7 BEST LIVESTOCK FOR URBAN or SMALL HOMESTEADS

[@theconsciouscorgi2103]

Funny enough , I’m the HOA president of my neighborhood and I’m currently amending the rules to allow poultry foul so people can have chickens including myself

[@jcs6206]

Homeowners don't at least vote on stuff like that? You just dictate what you want and then your neighbors must abide? Are you actually living in a democracy (Democratic Republic but you get my point) if your neighbor can control your life to the extent that they can decide what your family can and cannot eat? That doesn't sound like any neighbor I'd ever want to live by... it also doesn't sound like freedom.

[@karenmrugacz8764]

Good for you ..think about quail, rabbits mback yard fish pond that is self sustaining n non smelling & so much if done rite..& benefits everyone eep.yhe children...!!!

[@maryharper3395]

If I am living in a community with an HOA I most definitely do not want chickens next door to me. Noisy and smelly. Get real.

[@zigman3105]

I hate the HOA, I especially hate the HOA president

[@ronkain8905]

Foul? Whaaaaat? That's so fowl... Hahaha

[@lucasanderson5499]

I live in a place with an HOA unfortunately, but I’m a disabled vet and I have been able to bend the rules and have a “service goat”. I’ve been doing this now for 3 years and my VA doc supports me 100% with it signing the proper paperwork every year for a new goat. The HOA knows what I’m doing and hates it, but can’t do anything about it.

[@NoOne-ki3bm]

🚬😎. You savage! Thank you for your service sir.

[@taneriapollins9225]

Love this

[@RndmGuy48-t1b]

As a disabled Vet myself, I’ll have to remember that one 😂. Thankyou for your service brother

[@lucasanderson5499]

@@RndmGuy48-t1b and thank you for yours too. You gotta find a cool doc and make sure they don’t look into the rules on service animals too much because a goat can’t be one. But if they don’t know that then it works lol

[@gabriellekelly3462]

You're a genius 🤣 🤣 🤣

[@michaelmalone5661]

Why I just bought 3.5 arces of unrestricted country land. A bonus is directly behind our property is a 5k acre wildlife preserve.😁

[@Sir.YeetusIII]

Lucky!

[@843andyville.5]

So you got uncle Sam in your backyard. Oofta.

[@samfunfun646]

@@843andyville.5 you got Uncle Sam in your pocket at all times man it's 2023

[@candicechristensen1753]

"the department of making you sad"🤣😅😂 PREACH!!! You're so right! Some of those regulations are ridiculous!!

[@Adam5576]

Loved that, What do you call a group of Karen's.. . . . . . An HOA!

[@tmatt1999]

good video, my first home was in a city in an HOA. When we first got there some old lady asked me to sign a petition against some person that had geese in a retention pond. I refused to sign and I said that I was going to put up a pigeon coup. I had the zoning manager with the city call and tell me that I cannot keep pigeons or any other livestock in the city. Next, about two months later they came around with the geese petition again. I told them that I keep a milk goat in my garage, and an animal control officer and a police officer came around to check on the well-being of the goat. The police officer wanted to arrest me for telling the HOA I had a goat but his supervisor told him not to. Within the month, I moved into the county on 15 acres where I can do what I want.

[@theheritagehousesc]

Great video! We had two hives in our backyard in a subdivision with HOA rules for a year before the manager found out. All our neighbors knew about our bees but they didn’t care. One day I caught a swarm that had moved into the tree between our property and our neighbors and a neighbor brought his ladder to me to get it. Well, he took a video of me getting the swarm and someone saw it and we were asked to remove them. But there were no rules against bees so we removed them a couple months later when we moved into our new property on 24 acres. We have four now. Win-win. 😁

[@WyldfireKeeper]

Just an FYI for those of you reviewing this video: Most HOAs and covenants don’t say “chicken” anymore. They say “fowl” or “poultry,” which unfortunately eliminates a large chunk of this list unless you find a loophole.

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

Quail can be kept in a battery system on less than six square feet in the garage. Place it in the garage in such a way as nobody can see the birds even if standing in the driveway and don’t worry about it, they don’t make enough noise to be heard outside the garage.

[@hillockfarm8404]

Rules against livestock usually are based on problems with : noise, stink and attraction of flies, mice and rats (from spilled feed and not rat/mouse proofing the animal housing). All of these are mainly due to bad care, but also climate (heat). If you can avoid those problems and keep them out of sight ( right along with the vegtable plot and the drying laundry most likely), lots of rules have to do with looks to keep up the value of the other properties. So tidy and charming from the outside shuts a lot of people up. That can mean plant an orchard in the front yard, along with say some roses giving lots of flowers. Rabbit are your best choice in such an area, not only because they are quiet and don't stink, but they are considered a pet, not livestock. Skipping the whole you can't keep livestock problem, since they aren't livestock, but pets. Do check though if you can sell bunnies for pets from your house (via craigslist or whatever), because that might be labeled commercial activity and again hoa/zoning laws can bite you.

[@thebessandmikeshow]

One of requirements for me buying a house was it had to be in a place with no HOA. People who make you sad. I call them something a lot worse than that - some people just don't have enough problems. I think there are some ordinances in the town where I live, but I'm too busy turning my neighbors into chicken keepers to notice.

[@Heather-xm9ul]

My husband didn't understand my absolute hatred of HOAs. I'm already extorted by the government, I was not about to pay extra for extra restrictions on my liberty.

[@wylantern]

Next time a HOA or someone tries to stop you from doing something, just tell them that you'll use all the money you're saving to buy and set up a radio tower. There's federal regs that give you that right, and no local government is going to go against the FCC.

[@crayhack]

Problem with urban living and having meat animals is it's very likely to have animal control called on you for "abuse". People are wild in cities about animal "welfare". There are people who get AC called for training their dogs.

[@idkanymore8490]

crayhack you have no idea

[@InaStanley83]

True, but that's why you keep it to yourself. Don't butcher or tan hides outside in view of the street or your neighbors. Don't leave butchered carcasses or hides sitting around in plain sight. If you want to share pics or videos of your homesteading adventures, try as much as possible to remove any settings that geotag your content(share your location automatically) so that people seeing your content online can't find out where you live and try to cause trouble. Keep your setups clean and spacious and looking like "pet" setups so that if someone does call AC on you, and AC wants to do an animal welfare inspection, they won't find anything to suggest that you're butchering animals. Or, know your local laws. If there are no laws against raising meat rabbits or small fowl, you should be fine. But know your laws so that if someone does try to harass you, you can counter with valid and legal information.

[@idkanymore8490]

Ina Stanley yea but just having these animals in plain sight people will get made at for or you have people begging you to breed them so the can buy them and not take care of them

[@lisakukla459]

I'd like to see some sources for this.

[@allthingsmaloney5634]

I've purchased rabbits and now they are old enough to start breeding. It's so hard not to tell everyone how excited I am to begin this journey. I come from the city and now we live on the outskirts of a small town. Thank god our neighbor had both rabbits and chickens before us. No concern there. But when family and friends ask what new it's so hard to hold back. Everyone thinks I'm crazy LOL even when I say one day our laying hens (once egg production goes to 2-3 eggs a week) will be chicken noodle soup if they cant be sold as pets/retired... they're so shook! Like what did you expect?! Are you vegetarian??? No? Oh okay????

[@GardenDevotions]

The reason many people who have aquaponics grow tilapia is that they're less fickle that most other fish. My dad started out with striped bass and lost most of them because they aren't very flexible. Very picky fish. Tilapia, on the other hand, adapt better so they make great "starter" fish for those new to raising them.

[@GypsyBrokenwings]

I shared the heck out of this video, lol! Great info. I lived in HOA's in the past and swore NEVER AGAIN! I don't play well with control freaks. Finding rabbits where I live is hard to do. the CV had everyone panic buying them...and I had planned months before it hit, to get rabbits (sad face). I'm still stuck in my RV, which makes having a chick brooder difficult, but I've done it and built a chicken tractor. This time I didn't even ask the landlord. I have a long list of AG reports to show him where our food security stands if he wants to make a fuss. Funny thing is, today he asked if I wanted rabbit to eat..that he has a .22 and there's lots of wild ones out here, lol!

[@karmavalley]

You are currently inspiring soòoo many people. It's so great too see

[@beckywilliams8507]

Before we moved here, the last town we lived in told me, "look, if you would see it at a farm, it's livestock and you can't have it!" So glad we moved!

[@kaydenl6836]

Should’ve asked if that applied to cats and dogs because you’ll see those on farms too

[@horseblinderson4747]

Get a Serbian LongCrower no farmer in their right mind would own one.

[@howdyyall975]

I have never seen a meat rabbit set up i love so much, it's so spacious and clean. They look well taken care of and probably taste great!

[@HomesteadingCityStyle]

I have a 12’x8’ area outdoor (lean to) where I raise quail and fish; I have 4 breeder cages, an incubator, brooder and grow box. I also have a 3’x8’x2’high horse trough where I raise fish (aquaponics). In my aquaponics I have channel catfish and bluegill !!!

[@mustseevideos7777]

Wow! Sounds like a great set up you have there! Can you post a pic of it here?

[@mustseevideos7777]

Oh I see you have a channel. I just subscribed! Thanks for commenting so that I could find you!

[@khadijahdavis1572]

This was a great video i share your feelings on the 'department of making you sad' I'm so glad my property is deemed unrestricted and it's zoned for residential, agricultural, and business, so i can do and have pretty much whatever i want on my homestead, right now i have kune kune pigs, chickens, qual, fessants, rabbits, turkeys, all were raising for meat

[@polespinosa4858]

I'd be very wary about eating pigeons free-ranging in an urban area, Urban feral pigeons accumulate very high levels of heavy metals, mainly lead and cadmium.

[@hoffmansforhim7365]

You're always encouraging to keep going!

[@kenlee5015]

Ha! My wife and I were playing guess the animal. I guessed talapia and you through me under the bus. "Don't just get talapia, get whatever is common to your area." At least I got the hydroponics. Good show, good list

[@musicalatv]

I was also playing Guess The list as he was going through it. I did get chickens, rabbits, quail, ducks, and pigs but I did not guess bees, pigeon, or fish.

[@Homesteadyshow]

haha so close Ken!

[@margmurray1945]

I missed out on the pigeons ....:)

[@sagapiaries5099]

AWSOME video. Thanks for the info

[@senordiaz1]

Back when we lived in a small apartment, I just built a pigeon coop onto the divider between me and my neighbors "porch". No one ever said anything and if they took it down I would have just made another one. Pigeons are one animal I've kept Through almost every stage of my adult life. I also moved to a town home with a HORRIBLE HOA and I would buy chickens and process them right outside the front door. They were a headache and I loved that town but was happy to go.

[@Tinyhomedeals]

Just found out can't have chickens in our yard in the towm we live in. But think rabbits are ok because they are considered pets. Thanks for great info. Quail nice. I've eaten pigion when I lived in Germany. I'm watching your course as well.

[@horseblinderson4747]

I just saw a comment about scofflawing a radio tower, and the guy was 100% correct. No one can stop you. Carrier pidgin could fall under the same thing but might be a stretch seeing it's technically not broadcasting.

[@sfkeygrip]

i live in the burbs. Have 4 ducks and 4 chickens. I talked to my neighbors about it before hand and they where all good with it. And to keep the peace I provide free eggs to them several times a month. I checked the zoning rules for the area and they said chickens had to be 30ft from a building. However the woman I talked to said as long as a neighbor does not complain they wont enforce it , and since the whole covid thing they have relaxed that rule as many people in the area wanted to get chickens to become more "self sufficient" However if you thinking of doing anything talk to your neighbors, as if they are on your side you can do a lot. If they are not while you might be able to do what you want to do they can make life difficult.

[@salemthorup9536]

People should know that chicken hens are actually not that quiet. Most breeds brag when they lay an egg. They can be almost as loud as a rooster.

[@maytademeester2836]

I had a neighbour buying her first chickens who went on a rampage accusing the seller that they sold her roosters as hens because sometimes they crow. Luckily after that we managed to convince her that keeping chickens still requires some knowledge.....

[@100cjspencer]

Love your vlog.... we live in town and do meat rabbits (New Zealand and Californians).... silent and a great way to put meat in the freezer. We also do quail now. We have laying hens (Brahma). Two Muscovy’s (who are silent). And just did two jumbo Peking ducks that reached slaughter weight in 7 weeks (about 9lbs.). 50x100 ft backyard. We’re always learning from from your vlog, the survival podcast, cog hill etc. You can do a lot. We are in good standing with our neighbors. Couple are stating to do what we have the last three years. We started with 4 laying hens....our goal always is keeping the noise down. Fudging some laws but the irony is our Nieghborhood dogs make way more noise than any of our animals..... love you guys!!!!!

[@TheSDBeast]

My whole county has a rule of no farm animals or "fowl" unless you own at least 5 acres, and a rule about no butchering on your premises. Unfortunately, we didn't find out about these rules until we started noticing that some of our sexed hens were not hens, so we were looking at zoning to find out if we could have a rooster.... Thankfully, so far, it hasn't been enforced ~ have had quail for about 5 years, and just added ducks and chickens to our 1/4 acre back yard last year ~ but we are currently looking for land outside this county to get away from the restrictions.

[@arnaubasulto4448]

what country is that?

[@blondiethebuilder5676]

Great video!! We like your train of thinking regarding working around the rules. We live in the suburbs of Nova Scotia, Canada. We just got our first laying hens two weeks ago and a week ago we got 16 meat chickens. To date our bylaws are in the grey area for chickens....so far so good. Hopefully sharing a few dozen eggs and a meat bird here and there will keep our neighbors happy. We are in the process of purchasing about 30 acres of land for our retirement in a few years. My husband will be retiring from the police force (he knows how to circle the rules haha and agrees with you that wording is everything in the rules). Again, great video. We keep up to date with your channel. Thanks, Amy and Bryan

[@virginiawomack8743]

One of your best videos yet. Thank you. Keep up the good work

[@InaStanley83]

We have a decent amount of land, but are close to our neighbors and no one else has any obvious livestock in our area. The laws aren't very clear, so we're not sure if we're allowed to have chickens or not. So we decided to go with meat rabbits, Coturnix quail, and interestingly...guinea pigs! We raise pedigreed silver fox rabbits inside of our home which are excellent for both meat and fur. We have a flock of 14 Coturnix quail on coops on our deck, and lots of eggs in our two incubators. Once our greenhouse arrives, our meat-only quail grow-outs will live and be finished in the greenhouse! And most people don't think of raising something like guinea pigs for meat. They're actually a very healthy meat, and a staple in many South American countries. Our dogs and cat are raw fed, and the guinea pigs are mainly going to be an additional protein source for them. We may also occasionally eat them as well. Like rabbits, they mature for breeding around 6 to 8 months but reach butcher weight around 8 weeks of age. They live well in colonies and can produce almost as often as rabbits - slightly smaller litters but you can have several females (sows) to bring your numbers up. We also grow blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries in pots, and are planning an herb garden in a tower garden system as well as several raised beds and greenhouses. Gotta get creative!

[@widowkeeper4739]

I started in a 600 square foot apartment. I had a worm bin in the storage closet and potted plants all over my tiny deck. I had fresh vegetables all year. From there we moved to a house in the middle of suburbia and we've been raising chickens (both layers and meat birds) and ducks , a vegetable garden both potted and traditional, and beehives. Now my husband and I are moving to 4.5 acres of arable land and I'm going to expand into bees, chickens, ducks, quail, rabbits, goats, and I'm seriously considering doing miniature Jerseys too now because of this channel LOL. We're considering growing Christmas trees with the rest of it.

[@musicalatv]

Thank you for this video and reminding me that even though I have only got a third of an acre that I am doing almost as much as I can with area that I have. We have 12 chickens (no rooster), 4 muscovys (one is a drake), two dairy goats, and a garden. most of the garden has been in pots because I haven't gotten much of an in-ground garden started but I've been working on that. We plan on getting rabbits soon. I'm also thinking about getting quail. My concern for quail is that we would have to have an incubator to raise new ones because they are not good at raising their own.

[@retaosooo3091]

Love your attitude!

[@tipr8739]

Double bonus with the Fish -> Frogs. They are delicious. I don’t know the species, but I had frogs legs before I had alligator and the frogs legs are like half chicken half fish and cooked in garlic butter with parsely they are really a treat. Go for the frogs and keep the mosquitoes down in your backyard

[@jonipitcher8095]

I have no patience for people telling me what I can and can't do also. That's why we moved where we live. BUT when we lived in town I had SIX rooster. Not on purpose. But I did. I just gave soaps and eggs to the neighbors so they liked me and I never had problems.

[@entrepreneur4life28]

Love this video particularly when you talked about HOA.

[@crayhack]

One you forgot that is similar to rabbits is guinea pigs! Very high output

[@tiffanieclinkinbeard7170]

You can eat guinea pigs? I didn't think about that. I wonder how much meat they have

[@484848474]

@@tiffanieclinkinbeard7170 I think it's in Peru where guinea pigs are a very popular meat source.

[@hillockfarm8404]

Rabbits are more fertile (number of kits and number of litters), but yes guinea pigs where bred for an indoor meatsource. Note that those are now? called cuy and the real ones are bigger than the more familliar pet guinea pigs, and keel over dead from fright really easy. There is crossbreeding between the too (they are the same breed), with bigger animals that are fragile health wise as a result. So be carefull, bigger is probably not a good thing with these when looking for breeding stock. Advantage to the hardy pet ones though is that they do colony/group way easier that rabbits, it was after all how they where raised for so long. Check if you can get a group that the male is intact, because most likely it won't be.

[@crayhack]

@@484848474 all over South America

[@484848474]

@@crayhack Thank you.

[@mckaughnbrown5969]

You guys are the BEST!!!!!!

[@rb7454]

Love the channel and info you put out. Thank you !!

[@cristiaolson7327]

So, my city has super weird ordinances on livestock. In the city limit, you can only have 3 animals on the domestic pets list (small animals not subject to this, though if they are a nuisance then that's a different problem), 3 hens (the council is considering increasing that to 7), but no roosters, other poultry, or livestock. However, the list of pets includes mini pigs and mini goats, and nursing babies don't count towards the three, and doves/pigeons aren't on the list of poultry. So, in an urban yard, you can keep a coop with 3 hens, pidgeons, a mini pig with a litter, a pair of mini milking does with kids, and a hutch full of rabbits. Fish also aren't regulated, so you can set up a bunch of aquaponics to grow fish and veggies. While my goal is to buy property outside the city limits where I'll be able to do more, it's neat that if I have to start by getting a smaller urban home before buying up later, I can still raise a surprising amount of food in my backyard, and with the right planning, I can have an edible landscape out front that grows fruits while still looking beautiful.

[@anymor7609]

My mom immigrated and lived in the inner city but couldn’t afford a car or chickens so in the back yard was grapes and melons and the garage was filled on top was pigeons and the bottom was rabbits.

[@jessesig1454]

You’re awesome, I hear ya about the department of make you sad. I hope things change as more people desire to grow their own food.

[@user-dm1zs3xr5u]

imagine the HOA bothering you about your chickens and you come out with a swarm of bees on your hand lol

[@mosesmilliman]

that pigeon Idea is epic

[@dakotamoore5818]

*With zoning in the state of IL if there is a filed complaint they then can have access to your property. But no complaint = no access. What they cant see from the road they cant do anything about. In the kill joy taxed hole of the US aka Illinois...our (90%farming community) county with the board of peoplewho make us sad - $300 "special use permit" for us to have any chickens OR FOWL in which are designated specifically as guinnies, ducks, quail or other 'livestock bird' on ANY amount of acreage of land in the COUNTY. And there are extremely specific requirements of where their housing structure can be on the property as well as the structure itself. 😑 if our business was not here and could more easily move...

[@marshalepage5330]

My town home association allow chickens, but only 4 hens no roosters. Some of my neighbors have 4 chickens in their yard. In the middle of the city Shoreview which is part of St Paul Minnesota

[@monicarevey9911]

Department of making you sad, very true!

[@reneebrown2968]

I love watching my bees busy doing their thing. I have my hive on my back porch. Approximately 10ft from my back door. I've only had less than 10 bees inside my house in 2 years combined. So don't freak about bees. Just don't swat them. They do have a inquisitive side. I have had alot of them thru the years land on me. Never stung unless i set my arm on them.

[@reneebrown2968]

Quail are so easy and space requirements are tiny. 1 sf per bird. So you can actually have a breeding set in a 2'×3' cage. But be ready for alot of poop. Luckily it can be added to your compost to make it great.

[@debbiekelly6835]

Love this!!❤

[@aurorarowley7310]

The problem with fish is there are some species you need a permit to keep. My uncle had an aquaponics system for a few years and had to have a permit to raise and purchase rainbow trout and some other species I can't remember. Because he didn't want tilapia.

[@scook449]

My area's rule is basically "can't have more than 6 chickens, no roosters within 100 ft of the road" We live on an island that I covered with roads all over the place. There is even a ranch that had a rooster before the rule was made. Rule enforcement have been trying to get that rooster butchered for years now, but the owners won't do it because they sell chicks and they got him at least a year before the rule was put in place.

[@dorothysimpson7040]

Excellent video, thank you.

[@TeamBibobll]

"I have about 5 ideas for you" The title of the video: Am I a joke to you?

[@anniegaddis5240]

Awesome info, thanks, sharing!

[@robertlansdown7606]

I currently live on a five acre lot that has chickens, ducks , and rabbits as well as fruit trees and garden. The hoa from the ajoining neighborhood actually took me to court and lost ! They found out what grandfather laws were. They even tried to force a change in the zoning laws and found that it still would not effect me only if I sold out would that change. Now I am looking for 40 acres and will move my nephew into the house while I retain ownership just to pee in their Starbucks!

[@thealrightygina5725]

Keep in mind that muscovies are really the only quiet duck. Mallard derived breeds (like the Pekin) are louder, especially the hens, though the drakes are still rather quiet. You can also combine quail and pigeons together. Make a tall aviary with nests up top for the pigeons and the quail happily nest at the bottom. You still have to feed the quail too, though...as they won't get enough from just eating the pigeon feed that's knocked down. Also ***I would not suggest catching city pigeons or eating pigeons that have foraged in a city***. A town maybe, but not a city. Far too much pollution. Another animal that you can do is guinea pigs. They can be fantastic especially if you want to keep a lawn, as they're wonderful grazers and apparently quite delicious.,

[@MaxVax-dh7rh]

Well if you know a little about middle and South America. You can also ad Ginnipigs and Iguana.

[@tessalynne6778]

We lived in a city where for years it was technically illegal to own chickens but it was only enforced if neighbors complained. It was changed to allow laying hens, no roosters. Nothing was allowed to be slaughtered.

[@elliephants7047]

I'm very glad you included pigeons. Why do you think there are so many feral pigeons! The city pigeons are not wild pigeons, they're FERAL - livestock abandoned when we didn't have as much use for them any more. Their meat is good, their eggs are good, and their poop? Gold! If I had to pick one city multi-purpose animal, it'd be a pigeon, because the proof is in the pudding, y'know. They don't thrive for no reason! Rabbits aren't bad, and their fur is really nice, but who's going to actually tan their hides? And on a personal level, I just can't see myself killing them, or guinea pigs, although those are great livestock too! Maybe I'm just a big baby.

[@pauljohnston9446]

White king utility pigeons are squab producers like meat rabbits and each pair of pigeons will produce 2 squab a month ... No brooder no incubator and they take care of their babies feed too

[@Erewhon2024]

My concern with pigeons in an urban area is keeping them on *my* land. I don't want them getting asphalt gravel for grit. Feeding them is a cost, but one I am willing to bear if I can ensure the meat doesn't get contaminated by urban pollutants.

[@crash650s]

Thanks homesteady!! We got our 3 chickens durring lockdown. By american standards our "yard" is miniture. Still space for some ajimals though. Small but mighty

[@beverleyweatherall9573]

Great info thanks.

[@idkanymore8490]

In my opinion if you want small meat or just general farm animals start with chickens and rabbits and if you have the room and legally can have this animals then get Nigerian dwarf goat or pygmy goat if you want meat from them and kunie kunie pigs

[@noname-xt2io]

thats what i have had to do, im in the city, i raise quail and about to start rabbits. i actually OVER produce quail and have some for sale pretty regularly

[@archangel20031]

Ducks lay eggs just like chickens do. Wet wood chips go in the compost pile!

[@AFloodofSolaceJohnWhigham]

Great content!!

[@faithbuller4086]

Great ideas, thanks!

[@mschmidt9150]

Thank you

[@manihotesculenta7501]

Today i realize i am not the only one who wanna raise meat animal at home! Thank you friend

[@paulgamblin1860]

Great advice! And I think I will look into my local zoning to see if we can have chickens. We are a small town, so maybe. That would be a bite I can chew, raising 10 at a time.

[@jndvs95]

Things like rabbits and chickens are easier I'd imagine to just have a small amount with a pairing, harvest what you want, allow to grow what you need to keep the stock replenished etc. Imo regulations are more put in to keep people dependant on big gov for food than anything

[@jaket8947]

No quail here in WV without a ridiculous amount of paperwork with the DNR, which is very stupid and ironic all in one.

[@hawkfishandy7584]

I raised pigeons and they were so easy to keep and slaughter. Plus they are super tasty!

[@analarson2920]

My grandfather loved pigeons

[@allthingsmaloney5634]

what do they taste like!!!?? I have laying hens and am just getting into rabbits because they taste similar to chicken. May get a few quail since we wont be eating our hens

[@mattTHEEgreat]

Did you eat the entire bird or just the breast. When we dove hunt we just take the breast, wonder if it's the same for pigeons

[@alexbell9196]

We hunt pigeons when theres nothing in season since theyre considered an unregulated species. They are without doubt the best "wild" game you can harvest. Can just cook the breast like a dove but they are just barely big enough to make ot worth cooking the whole bird. Remember they arent chickens. Cook em like grass fed beef. Lean dark meat best cooked at medium give or take a little.

[@juanitadafler7233]

Great advice!!

[@NIGHTMARERICA]

I live in the two mile buffer.... "Follow our rules but ya you can't vote and have no say." 🤷🏼‍♂️ Sorry I'm not asking for permission to use my own land. Just got my little Kubota today.

[@reneebrown2968]

As far as ducks if you get muscovie ducks they are super quiet. The hens and drakes are both quiet. They only hiss.

[@jaredmiller8740]

I have 3/4 of an acre in a suburban setting. My backyard is about 1/2 an acre, I want to do chickens and Geese. What else would be a good pick? Cow?

[@mirandamunro4946]

While I love your suggestions for smaller, backyard livestock options, you missed an opportunity to encourage people to get involved with their city governments. We live in a democratic republic. People make the laws. People can remake the laws to be building blocks of a better world. That’s why we elect people and task them with making rules for us to live by. If everyone packs up and leaves, no one is left to make good rules and we never end up fixing the problems. I'm assuming that you're already pretty well aware of all this and that doing what you do, you're also more prone to being frustrated by various officials since you probably don't fit neatly into bureaucratic boxes. I can relate to not fitting in boxes, and there is definitely an argument for not wasting your time and energy on it. But I want to make the case for sticking it out and changing the system for the better because I like what I've seen you trying to build, both with your land and with your show. So here goes: I have a backyard suburban homestead. I don't know about the rules everywhere, but I know the rules in my town that get in my way the most date from the 1940s through the 1970s when people were trying to differentiate the suburbs from the country or from poor urban areas. That's why roosters are out and noisy dogs are fine. Times have changed and the policy is dated for a variety of reasons. I have made it my business to know my city staff. They absolutely want to hear about it when a city policy has become dated: every one of them that I have met and several I haven't think that growing or raising food and building things is useful and interesting and they want to support it. I spend a massive amount of time building local organizations, something I was raised to do. It is incredibly frustrating to me to hear others criticize "the government" as if they are incapable of contributing to and changing it, particularly in a time when local organizations of all sorts are already experiencing a shortage of volunteers. It is particularly jarring from someone like yourself who has such a golden opportunity to encourage people to engage and who clearly also values building community. I love your show and I think what you're doing overall is something fantastic that can and should serve as part of a foundation of remaking and rethinking food in the US. Don't miss the chance to make homesteading mainstream by revising local legal restrictions on it. Thank you so much for putting together these videos and for the podcasts. My husband and I get good information for building our homestead and our 4 kids are encouraged to see other homeschoolers out working on a farm. It really is a pleasure to watch.

[@HoldtheWalnuts]

Fingers crossed we get rabbits after the summer is over

[@livelyblueyes]

We raise a lot of animals on a 1/2 acre property. Luckily, no HOA. Thankfully we purchased 10 acres but have yet to be able to move onto it. In our area, chickens etc have always been able to be kept as back yard animals. The problem? Our area is building up. New ordinances will be coming in soon to where we will not be allowed to raise as much as we do, or even some of the animals we raise. It's pretty sad. So far they have failed to fully pass the ordinances they are planning but, it will only be a matter of time. We currently raise, rabbits,chicken,quail and goats. In fact I run a heard of about 15 goats at the moment. The majority of our property is dedicated to them. The key thing is sanitation. If you keep it clean you do not have smells. No smells most do not even realize you have them. With the size of the property we are currently on we purchase all of our animal feed. It is not cheap but it is worth it. Our rabbits and quail are above the chickens in 10x20 covered runs. ( we live in a fairly warm environment (downright blistering in the summer!) . The chickens clean up the feed that quail love to waste, as well as getting their own feed and keeping all poop turned into the shavings. Fresh shavings go in and a full scrape down happens about ever 3 months and we put down barn lime then shavings. There is no ammonia smell etc. The runs are butted up beside each other. When the compost is removed it is spread out and grass seed goes over it. What was once a lot covered in sugar sand now has super rich earth. Our 10 acres we will be moving to is sandy as sin so we will now be transporting it up there to get it ready to be planted with the types of grasses we want in our pens. This was a good video that you made. I think folks would be amazed at exactly how much you can raise on a property and still have happy animals. I believe the two biggest things they need to make sure of are sanitation and processing. If you are processing , do it where the neighbors cannot see. In a more urban setting many of your neighbors will be horrified and calling county because you are "abusing animals" .

[@clariseherrle1133]

#askhomesteady I've been wanting to know where you got your mini jersey and how much time you spent doing the research and prepping for one and making sure its the right size for you and your family?

[@lisakukla459]

😂 Aust, I like the way you think! My dad was a lawyer, and a little bit of a troublemaker, but in a the best way. I think he would very much approve of this video. He was the kind of guy who did multiple appeals on a seat belt ticket, maintaining that "the government does not have the right to dictate how I endanger my own body." And he once called the Mayor of Tulsa an idiot, to his face - but in the most hilariously calm and matter of fact tone. I miss him a lot, but every now and again I get a little reminder that I am definitely his daughter. Stuff like this. 😊 Excellent, excellent content. One of my favorites yet.

[@Homesteadyshow]

Your dad and I would have got along just fine

[@candicechristensen1753]

Other ducks, not Muscovy, can be very noisy. I'm not sure that came across clearly in the video 👍👍 My beautiful Saxony ducks are the opposite of quiet.

[@SpriteoftheDnieper]

Going to add one: guinea pigs. They’re in the same boat as rabbits (technically pets). They can feed on and will essentially mow your lawns (cant eat it if you use fertilizer or recently mowed) and kitchen scraps (they do need a vitamin C source 1-2x/week). They breed prolifically like rabbits. They don’t dig like rabbits (no need to fence the ground). They don’t jump like rabbits (2 ft high is plenty). Their poop is fertilizer. The only thing, which has me hesitating, is how much noise they might make.

[@saintmaxmedia2423]

I keep rabbits outside all year round, guinea pigs can not take low temperatures, so big difference right there. Also rabbit is pregnant for a month, guinea pig for two months and is much smaller.

[@bellalovretich4101]

We are on 4 acres, we have chickens and geese. Our next purchase is going to be a mini cow ❤❤❤

[@mkshffr4936]

Loved this video and got a lot of information out of it. I live just outside of town (county has jurisdiction) but with close neighbors so I have thought of making a small rabbit warren in my 8x10 shed but I never thought of quail. I always thought ducks would be too loud and messy but maybe not. I thought of a fish pond when I finally get a "real" homestead but never considered a stock tank fish farm. So thanks for the ideas. #askhomesteady I have watched several of your great videos but as I get closer to having a retirement homestead I am thinking along the lines of making it as self tending as possible (for ease of upkeep and the ability to travel a bit to visit family) including fish ponds, perennial nuts, fruits, veggies, and even grains as well as small game habitat but it would be great to see a video with any ideas that you might have along those lines. I have questions such as can one legally and practically release say guinea foul on their property for hunting and scavenging eggs? Thanks again for providing a great resource. -mike

[@necrokittie2291]

the only animals you listed that i could raise are quail and pigs. but.. um. i'm allergic to glyphosate (round up) sooo, i can only raise them if i can find organic feed or an alternative. i'm not sure what to do. i can't seem to find organic feed for quail. i already checked. and i am not sure i can keep up with pig feed if that is my solo animal. what i really want are goats and guinea pigs, but both are illegal, even if they are pets. i'm not 100 feet away from my neighbors.

[@swedishdogs3327]

You can feed turkey feed or other high protein poultry feed. Here in Sweden we don't even have quail feed, so people feed chick starter or turkey starter to chicks, then turkey food

[@nataliebutler]

You can also feed them a mix of seeds (e.g canary seed, wild bird seed), bugs, sprouted wheat and vegetables.

[@chicoringler]

Is it possible for you to make a video when it it is the perfect time to harvest the lives tocks?

[@caitlinweiss8801]

My HOA says dogs and cats only but I don't see how it would cause any issues for me to have a few rabbits. I'm very considerate of my neighbors and they wouldn't disturb anyone.

[@elizabethbriggs492]

I had NEVER considered pigeons, but my gosh, DUH. Now I'm wondering if our local... character is eating the ones hovering around his 'mansion' hahaha!

[@joanneganon7157]

Unfortunately we don't have garages or I would definitely! I'm gonna concentrate on veggies this year. I just moved here so all eyes are on me😲. Thanks so much for going through a tough subject. I'll bet some folks got great ideas! I can't believe how many folks can't have pigs out in the country! JO JO IN VT 💕😄

[@brianbuchanan5702]

Why doesn't any farmer mention jumbo cotornix qual? They lay a ton of eggs and grow to almost a pound in 2 months? Super easy amd very little space needed.

[@Undercoverbooks]

We aren't allowed to have chickens or ducks where we are, or bees, but we can have quail or pigeons. Our city is conducting a pilot, though, around chickens, so I'm hopeful for the future.

[@elizabethb3270]

Sweet list.

[@karenmiller6088]

As for keeping bees, just note that if you have dogs that are black or brown there's a greater chance of them being attacked by your bees if the bees get agitated. I've had my black lab get attacked and it nearly killed her and my neighbors bees killed their little black lap dog that simply walked near the hive. Goats don't bother bees (but they like to chew on the hives) and bees don't seem to mind goats but dogs they hate.

[@jenhalliburton6251]

Love this

[@onlyfish72]

Love your videos. My wife and I just bought our small 3 acre farm and we will be adding to it a little at a time. We want to start with laying hens and meat chickens. #askhomesteady so my question is with your Cornish cross do you raise them in the same area until its time to process or do you move them into a larger area when they are a few weeks old. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[@ginny2071]

Great video ty