The document provides an overview of best practices for raising small livestock on urban spaces, including maintaining clean living quarters, providing adequate nutrition, preventing health issues, and implementing biosecurity measures. Key recommendations are to develop a relationship with a veterinarian, learn animal nutrient needs, monitor animal health, and isolate new or sick animals. The document emphasizes preventative strategies and treatment only when needed to keep animals healthy and expenses low.

1. More of this
Less of this
And more of this
Robert Spencer,
Extension Specialist

2. DISCLAIMER
• When it comes to farming there is
preventative maintenance & reactive
maintenance, both are management choices
• Information comes in various forms: research,
reality, internet, perceptions, and hearsay
• Each of us must decide what works best for
our situation

3. JUST A LITTLE BIT GROWS INTO ISSUES
• Animals become sick from initial exposure to small
quantities of bacteria, viruses, or parasites
• Animals can not communicate feelings
• Missed indicators or lack of attention leads to
complications
• Animals health is compromised, problems and expenses
begin
 Backyard biosecurity means doing everything you can to
protect your animals from diseases

4. OPPORTUNITIES
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What kind of resources are needed?
Will this be a full-time or part-time endeavor?
Do I expect this to be profitable or hobby?
Recognize hybrid vigor makes for hardy animals
Raising healthy livestock on small acreages can
become a family project
Develop a better understanding of issues and
develop plans to insure healthy, productive
animals

5. BEFORE YOU BUY THE FIRST ANIMAL
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How much space do I have?
What are my financial constraints?
What type of animals interest me?
What do I know about production of ____?
Where can I find more information?
Which veterinarian will I work with?
How will I dispose of manure & dead animals?
How close are my neighbors, will they object,
and do they have animals?
• What is my exit plan?

6. SPACE REQUIREMENTS
• One animal unit per
two acres
• Rabbits – 1.5’x1.5’x2’
• Chickens - 1.5’x1.5’x2’
• Goats & Sheep
– Housing – 3’x6’
– Grazing – 3-4/acre
• Cattle
– Housing – shade
– Grazing – 1 per 2 acres

7. PURPOSE & BREEDS: Goats & Sheep
• Meat, dairy, fiber, or maintenance?
• Goats
– Meat – Boer, Kiko, Savannah, Spanish & etc.
• Small – Pygmy, Brush
– Dairy – Alpine, Sannen, La Mancha, & etc.
• Small - Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmy
– Fiber – Angora & etc.
• Sheep
– Meat – Katahdin, Dorper, St. Croix, & etc.
– Dairy – East Friesian, Lacaune, and etc.
– Fiber – Merino, Corriedale, and etc.
• Small - Cheviots, Babydoll, and etc.

8. PURPOSES & BREEDS: Rabbits & Poultry
• Rabbits
– Meat – New Zealand, Californian, Harlequin & etc.
– Fiber – Angora and etc.
– Smaller – Dutch, Rex, English Spot & etc.
• Poultry
– Egg layers – Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rock,
Cuckoo Maran, and etc.
– Smaller – Silkies, Polish Top Hats, and etc.

9. ANIMAL FRIENDLY URBAN SPACES
• Minimize noise stress
– Animals are like people, they can tolerate some
noise stress, but not continuous and/or loud
• Maintain clean living quarters and grounds
– They need clean living and grazing environments
to maintain a healthy living status
• Provide relevant/adequate nutrition
– They need adequate nutrition to maintain good
body condition and a healthy immune system

10. NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS
Nutrient needs for animals includes: water, protein, fat,
minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and etc.
Example of protein ranges:
• Goats – 10-16%
• Sheep – 8-14%
• Cattle – 8-14%
• Poultry –15-18%
• Rabbits – 12-17%
Never underestimate the importance of water, fat, and
minerals (copper & selenium)

11. GENERAL
HEALTH CONCERNS
• Failure to develop a working relationship with
veterinarian
• Inadequate nutrition - failure to meet nutrient
needs & provide minerals
• Internal (gastrointestinal)& external parasites stomach worms, coccidian, lice or mites
• Respiratory distress - dust or vapors from
excessive build-up of urine and wet manure

12. SPECIFIC HEALTH ISSUES
Young are most vulnerable
• Goats & Sheep
– stomach worms, coccidiosis, lice. pinkeye & sore
mouth
• Rabbits
– coccidiosis, sore hocks, pinkeye, enteritis
• Poultry
– Stomach worms, coccidiosis, cannibalism,
lice/mites, rodents

13. PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
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Education
Nutrition
Sanitation
Biosecurity
Ventilation
Sunshine
• Ideal animal welfare
• Learn what works for
others, keep up with
developments
• If it sounds too good to
be true it probably is
• There are no magic pills

14. ALL-NATURAL PRACTICES
• Sunshine – Lots of sunshine, with access to shade
• Fresh air – Lots of fresh air with shelter from
adverse weather
• Lime – Spread lime (powder) as needed in loafing
areas & where urine and manure accumulate
• ACV - Maintain small percentage of apple cider
vinegar in water vessels
• Sanitation - Clean feeders and water vessels as
needed

15. PROACTIVE STRATEGIES
• Never assume anything
• Develop a working relationship with a vet
• Learn about varying nutrient requirements of
your animals
• Learn about benefits of minerals
• Learn relevant signs of unhealthy animals
• Learn how to do fecal-egg counts and
FAMACHA
• Develop a health management program,
monitor, and adjust as needed

16. PRACTICALITY
• Preventative strategies tend to be less
expensive in the long-run
• Cull animals with continuous health problems
• Nutrition, minerals, sanitation, and biosecurity
are essential to animal health
• Vaccinate for appropriate disease concerns
• Treat specific illness/disease, not shotgun
approach
• Ask yourself, is it necessary and is it working?

17. BMPs
• Find vet that is knowledgeable, or willing to
learn and work with you
• Do not allow excessive accumulation of
manure, urine, or moisture; use gravel as
base where appropriate
• Clean out barn, cages, living quarters as
needed
• Spread lime between and after cleanings
• Rotate grazing areas and housing (small
animals) where possible/appropriate

18. BIOSECURITY
• Set aside a separate area that can
accommodate new or sick animals
• Isolate new or sick animals (ASAP), 30 days
• Minimize outside vehicle, animal, and human
traffic on your farm
• Have a set of shoes for farm visits and another
set for your farm, offer/use shoe covers
• Wash clothes in between farm visits
• Set up shoe baths where appropriate

19. FOOD SAFETY & ANIMAL WELFARE
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More than likely your animals or their
byproducts are destined to be a food product
Follow guidelines' regarding medicinal
withdrawal times on meat, dairy, and poultry
Learn, implement, and validate best
management strategies and practices
Keep health & reproduction records
Treat animals humanely and learn
animal behavior

20. BIOSECURITY TIPS
• Restrict access to your livestock enclosure/areas or housing
and animals.
• New animals should be kept separate from your herd/flock for
at least 30 days prior to putting them with the rest of your
livestock.
• Keep a pair of farm shoes and outerwear on hand that you
wear only around your farm.
• Install a foot bath step pan with disinfectant and a hand
washing station at the entrance to every area.
• Inspect your animals for signs of parasites and take appropriate
action immediately.
• Tools such as feed scoops, shovels, rakes, and brooms must be
cleaned with soap and water, then disinfected before and after
you use them.
• Dead animals should be quickly and properly disposed by
burial, composting or incineration.

21. RESOURCES
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The Merck Veterinary Manual
Extension Offices
Outreach and association meetings
Newsletters
Internet
Other producers
Books and magazines

22. Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Websites
www.aces.edu
http://www.aces.edu/extcomm/publications
/docs/indexes/unpas.php
Rabbits & Small Ruminants
• There a lots of websites out there with
quality information, and some with
misinformation

23. FINAL WORDS
• Don’t be afraid to make
mistakes, learn from
them
• It is cheaper to learn
from other’s mistakes
• By practicing backyard
prevention &
biosecurity, you can
maintain healthy
animals and enjoy a
quality of life
Contact information
• Robert Spencer
• Alabama Cooperative
Extension System
– www.aces.edu
• 256-766-6223
• rds0002@aces.edu

24. Copy of Presentation
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/
8td90zdmgx9ybuk/Presentati
on%20for%20SAWG%20Confe
rence.pdf