Livestock
Overview
Many small acreage landowners in California are eager to have a chance to raise various livestock on their property. It is helpful to familiarize yourself with the space and feed requirements of any livestock you are considering, as well as the best way to take care of their health. On this page, we provide some very basic information on low-stress handling and body condition scoring, as well as some quick links for livestock in California. Finally, we provide links to species-specific pages where you will find feed, space, and care requirements for any livestock you are considering raising.
General Livestock Management and Husbandry
How many animals can I get??
In order to match stocking rate (number of animals) to carrying capacity (how many animals your land can support), you can use historical records, talk to those with more grazing experience in your area, clip and weigh forage, and most importantly - train your own eye (by tracking how many days a paddock can feed a certain number of animals at a certain time of year). An example of calculating a stocking rate can be found in this document - how to determine how many animals your land can support - and you can learn more on our Rangeland and pasture management page.
Low-Stress Handling
Learning how to handle your livestock in a low-stress manner will make life easier for both you and your animals! Temple Grandin, from Colorado State University, shares her knowledge about low-stress livestock handling here: Livestock Handling and Flight Zone. You can also read Bud Williams' notes on low-stress stockmanship here: Bud Williams Stockmanship School Notes.
Body Condition Scoring
An animal's body condition can be scored from 1 - 9 to better understand it's health, energy balance, and reserves. Each species has a specific protocol for determining body condition score. In general, scores of 1 - 3 are for thin condition, 4 is a borderline condition, 5 - 7 are an optimal condition, and 8 - 9 are a fat condition. Body condition scoring can be used to identify animals that need supplemental nutrition, have parasite loads, and can predict future offspring’s vigor.
When scoring your animals for body condition, be sure to keep good records. Your score for an animal may differ slightly from another person's score, but your own consistency is key. Note that scores will differ throughout the year, depending on feed conditions and where the animal is in its reproductive cycle. You can learn more about body condition scoring from this USDA NRCS website and publications describing the specifics of body condition scoring for various livestock are available on the internet.
Species Specific Pages
Click one of the following links to learn more about raising specific livestock in small acreage settings in California.
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Quick Links
- The Agricultural Ombudsperson helps agricultural producers navigate the permitting process and facilitates meetings between the different county, state and federal agencies.
- The Animal Disease Information page from the USDA provides information on various disease that may impact livestock.
- The American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners has a webpage which you can use to find a small ruminant veterinarian.
- This ATTRA Small-Scale Production Livestock Guide compliments the information you will find on our California specific website.
- The University of New Hampshire compares space required for various livestock on their webpage Housing and Space Guidelines for Livestock.
- A UC ANR publication compares differences between livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, and horses).
- This Livestock Disease: Cause and Control web page from Oklahoma State University explains some basic principles of disease.