The 5 BEST Beginner Farm Animals To Start Your Homestead!

Homesteading is a dream for many but once you're ready to start a farm, which animals are the best beginner farm animals to start your homestead? Let's feed some baby goats, collect chicken eggs and play with some livestock at DH Farms!

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Adam Wickens
221 Glendale Ave
PO Box 25037 Pen Centre
St. Catharines ON
L2T 4C4
Canada

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[WickensWickedReptiles]

What was your favorite animal on the list!?

[LuckyStone]

I grew up on a farm. We had Peking Ducks. One duck ran away and came back with a giant White goose, she was sweet. We had chickens who would fly and fly extremely well. Some slept in Trees. The aim of the farm was horses. We'd have highland cows, rabbits, and goats occasionally.

[caseysilva]

I absolutely loved this video!! It is nice to see people homesteading. It brings life back into perspective.

[lotusfaeee]

I had chickens they are honestly the sweetest. When they recognize you they would run to you from across the pasture. Truly sweet babies

[maciejgronowski]

I spent the first 17 years of my life living on 11th floor - we have kept fish tanks, pacman frog, hamsters, turtles, and many more. After uni, when I got married, we moved to a house with big garden (3/4 acre) still in the city though. And since then (10 years) I keep dairy goats, chickens (meat, egg and ornamental breeds), ducks (muscovy and Khaki Campbell mostly, but others too), geese (Czech, embden, African, Welsh buff), DAIRY GOATS (Toggenburg, Saanen, Golden Guernsey), meat rabbits.

Some misinformation you provided that I need to straighten (I don't mean any offence!):
1. Geese are vegetarian - they are happy eating only grass (you said "they eat grubs and insects")
2. Pigs can eat chickens or ducks when kept together... males always grow tusks - females don't.
3. Ducks are actually easier to take care of than chickens - as long as they are in a largish area, as they will quickly make everything muddy.
4. Chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch (you said 28 days). It is ducks that take 28 days to hatch.
5. No chicken has ever laid 2 eggs in one day - they lay maximum 1 egg a day. Modern commercial chickens lay around 300 eggs a year, more traditional breeds will lay around 200 a year. Some people say they will lay 5 a week, 3 a week or so, but the reality is they will lay every single day from around march onwards - usually untill October or so, the commercial breeds might keep laying throughout the winter. Also younger hens might lay more during winter, but they will never lay 2 eggs in a day.
6. Tomatoes are TOXIC to many animals - be careful while feeding them (or potatoes)!

Many thanks for this video from fellow homesteader/reptile/invert keeper. My problem is not just reptile addiction - I'm addicted to ALL ANIMALS 🤣

I do realise this video is not a care guide, but it might help some people to get things right from the beginning 👍😉
All the best from "sunny" England!

[thekreeperkrib]

Dude!!! I loved it!!! I like the idea of exploring other types of animals for top 5 lists. Think about how badass of a series you could do while setting up your own homestead once your in Texas.

[edwardpincus]

Adam,
You are rightly always reminding people to do their homework. Here’s some homework you didn’t do:
Pigs, smart, friendly and can often be fun pets. You glossed over the tusks rather dismissively, though. If a pig intends to use its tusks for offense or defensively, it’s serious stuff. Pig’s tusks are not used to bite like a carnivore, they’re used as an edged weapon to slash. Pigs enlarged teeth are formidably dangerous as the pig’s powerful neck swings the weighty head side to side, teeth to slash not pierce. An angry pig can do great physical harm….

[briannabeauregard]

It’s funny that my bearded dragon tried to bite my ear on Mother’s Day and also YEE HAW!!!!

[ConniieBearrr]

Loved this video!! As someone who would love to own a farm and or a cow xD I think quails should of been on the list, I actually kept a few in my apartment, for eggs but also they are so sweet and have such fun personalities! And Beautiful eggs!

[billysmith]

This was exactly what I expected to see on this list. Those ducks and baby goats were adorable.

[jessicagutowski]

I have chickens and I love them. There are so many different types and colors. We’ve kept them for about four years now. We sell the extra eggs. We currently have 15 hens and a rooster. We are also getting ready to transfer the babies that we picked up in the spring out to the big coop with the adults. We have a large indoor coop area for them and an almost 900 sq ft fenced in outside run. They’re super easy and hysterical to watch.

[SobrietyandSolace]

I grew up in a major city but still spent 15 odd years working on various farms. I can never afford my own land to have a homestead, and I am not allowed chickens at my 500square ft apartment but I do have 11 animals including 4 quail that just started laying and are popping them out all over the place! They live in an Exo Terra and provide lots of snacks for the 3 snakes, ferrets and our dog!

I admit I used to roll my eyes a bit when you would unsubtly plug black soldier fly larvae, but they are so much better than mealworms etc nutritionally; the quail, ferrets and especially the dog love them! They truly are the future.

[liv-ikig]

As a farmhand, this video makes me happy

[Battleray]

If you were wondering the difference between Nigerian dwarfs and pygmy goats it is that pygmy goats are bred for meat and are typically bought for pets they’re not good for milking because they have small teats. Nigerian dwarf goats are milk goats and are also good pets

[RRW]

*Makes top 5 video where 3/5 of the Animals are Birds*

"This video isn't about Reptiles"

*Angry Clint noises*

[abigailvalle]

Rabbits should have been on the list or an honorable mention!

[arasartsandjewelry]

Lol. I've been homesteading for years. Now we're doing it in an urban environment with chickens and dwarf goats. Quails are a good easy option. Ducks and geese (been there done that) are extremely messy if you don't have a running water source like a creek. Rabbits can be either really easy or really hard, depends on your set up and climate.

[beardiemom]

My parents have dwarf chickens and they are the cutest things. They are very friendly and will run over when someone enters the garden. They also love me since I got a reptile because when I try a feeder and he doesn't take it because they get the leftovers.

[vanessavieux]

WOW that's awesome have a great day have a cool day have a super day wicked wickens reptile

[crazycatsRL]

Great video Adam! I wish I lived in an area to have some of these animals. Growing up I had a friend who had one of those goats. Loved everyone behind the fence but didn’t so much like anyone in her territory lol. Often escaped into our yard too since they were neighbours.