Gauteng Smallholder December 2015-January 2016 | Page 23

held view that geese
make good “watchdogs” by setting up a
good squawk when
alarmed. While this
part is true, they will
also set up a good
squawk in the middle
There is a misguided belief that a gaggle of of the night for no
geese makes for a substitute watchdog.
apparent reason so that
if you rely on them to be your
From page 19
burglar detection system you
and the shell is more porous
will find yourself frequently
than a chicken egg so the
awakened by false alarms.
chance of contamination by
K Ostriches and Emus can
bacteria is greater. Duck eggs, also be kept on a smallholdtherefore, should be collected ing. Both require sturdy
two or three times a day, and fencing and dedicated camps
carefully washed and dried to with no other species grazing.
minimise this danger.
On smallholdings ostriches are
With the exception of
kept for breeding and sale of
Muscovies which don't
the chicks, and for meat,
require water except for
while emus are kept for
drinking, ducks need a pond
breeding and sale of chicks,
on which to swim and preen. meat and their oil which is
Ducks and geese will also
highly prized for medicinal
decimate your garden if
and cosmetic uses.
allowed to free-range
Ostriches, being dangerous
(although they will keep it free and fleet-footed, are less
of slugs, snails and other pests, prone to stock theft than
too).
other species.
And, there is a commonlyK Of the four-footed species

LIVESTOCK

sheep are the most popular
on smallholdings and some
smallholders run successful
small stud operations,
producing top quality animals
which fetch good prices at
breed auctions.
Most smallholders who keep
sheep, however, short-change
themselves by breeding poor
quality mixed-breed animals
that are low in both meat
quantity and quality, and
reproductive vigour.

Ostriches and emus can successfully be kept on a smallholding.

21
www.sasmallholder.co.za

And here's the rub: a poor
quality animal (of whatever
species) costs just the same to
feed and maintain as a good
quality one, yet will fetch a
fraction of the value of a
decent animal when sold on
or sent for slaughter. So, if
you are serious about starting
out with livestock on your
plot don't make the mistake
that many do and start with
cheap, locally-sourced low-

Continued on page 23