Homestead Animals: Raising Chickens, Ducks, Rabbits & More Naturally
Raising animals on your homestead is one of the most rewarding parts of self-sufficient living. Whether you’re collecting eggs from your backyard hens, giving ducklings their daily niacin boost, or just trying to keep your coop dry and your animals healthy, it all starts with knowing the basics.
This page gathers our best resources for raising chickens, ducks, and rabbits, along with practical tips for housing, feeding, and caring for your animals naturally. You’ll also find helpful advice for identifying common health concerns and using non-toxic remedies to keep your animals thriving year-round.
Explore the sections below to get started or deepen your animal care knowledge — each one links to dedicated pages filled with how-tos, tutorials, and trusted tools for small-flock homesteaders.
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Getting Started with Homestead Animals
Whether you’re brand new to homesteading or a veteran homesteader looking to expand on your animal knowledge, we’re here to help. You’re ready to get started if you have a passion for animals, self-sufficiency, and have time to spend on them!
Chickens, ducks, and rabbits are all great starter animals. Each is unique and comes with its own benefits (and challenges sometimes!)
- Chickens are great if you’re looking for eggs, meat, and composting material
- Ducks enjoy more water space but are fun and low maintenance, plus you get eggs, too!
- Rabbits are quiet, great for meat, and for producing the perfect garden fertilizer.
Before getting started with any animal, consider their care needs. What are the housing needs, daily time commitments, food and water requirements, and potential medical needs of the animal you’re considering? When you’re knowledgeable about these needs, you’ll be more prepared to care for the animals.
We’re animal lovers over here and prefer to use natural methods for caring for animals, just as we care for ourselves. When there’s a more natural way of caring for an animal, we’ll find it!
Backyard Chickens for Eggs, Meat, and More
Chickens are often the very first animals people get when they start their homestead. They are small and manageable animals to take care of. Not only are they enjoyable to raise from chicks, but they can also provide eggs or meat for your family.
- Maintain a Smell-Free Chicken Coop– Easy tips to keep your coop fresh and odor-free using natural methods.
- Raising Chickens While You’re Busy– Simple routines that make chicken keeping doable even on a tight schedule.
- How to Seal Your Chicken Coop– Learn how to seal your coop to keep out moisture, drafts, and predators.
- Best Breeds for Raising Friendly Chickens– Our favorite chicken breeds that are gentle, social, and family-friendly.
- How I remodeled my Chicken Coop– A look at how we updated our coop to be more functional and easy to clean.
- How to Build a Chicken Feeder– Make a DIY feeder that keeps feed dry and reduces waste.
- How to Make a Brooder for Chicks– Set up a safe, warm brooder with tips for both layers and meat birds.
Raising Ducks on the Homestead
Raising ducks is a fun adventure, especially if you get to raise them from little ducklings. With a few tips and tricks that we can help you with, you’ll love spending time watching ducks waddle around the yard and quacking at you for treats.
- Niacin Deficiency in Ducks– Spot and fix niacin deficiency in ducklings to support healthy leg growth.
All About Homestead Rabbits
Rabbits can make sweet and snuggly pets, while helping you with your garden, too. Some also raise rabbits to provide meat for their family. Like all animals, rabbits come with unique needs, and we’re excited to help you meet them. More blog posts are coming soon to help you with your rabbits!
Animal Health and Natural Care Essentials
Raising animals comes with caring for their needs, and that requires knowledge about common ailments and health issues. From parasites to nutrient deficiencies, we’ve got you covered with how to handle these types of health concerns and treat them naturally, if possible.
- How to Identify Parasites & Coccidia– Know the signs of parasites and how to treat them naturally or conventionally.
- Niacin Deficiency in Ducks– Helps prevent leg issues with proper niacin support.
Choosing the Right Animals for Your Homestead
Starting with the right animals can make or break your homestead experience. Each animal has different needs, benefits, and challenges. It is important to make sure that with each animal that you choose, you are able to have the time to care for it, space, and housing, and it fits within your budget.
Start with Beginner-Friendly Homestead Animals
If you are new to raising animals, start with one or two easy-to-manage animals. Chickens are great for beginners because they offer eggs, pest control, and are low maintenance. Rabbits can be a great addition because they are quiet, don’t take up a lot of space, and provide both meat and manure for the garden.
Match Your Homestead Animals to Your Goals
Are you looking for eggs, fertilizer, meat, or just some simple fun? Chickens and ducks are both great for eggs. But different breeds bring different benefits. There are laying hens, meat birds, and dual-purpose birds.
Maybe a pig is something you want to bring to the homestead for the fat and meat. Kune-Kunes make amazing choices. They bring tasty meat, and lots of fat, and yet are easy to raise and don’t eat a lot of feed.
Your goals will help you choose which animal fits your homestead best. Lay out your goals, then decide what animals will help you meet them.
Plan for Housing, Feed Cost, and Daily Care
Each animal comes with different needs. Chickens need secure coops. Ducks need clean water. Rabbits can thrive in hutches or colony setups. Before you start, it is vital to Plan Your Homestead to ensure your animals have all they need.
A lack of planning can lead to stress, illness, and more work for you. Think of where you will not only house the animals but also the food and tools to care for them. Don’t forget to consider how you will deal with their waste.
You will need to factor in their food requirements, care needs, the cost of daily needs, and the time it will take for you each day to handle these tasks. Feeding, watering, cleaning, and observing the animals are all part of good husbandry.
The more animals you have, the more time you will need. So my best advice is to start slow and try to be realistic because chicken math is a real thing and it can bite you in the rear and the pocketbook. One animal can turn into 12 real quick, we know how it goes! 😂
Must-Have Tools and Supplies for Homestead Animals
Keeping your animals healthy, comfortable, and well cared for doesn’t require a barn full of gear, but a few smart tools can make a big difference in your daily routine. Whether you’re raising backyard chickens, ducks, rabbits, or a mix of all three, having the right supplies on hand helps you save time, reduce stress, and respond quickly to seasonal or health-related needs. From predator protection to feeding systems, these are our favorite tools we actually use on our homestead.
- Seal Your Coop – this non-toxic, waterproof, epoxy is safe for your flock.
- Automatic Chicken Coop Door – Reduces risk from predators and saves time.
- Rabbit Water Bottles – Keeps food and water clean.
- Headlamps – Make early morning/late night chores easier.
- Nest Pads – Washable pads keep eggs clean and bring comfort to your chickens.
- Nesting Boxes – Essential for breeding does.
- Egg Basket – Aesthetic + practical for gathering or organizing eggs.
- Feeder – reduces waste, keeps feed clean, and ensures your flock has steady access
Explore More on Raising Homestead Animals
Whether you’re just starting out with a few hens or expanding into ducks, rabbits, and beyond, there’s always something new to learn on the homestead. Dive deeper into each animal’s care, discover natural remedies, and find the best tools and techniques to support your flock. Explore the sections below for step-by-step guides, seasonal tips, and everything you need to raise happy, healthy animals year-round.
- Backyard Chickens
- Raising Ducks
- Rabbits
- Animal Health & Natural Care
Frequently Asked Questions about Raising Homestead Animals
Nope! Hens will lay eggs without a rooster. A rooster is only needed if you want fertilized eggs for hatching chicks.
Clean housing, proper diet, fresh water, and natural remedies like herbal wormers or immune boosters can help. We share natural care ideas in our Animal Health and Natural Care section.
Feed varies by species. Chickens and Ducks need balanced layer or grower feed. Rabbits thrive on hay and pellets. All of them love fresh greens, clean water, and occasional treats.
It depends on the animal. Chickens need at least 2–4 square feet per bird in a coop and 8–10 in a run. Rabbits do well in hutches or colonies with room to roam. Ducks need extra water access and a secure shelter.
Backyard chickens and rabbits are two of the easiest animals to raise. They require minimal space, are cost-effective, and offer steady benefits like eggs, meat, or manure.
Start Building the Homestead Animal Setup That Works for You
No matter where you are in your homesteading journey, raising animals is a powerful way to grow your self-sufficiency and connection to the land. From daily care routines to troubleshooting health issues naturally, having the right resources makes all the difference.
Ready to get started or expand your flock? Dive into the sections above, save your favorite tips, and don’t forget to join our email list for seasonal animal care checklists and new how-to guides straight to your inbox.
