Ep. 69 - Animal Selection for Ranching or Farming | Blackacre Ranch

We talk about some important factors to consider for animal selection when building your herd. This is not meant to be particular to our bison ranch. This can apply to all animal purchases and is not meant to be specific to one breed or species. We put aside cost and conformation and address what I feel are important factors to consider that may be beyond the "obvious". The factors are:

1) Environmental Conditions - Each area has different grasses, bacteria, and enzymes that animals get used to. Transitioning them from one type of environment to another can make the transition more difficult and can lead to some health issues. If possible try to choose animals from the same type of environment as you are in.

2) Know how the animals were treated - some owners are friendly and some are not friendly with their animals. Some owners develop a good relationship with the animals, others do not. Handling methods influence how the animals perceive us humans. Find out about how they were handled and if possible find some that match well with your methods.

3) Where to buy the animals from. You can buy livestock through a sale barn or a private treaty. There are many positives and some negatives about each.

Here on Blackacre Ranch we are weekend ranchers living in the big city during the week and ranching on the partially off grid property on the weekend. We are a family with 6 kids. Our goals are to homestead the property, grow healthy food, and build good character along the way. We are new to homesteading and don't know much about it, but we are willing to share our struggles and journey as we learn how to homestead together. Think of this as homesteading for beginners where we are the beginners.

We found the cost of an urban farm too expensive and went rural to find enough acreage to do what we wanted. We wanted larger animals such as bison and highland cattle. We are game for other animals with one requirement, they have to be sufficient enough to be handled only once a week. We found an old camp property that was run down and are remodeling or fixing it up to be a working and profitable ranch.

Now we can play with guns, blow stuff up, build what we want, and do what interests us. We are located in East Texas. Come with us as we enjoy the ranch life, even if only one day a week.

Видео Ep. 69 - Animal Selection for Ranching or Farming | Blackacre Ranch канала Blackacre Ranch