From fly spray to bag balm, many livestock essentials are easy to make yourself. Here are my top six tried and true natural recipes for homestead livestock.
If I have a choice between using something natural or some chemically laden commercial product, I’m always going to go for the natural one, even if it means that I have to make it myself! To me, natural products are more enjoyable to use. They usually smell better, taste better, and just plain work better!
And, if you’re into preparedness and self-sufficiency, it makes sense to keep the ingredients to make these items on hand. I’m all about using what we have and avoiding trips to the store whenever I can!
Over the years, I have tried more homemade recipes for animals than I can count. Some of them have been amazing, but just as many of them are total flops. Here are six of my all-time favorite, tried and true natural recipes for homestead livestock that I come back to time and time again.
Pill Pockets for Goats
Have you ever had to give a pill to a goat? I have and let me tell you it’s not easy! Before I came up with this recipe for pill pockets for the goats (it would work for cows and horses, too!) I used to use a pill gun. The goats learned pretty darn quick what that pill gun was for and just catching them to give them the pill was a challenge, much less getting it down their throat
These pill pockets couldn’t be easier to make. All you need are 3 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
All-natural, creamy peanut butter
Cornmeal (Any whole grain flour that you have on hand will work.)
To make the pill pockets, simply combine equal parts of all three ingredients in a bowl and mix it with your hands until a soft dough forms. Take about a tablespoon of dough from the bowl and roll it between your palms to form a ball. Now, just stick the pill inside and close the dough over it. Easy peasy!
You can store any extra dough in the refrigerator for a few days, but let it warm up on the counter before you make the balls, otherwise, it might be too stiff to get the pill in there.
Homemade Fly Spray
I hate seeing the goats go crazy from all the flies in the summertime, but I hate commercial fly sprays. This homemade fly spray smells so good, it works great, and it keeps gnats and mosquitos away, too.
1 teaspoon Citronella Essential Oil
1 teaspoon Eucalyptus Essential Oil
1 teaspoon Lemongrass Essential Oil
Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake it up. You can safely use this spray directly on your animals and you can spray it around their housing, too. Just make sure you shake it up well each time because the ingredients will separate.
Homemade Teat Dip/Spray for Goats and Cows
I use teat dip on my girls after every milking to help prevent mastitis. I keep my milking area as clean as possible and I wash udders carefully before milking. I also use this in a spray bottle to disinfect my own hands before I start milking. In the 20 plus years I’ve been milking, I’ve only had one case of mastitis.
½ cup Water
You can double this recipe if you have a lot of girls to milk, but this amount is good for about a week with my two girls. I spray it on from a spray bottle, but you could put it in a little cup and dip the teats into it instead. I try to give it enough time to dry before I let the girls lay down to make sure it has time to work.
Homemade Bag Balm
If you make this balm, you will probably find yourself using it for your own hands, skin irritations on you and the animals, and on udders after milking. It’s just that good! I use it on my girls all winter long to keep their udders from getting chapped due to the cold. You should give the teat dip time to dry before you apply this if you’re using them both.
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
5 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
Melt the coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, and shea butter in the top of a double boiler over medium heat. Add in the vitamin E oil and the essential oils after everything else is melted, mix thoroughly, and remove from the heat.
Pour the mixture into ½ pint canning jars that have been heated in boiling water to prevent them from breaking. It will take about 2-3 hours at room temperature for the oils to solidify into a balm.
Homemade Goat Treats
Do you have a goat that’s stubborn about getting onto the milk stand? I would be willing to bet she will run you over trying to get to the milk stand for one of these treats!
2 ½ Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 large Carrot, grated
1 large Apple, grated
Combine everything in a big bowl and mix it well. Press the mixture into a greased baking pan and bake at 400 ° until they start to get crispy. It usually takes about 35 minutes in my oven. Allow the treats to cool and then break or cut up into bite-sized pieces.
Homemade Treat Block for Chickens
I make these for my chickens in the wintertime to help keep them entertained. I make them in the small, disposable foil loaf pans. If you put a hole through them with a bamboo skewer before you bake them, you can hang them up in the coop with a piece of floral wire.
2 cups Organic, Non-GMO Scratch Grains
1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
½ cup Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
3 Eggs (I crush up the shells and include them in the mixture.)
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (Cayenne is good for warming the body. You can leave it out if you make these in the summer.)
Preheat your oven to 325°. Combine and mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until everything is mixed well. Pat the mixture into your loaf pans. I like to make the blocks about 2 or 3” thick. Bake them in the oven until they start to harden. For the size block I make, it takes about 30 minutes.
Making these natural recipes for homestead livestock is fun and rewarding! Let us know if you give them a try!
