A practical-but-honest guide for beginners who think livestock is just feeding and collecting eggs.
When we started raising livestock, I thought I was signing up for fresh eggs, happy animals, and a wholesome connection to the land. What I got instead was a crash course in disappearing chickens, suicidal rabbits, and goats with a personal vendetta.
If you’re new to this life—or just considering it—here are a few things I wish someone had told me before I built the coop, bought the hay, and named the goat.
🐔 Chickens: Houdinis with Feathers
Nobody told me chickens would vanish like smoke. One minute they’re pecking around the compost pile, and the next they’re gone. Are they dead? Are they broody? Are they nesting in the hay loft like secret agents?
The answer is: yes. All of the above.
- Broody hens will disappear for weeks, only to reappear with twelve chicks and an attitude.
- Predators love free-range birds, especially if you give them a scenic pasture with tons of cover.
- Eggs will show up in places you didn’t know existed, like inside a feed bag or under the porch steps.
Lesson learned: If you can’t find your chicken, don’t panic—yet. But do check the hay bales, the wood pile, and the neighbor’s shed.
🐇 Rabbits: Nature’s Most Fragile Creatures
Rabbits are adorable. They’re also experts at dying for mysterious reasons.
- They’ll stop eating for no reason.
- They’ll get stressed by a loud noise and keel over.
- They’ll look perfectly fine at night and be gone by morning.
- They’ll poop in their food/water bowl and make themselves sick in the 2 hours between checks.
- They’ll decide they don’t like the feed you’re giving them and drop so much weight they look like Skeletor then catch a virus and die.
- They will decide you looked at them weird, their intestines will slow for a split second, and then they develop G.I. Stasis…. and die.
Nobody told me that rabbit health is a tightrope walk, and that deep bedding, shade, and predator-proof housing are just the beginning. You also need to watch their poop like a hawk, monitor water intake, and be ready to act fast if anything seems off.
Lesson learned: Rabbits are not low-maintenance. They are high-maintenance in disguise.
🐐 Goats: Agents of Chaos
Goats are cute. Goats are clever. Goats are menaces.
They will:
- Escape any fence you build.
- Eat the one plant you were trying to protect.
- Scream like they’re dying when they’re perfectly fine.
- Climb on your car, your porch, and your patience.
- Pretend they’re starving even with a full hay feeder.
- Refuse to eat any of the feed in their full feeder and instead, plow over you to get to the chicken’s feed.
Nobody told me that goats are part comedian, part escape artist, and part demolition crew. They need strong fencing, constant supervision, and a sense of humor.
Lesson learned: If you own goats, you don’t own peace. You own a circus.
🐣 Eggs Are Seasonal, Not Eternal
When feed costs rise, we let our chickens forage more. It saves money, but it also means egg production drops like a rock—especially when they decide to molt in July, just to keep things spicy.
Nobody told me that eggs aren’t a guaranteed daily gift. They’re a product of nutrition, daylight, and mood. And chickens are moody.
Lesson learned: If you want eggs year-round, you’ll need supplemental feed, lighting, and a backup plan.
🐾 Livestock Are Not Pets (Except When They Are)
Nobody told me how emotionally complicated livestock can be. You’re supposed to be practical. You’re supposed to be ready for loss. But then you name the duck, and she follows you around, and suddenly you’re crying over a bird.
You’ll lose animals. You’ll make mistakes. You’ll feel guilty. And you’ll still get up the next morning and do chores because this life is built on resilience.
Lesson learned: It’s okay to love them. It’s okay to grieve them. Just don’t name the meat chickens.
🧠 Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner
- Always build the fence before you bring home the animal.
- Predators don’t wait for you to be ready.
- Water systems will fail at the worst possible time.
- Manure management is a full-time job.
- You will learn more from failure than from any book.
💬 Final Thought: You’re Not Alone in the Chaos
Nobody told me how often I’d question myself. How often I’d feel behind. How often I’d wonder if I was doing it all wrong.
But here’s the truth: every farmer, homesteader, and backyard chicken keeper has been there. We’ve all chased a goat through the garden. We’ve all cried over a rabbit. We’ve all found eggs in a boot.
So if you’re in the thick of it—mud on your boots, hay in your hair, and a chicken missing in action—just know: you’re doing fine.
And someday, you’ll be the one telling a wide-eyed beginner, “Let me tell you what nobody told me…”
