Rescuing Farm Animals

Law

If you are considering keeping any form of livestock as a pet, chances are your area has zoning laws against it. You cannot simply keep a cow, goat, or even a pig, as a pet in your backyard. In a very few places you can keep hens. So the first thing a person considering rescuing any type of farm animal needs to do (unless they too live on a farm) is check with local zoning laws.

Highland cow for sale at auction, by Author.

Space and Housing

It is not a noble idea if you cannot properly care for and house the animal you are considering “rescuing”. This includes proper housing, fencing, providing the necessary amount of space the animal needs, as well as an ability to meet its mental needs for companionship if it is a herd animal.

Where to Buy From

Typically, slaughter yards will not sell directly to the public. You have to beat them to it. This can be by approaching a producer, or by attending an auction at which the slaughter yards purchase animals, and out bidding them. Because farming is no different than any other job, meaning it is about making money, a producer generally will not sell an animal to you for a lower cost than they could get from their regular buyer. Most livestock auction facilities hold weekly auctions, and these are the best places to look.

Types of Animals

• Laying Hens – These poor birds are often kept confined in tiny cages pumping out eggs, their lifespans are cut short as they are killed when egg production declines. White birds lay white eggs, brown ones lay brown eggs, and you will still get eggs from them for several years.
• Broiler Chickens – These are the ones destined for our kitchen tables. They are generally white.
• Roosters – Roosters are generally not needed except to get more chickens, (you don’t need roosters to get eggs, just to get fertile eggs). As such millions are killed at one day of age. You can keep roosters together if you have space, and no hens. Some areas have special bird auctions where you can buy roosters, otherwise you can purchase them from producers. Be aware that a rooster may not be a “friendly” pet, select your breed very carefully.
• Sheep – If you truly want to “rescue” an animal you are best to buy an orphaned lamb. These require round-the-clock care and bottle feeding. The formula is not cheap. Producers usually try to get rid of them quick you can contact a sheep producer at the beginning of lambing season and let them know you are willing to take a bottle baby if they have any. Additionally rescuing older ewes or rams lambs would be an option. Rams may live together if you do not have any ewes, ram lambs nearly always are slaughtered.

This lambs mom gave birth but could not care for her lambs, Photo by Authors husband.

• Goats – Pretty much the same thing for goats as with sheep. Look for orphaned kids, older ewes, or billies if you truly want to “rescue”.
• Pigs – The same thing applies as with goats or sheep. Just remember little piglets grow into huge pigs.
• Dairy Cattle – Calves of dairy cattle are destined to become veal if not kept for breeding, this means the male animals are the ones who need “rescuing” most. Additionally older milk cows need good homes or would be slaughtered and rendered as pet food.

Sure he is cute, but  would he be a good pet?  Photo by Author. 

• Beef Cattle – Steers generally are going to slaughter, but more so what is often called “Bologna Bulls”. Steers tend to sell much higher than mature bulls. Be very careful when purchasing these animals, remember how big they get, even the friendliest of bulls can turn aggressive without warning.
• Horses – Horses go to slaughter too. Old ones, crippled ones, and foals from the PMU industry. Old rodeo stock is often sold to slaughter. The way to buy these is through the horse auctions that happen at livestock auction yards and outbidding the meat buyers. Some PMU farms have their own auctions.
• Rabbits – Larger breeds of rabbits are used for meat, but would make good pets. 
• Cats and Dogs – It might surprise you to see these on the list, but many farmers do not spay or neuter their pets, and often have a surplus of kittens or puppies. These animals will be shot, or starve, if they are not “rescued”. Be sure to spay or neuter.

Photo by Author, a rescued kitty, with hens purchased at auction. 

Taming

Once purchased you must get your animal home and tame it. Most livestock animals are NOT use to being handled and are not tame. This will be easiest with the bottle baby, orphaned, animals who will soon learn to bond with you, but will be more difficult with the older animals. By giving them lots of daily attention, and food, they will soon learn to trust you. Keeping them in a smaller area where they cannot hide from you, or get too far away, will help. Picking the right animal, or right breed is important, example: Some chicken breeds are more friendly than others. Do your research on breed before you buy any type of animal.

Ethics

Keep in mind that why you buy an animal it saves only that animal. Since there is a demand for animals to be slaughtered to be used as human food, an other animal will be killed in its place. So while you can “save” one animal you cannot “save” them all. Older animals are less desired as human food, saving them is prolonging their life and an other animal would not be killed in its place necessarily.

Related Links

• Good Pets to have if you live on an Acreage
  PMU Foals go to slaughter
• Story of a Man who Rescued a horse he didn’t need
• How to care for Bottle Baby Lambs
• What Chicken Breeds make the best Pets