Just two animals

[flatwater]

If you could only have two animals to have on your place to survive with, what would they be? and to make it more interesting you don't have any money to buy feed for them.
Flatwater

[AlchemyAcres]

If you could only have two animals to have on your place to survive with, what would they be? and to make it more interesting you don't have any money to buy feed for them.
Flatwater

That's easy....a male 'bunny' and a female 'bunny'........

~Martin ;)

[Deberosa]

That's easy....a male 'bunny' and a female 'bunny'........

~Martin *;)

I have to agree with that!!!

[annabella1]

The bunnies would be good if it was just 2 animals, but if it were just 2 types of animals I would have to go with Kinder goats and Khaki Campbell ducks. The not being able to buy feed, would be why no chickens. The ducks get by well on slugs and snails and worms and such and can be herded alongside the goats, so you would have meat, eggs, milk, hides, feathers, bone meal, fertilizer. they are both small enough to handle easily and very hardy.

[bookwormom]

Milksheep and chickens. My chickens support themselves pretty much.(I found the feed I put in was eaten by the little billygoats who were able to squeeze in).
Milk, meat, wool, , manure, eggs and hopefully some bug control. and the sheep feed themselves. Little work for me.
I could have said cow, but wool is necessary for clothing (you did say 'survive').

[LeatherneckPA]

I don't know of any poultry that con over-winter here in PA without assistance. So I guess I'd go for the milk sheep, and an LGD or two.

[elh]

for me i would have a good horse and a good dog. with these i could get what else i needed. :-X

[homesteadingnky]

Old thread but thought I'd chime in since I just found it. If you're refering to two types of animals and you can't buy feed for them I'd have rabbits and fish. Haven't seen anybody talking about them but with a pond you can have an abundant supply of fish year round. You can even raise catfish in a 55 gallon drum though to keep them producing you'd need a small pond or perhaps a swiming pool.

Homesteading

[flatwater]

I'm glad someone brought this back, after giving this some more thought I would go with goats. One could strip the bark off of trees to feed them and my second choice I think would be pigs. Because they also will eat about anything and you could store up beets or potatoes to keep them fed through the winter.
Flatwater

[bee_pipes]

There was an excellent thread going about alternative winter goat feed. It had links to articles about growing livestock feed in general:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=fau-livestock;action=display;num=1197929534

Regards,
Pat

[clarkshomestead]

Yeah I'll have to go with the rabbits too. 1 breeding pair can make up to 300 lbs of meat per year. Rabbit milk is higher in fat and nutrients than any other animal thats why they only feed their kits once per day. i have been milking my rabbits and can get about a gallon every 3 days from 1 doe. IT TASTES GREAT!! Just kidding about the rabbit milking thing..... I might try though LOL.

[MYellowRose]

Just two animals I too would have to vote for a pair of rabbits. It it was two types of animals I'd opt for a goat and chickens, especially if the land was covered with lots of brush.
Oh yes, if you debark trees to feed your animals there's a very good chance you'll kill the trees. So unless you intend to chop down the trees for firewood or building it's not a good idea.

[flatwater]

MyYellowRose , actually one can take a strip off and it will only scar the tree. Just don't take the strip off the circumfrance of the tree like a porky pine does , that will kill the tree. Actually you can free range goats but they would kill just about everything they can eat. I put a couple of goats in a two acre blackberry patch that was fenced in and buy the end of the next summer it was bare ground.
flatwater

[wy0mn]

Goats are the only animal I know of that can kill a patch of Alabama kudzu.

[aprilconnett]

wyOmn,

How useful that could be for the government. Just put goats in the kudzu patches all around the south, and viola!! Kudzu problem solved! ;D

[BadKarma]

My vote would be pigeons and channel catfish. Pretty much the pigeons will fend for themselves and return to the roost every night. Fish in a stcktank are usually self reliant. I raise rabbits, and they eat a lot more feed than you might think.

[walls0stone]

Working Highlanders trained to work..(not all oxen are stears) Put in crops with them and milk from the cow... they grow fat on stickers, easy on the vet bills.

Chickens free runn'n loose.

If I wanted rabbit...I'd trap them.

[Funkhouser]

Two types of animals? I'd have to say good dairy goats and good all-purpose hens. Seems they would fend for themselves well food-wise and not take up too much space.

Two animals, period? I'd have to go with a good steady horse and a good hunting dog.

[walls0stone]

I think you should get a pass for good dogs.

[Dawgus]

I'd have to say my beagle and my bloodhound....if those 2 can find a 2 year old cracker behind the fridge, they can surely find me something to eat lol.

[flatwater]

Dawqus , have you ever ate dog before ? ( just in case they can't find anything for you to eat. ;D)
Flatwater

[Dawgus]

hahaha Flatwater, I always tell the wife that all that loose skin on the bloodhound would make good pork rinds/cracklin's. The beagle is a bit of a pudge-butt so I imagine he'd make a meal or 2.

[TNDadx4]

Pretty much the same for me. For two types - goat and chicken.

I would miss a dog, though...

[farmboy]

If I could only have two animals period I would have 2 curs. They can find food for me and themselves. Plus they can have puppies so I can have more hunting dogs. If I could have 2 types of animals it would get curs and goats. I would say cows but they would require more feed during winter and they don't browse like goats do. Pigs, ducks, geese, pheasants, rabbits, coon, whistle pigs, and squirrels could all be hunted with the curs and you get meat, milk, and hides from the goats.

[pcrowder]

Goats and chickens - you can eat both, both give another product, and both of them are quite prolific at reproducing. Goats will eat weeds/grass/tree leaves, while chickens can free-range, and BOTH animals' diets can be supplemented with certain kitchen leftovers.