit and “test drive” anything you’re drawn to I highly recommend it. It will save you time, money and sometimes heartache.
Some breeds people adore and swear by haven’t worked for me. I was really encouraged to get Rhode Island Red chickens for their production and demeanor. I hated that breed. They just weren’t for me. Other people hate White Leghorns and they’ve worked well for me.
Another example were people warning me away from having boys. I was scared to have any males but it turns out that having a few good males has been truly one of the best things I’ve done. Rupert is my large Tom turkey and he’s fabulous and gentle with kids. He’s also an excellent father. Valentino is my buck and despite seeing a lot of mean bucks he’s a joy and so loving to his kids. He’s like having another dog. It warms my heart to see him play with the kids and Luca. Then there’s Henri, my main rooster. He’s also gentle with his chicks and humans. I suppose it depends on how you raise them but I’ve found boys to be valuable and fun.
So have an idea of what you want to experience, have fun with it and discover the animals and breeds that not only you’re drawn to but work well for you. Overall, I simply want peace and happiness for myself and my fur and feather babies but having some pure breeds that I love to see every day makes me happy too. Just have fun with it. xo