City life isn’t for everybody, some like living a farm life surrounded by animals, open fields, and a lot of natural sunlight. On a farm, the clock works according to the animals because these animals set the pace of the day. They provide a sort of rhythm to life apart from manure and income. However, as an urban farmer, your options are limited. The countryside has no issues regarding space, but the situation is completely different in the city. Space is a major factor, and in major areas, there are various restrictions on the kinds of animals you can have. Here is a small list of the best farm animals for city living.
Chickens
Number 1 on the list is chickens. It is the most obvious and popular choice of every urban farmer. They not only take up less space, but they require little food, are easy to manage, and to top it all off, they give you eggs. Think about it: fresh eggs, your breakfast table will never be boring.
Apart from providing the owner with the most sought-after products – egg, meat, and more chickens – they also create nitrogen-rich manure, which serves as an excellent fertilizer to add to soil or compost. Chickens do bring in good side income since they are very low-maintenance. The return percent is quite good, so chickens are the first best option for an urban farmer.
Rabbits
There are two major income sources related to a rabbit. You can use rabbits for breeding purposes and fiber; however, their most profitable product is meat. The only reason why most urban farmers do not raise rabbits is that they simply do not want to raise such cute creatures to ultimately lead them to slaughter. Urban farmers can turn rabbits into an income source either through meat or breeding. However, if none of these two options interest you, you can always go for angora rabbits, whose fur is quite popular these days.
Ducks
Ducks don’t always produce as many eggs as a chicken does, but duck eggs sell for $1 or more apiece, depending on your market. Ducks also make for better companions than their close cousins. Ducks provide decent meat and duck fat depending upon the breeding varieties. All in all, their maintenance is pretty simple, and the returns are profitable if done correctly. Also, they are a lot calmer than chickens.
Quail
Quails are one of the most underrated birds. They take little time to mature. The most common quail breed is the Bobwhite, which can mature within 16 weeks and start laying eggs after 24 weeks. Their maintenance is low since they can live in very few spaces as long as it is clean and covered. An important tip about quails is that they are less likely to brood their chicks in captivity, so if your goal is to create profit, you might want to keep an incubator at hand. Quail eggs go for a minimum of 50 cents each which is good since it is not a loss.
Pygmy Goats
If you think pygmy goats are cute, you aren’t wrong, but if you think that is all they have to offer, you couldn’t be more wrong. Pygmy goats bring more than just cuteness to the table (no pun intended). They make great dairy and meat animals. In an urban setting keeping the regular goat or other dairy animals may serve as a problem since space is an issue; however, a pygmy goat solves it.
Since it is ½ to ¾ of a regular-sized goat, it will require less of everything. But do not mistake their small structure for less quantity. These dwarf goats can produce 1 pint to 2 pints of milk daily, depending on the feeding quality and quantity. Also, if none of the meat and dairy options interest you, you can always keep them just as pets. Why? Because they are so cute.
Dexter Cattle
In the domestic animal world, to be cute and small is such a blessing. If you think your space is too small for cattle, it is not for Dexter cattle. These cattle are naturally small and provide a great feed conversion rate, plus they also double as milk producers. These cows require ½ an acre of fresh green grass per animal. If, however, green grass isn’t always an option, 12 to 15 pounds of hay and some grain every day will be sufficient. Despite these facts, you might not find a Dexter in the center of the city, but you can spot a few in the outlying suburbs.
Conclusion
There you have six farm animals that are perfect for city life. Since space is a major factor with animals in the city, these animals mentioned above will most certainly not pose that issue. These animals all have ways you can make a profit, but they are also great adorable pets.
