Holistic Homesteading Course
🐔 Module 2: Raising Animals
Animals are the heartbeat of a living homestead. They give you eggs, meat, fiber, fertilizer, pest control, and companionship — but they also demand your time, your attention, and your commitment every single day. This module teaches you to do it right.
- How to choose the right animals for your space, budget, and lifestyle — without making a $500 mistake
- The basics of animal health, behavior, and daily care that every homesteader needs to know
- How to design and build housing and fencing that actually works (and keeps predators out)
- What to feed your animals, when, and why — including free and foraged feed options
- Everything you need to know to start with poultry — the most beginner-friendly homestead animal
- How to manage pasture and forage to reduce feed costs and build soil health simultaneously
📚 Module 2 Lessons
🐾 Choosing the Right Animals
The most important decision you'll make on your homestead. Match animals to your space, climate, budget, and daily bandwidth — before you fall in love with something that doesn't fit your life.
🩺 Basic Animal Care and Health
The daily rhythms, health indicators, and preventive care practices that keep your animals thriving. Learn to spot problems early — before they become expensive emergencies.
🏠 Housing and Fencing
Build it right the first time. Learn the space requirements, ventilation needs, and predator-proofing strategies for every common homestead animal — plus the fencing math that keeps everyone where they belong.
🌾 Feeding and Nutrition
What your animals actually need to thrive — and how to provide it as cheaply as possible. Includes free-range strategies, fermented feed, fodder systems, and the forage math that can cut your feed bill in half.
🐔 Introduction to Poultry
The perfect beginner animal. Everything you need to know to start your first flock — from choosing breeds and setting up a brooder to managing laying cycles and processing. Chickens first, everything else second.
🌿 Foraging and Pasture Management
Let the land feed your animals — and let your animals feed the land. Learn rotational grazing, pasture seeding, and the foraging plants that your animals will love and your soil will thank you for.
🌾 Module 2 Learning Goals
By the time you complete all six lessons, you will be able to:
- ✅ Choose the right animals for your specific situation with confidence
- ✅ Perform daily animal care and recognize early signs of health problems
- ✅ Design and build appropriate housing and fencing for your chosen animals
- ✅ Create a feeding plan that meets nutritional needs while minimizing costs
- ✅ Start and manage a backyard flock of chickens from chick to laying hen
- ✅ Implement basic rotational grazing and pasture management practices
📚 Module Resources
- 📥 [Download the Module 2 Workbook] — All worksheets, care logs, and planning templates
- 📥 [Download the Animal Selection Decision Matrix]
- 📥 [Download the Daily Animal Care Checklist]
- 📥 [Download the Chicken Coop Planning Guide]
- 📥 [Download the Feed Cost Calculator]
"Animals will teach you more about patience, observation, and humility than any book ever could. They don't care about your schedule, your mood, or your plans. They just need you to show up. And in showing up for them, you'll discover something surprising — you show up better for everything else too."