Specialty/Alternative Livestock Animal Science

What is Specialty/Alternative Livestock? These are animals that are either new to the livestock industry or are not normally classified as livestock. Can you identify an animal that would be considered specialty livestock?

Bison Approximately 30-80,000,000 prior to European explorers entering the Americas. Almost went extinct; approximately 300 in 1900. Native Americans relied heavily on the bison. The bison have made a comeback due to conservation efforts; a large part of which was through private ranches instead of government preserves. Bison are used for meat and hide production.

Bison cont. Bison ranching is becoming popular due to the leaner meat that bison produce and also more environmentally conscience consumers. The National Bison Association is encouraging more people (especially young people) to become involved within the bison industry.

Bison cont. Traditional cattle fencing is used for most pastures to contain bison. When working in close quarters extra heavy duty equipment is needed.

Elk & Deer Used for meat, breeding, trophy hunting, antlers, and velvet. Lean meat that is low in cholesterol and calories. Also becoming popular with the environmentally conscious consumer.

Elk & Deer cont. Elk & deer require extra high fencing. Heavy duty closed spaces are used to handle them in close quarters.

Alligators Alligator farms are primarily located in the Southeast. Alligators are raised for meat and hides. Takes 15 months to reach minimum market weight.

Alligators cont. Requires facilities that can hold water. Mostly stays within close confines.

Ratites This category includes (but is not limited to) Ostrich, Emu, and Rhea. Used for meat, oil, hides, feathers, and recreation. Emus tend to be the more popular of the 3 in the U.S.

Ratites cont. The fencing used to contain these birds is mostly regular livestock fencing. Some tall fences are required at times.

Llamas & Alpacas Llamas & Alpacas are apart of the Camelid family. They are from South America where they were domesticated and used for fiber and food. Used in the U.S. for fiber production.

Llama & Alpaca cont. Normal livestock fencing and facilities work well for these animals. Shearing tables can be used to assist on shearing them.

Minks Minks are raised for their fur. Mink farms helps curve the use of natural resources for fur production. Minks have been bred to produce many different colored pelts.

Mink cont. Kept in cages under a roof; the roof may be a large shelter or a small covering just wider than the cages. Most cages have nesting boxes attached to them.

Game Birds This includes quail, pheasants, and chukars. These birds are raised primarily to be released on a preserve and then hunted. Farms can range from a small flock to thousands of birds. Some farms allow the purchase of dressed birds.

Game Birds cont. As chicks the birds are raised in brooders. Game birds are raised in flight pens; these pens are long and are covered with wire fencing to contain the birds. Most flight pens are connected to a barn or shelter of some kind to provide cover for the birds.

Snails Snails are raised for their meat and partly for their shells. In many parts of Europe and Africa snails are a delicacy. The French dish Escargot is snails.

Snails cont. Snails can be raised in greenhouse structures or outside as long as they have protection from predators. Platforms are provided for the snails to rest on and to harvest them from.

Worms Worms are raised for fish bait, experimentation, education, and compost. Though it may take a while to get started, worms can be a profitable enterprise.

Worms cont. Worm beds can be built from a number of things including old refrigerators, bath tubs, tires, wood, metal frames, plastic containers, etc.