Chickens are becoming a popular backyard farm animal.  One of my favorites.  Eggs are an obvious product.  Eggs can also be hatched producing more hens or roosters for the dinner table. 

As hens age, they will slow or stop laying.  At this point you will need to decide if you want to then eat the hen or keep feeding her as a pet.  Rehoming is also an option.

Another awesome product from chickens is all that poop!  When aged, it's great for your gardens.

So they say rabbits are fast breeders.  Given all the rabbits in my yard, I believe that. 

However, I was not as lucky with breeding above ground caged rabbits.  I believe the results would be different in a larger, on-ground rabbit pin. 

There is a need to reiterate my earlier warning here.... Due to cuteness, don't get attached if you are wanting meat! Otherwise, you will find yourself

raising rabbits to produce lots of beneficial fertilizer.  Again, let it age to prevent burning the plants in your garden.

There are so many products one can get from a beehive other than just honey!  The bee colony and all the hive products will require study and patience.  One can't just buy a hive, put it in the backyard and wait until time to harvest the honey.  Beekeeping requires a lot of hands on observations and work to protect the bees and keep them healthy.

Turkeys are mainly used for meat.  Can you eat their eggs?   If you are not focused on raising meat birds, yes, go ahead and enjoy eating the eggs.  If you are wanting meat the eggs are too valuable to eat as a turkey only lays one or two eggs a week.  If you choose to eat the eggs, you might want to blow out the insides and keep the shell to sell or decorate.

Before starting with goats, know they are herd animals and do not like living without one or two other goats around.  I had to give away my last solo goat as she was always jumping the fence looking for a companion. 

In addition to meat, some raise goats for the milk and cheese making.

A good backyard goat breed would be the Pygmy goat as it is small.  I hated breeding Pygmy goats as mine had lots of problems birthing naturally due to their small size.  That problem could be avoided by not keeping a billy goat.  As a backyard urban farmer, one should not keep a billy goat due to their strong odor and destructive behavior.  Definitely check the city ordinances on billy goats.  If you only want meat, buy a young goat from a farmer or auction to raise.

My favorite breeds are the larger Boer and Spanish goats!  Not the best choice for a small yard though. Remember, don't get attached.

Quail are much smaller than chickens.  Meat production would be greatly reduced.  However, if your city ordinances do not allow for chickens in the backyard, quail would be a great alternative.  Their eggs are considered a delicacy.  There eggs are about the size of a quarter or slightly larger.  Despite the small size, these eggs are great boiled, deviled, or pickled, making a great finger food or appetizer.  Some countries serve them raw. 

The beautiful speckled shells are great for use in decorations.

Aren't these faces cute?  Above is a Scottish Highland cow.  To the right is a Dexter cow.  These, as well as other miniature breeds, do not get large.  Miniature cows are good for both meat and dairy production.

Have you requested your FREE Backyard FARMacy Guide yet?  If not, this would be a great time to do so with the crazy ups and downs of winter.  One day it's sunny and warm.  The next day it's cold, windy and dreary.  There are foods that help lift your mood during the overcast times of winter. You can see a list of them in the brochure.

An added bonus is that most of these foods are on the winter superfood list.  Makes sense, right?  You can find a list of these superfoods in a quick list format on the back cover of the brochure.  Very handy for taking to the grocery store or farmers market.  I use my list all the time to help me plan dinner and my shopping list.  You will also find recipes for cooking these foods.

There is also an article giving insight on deciding if you should spend the extra money on organic foods or not.

This is a beautiful morning to sit on the patio and enjoy the sunshine and warm 55 degrees.  After taking only a short break, I head back inside before going out to my office, thinking it was time to go to work for the day.  I chuckled to myself.  I was already working.  I had just fed the chickens, and my time on the patio was spent doing a little research on a farm topic.  What a beautiful life!  Love it on days like today when work feels more like a hobby or enjoyable pastime.  As I was walking in the house I look down in my coffee cup.  To my surprise I see a bee.  In case you're wondering, I scoop out the bee before she drowns and kept on drinking my coffee because we now bees are very sterile creatures.  Looks like I have successfully found another way to procrastinate before heading out to work on our taxes!  I need to feed the bees.  After all, this is the time a year in which many hives are lost due to starvation.  So I mix up some syrup, grabbed a bag of natural pollen, and head to the bee feeder.  THEN I'll go start on the taxes.  That is if I don't get distracted with something else again.  (Like writing this post.)  Happy Gardening and God Bless!