How Young is Too Young to Have Livestock?

If you ask any farmer or livestock person, they will tell you that a child is never too young to learn about livestock. But formal training is far different than the hands0on training that a farm child gets. There are 2 major organizations in the United States that teach children all about livestock. They are 4-H and FFA.

4-H is the better know organization. It currently has some six million children enrolled in various programs. All of the children are school age, but the program is available to kids as early as kindergarten. Although a child may join 4-H in kindergarten, they may not be able start with livestock until they are older. The individual 4-H programs are headed by adult leaders who regulate the age of the children in the group. Most livestock clubs want children from the age of 8 or 9 to 18.

4-H is not limited to the US. Canada also has 4-H clubs with livestock programs. The ages for the participants at local fairs are similar to that of the US. 9 appears to be the acceptable starting age for showing livestock in Canada.

FFA, or Future Farmers of America, has over 507,700 members. They range is age from 12 to 21. Like 4-H, the individual clubs have leaders who set the tone for the club. Like 4-H they have specialized livestock programs that include cattle, sheep, horses, goats, and small livestock such as chickens or rabbits.

Although individual parents have their own ideas about when a child should start handling large animals such as cattle or horses, the majority of agricultural programs accept children into their programs as early as 5. But 8 to 12 tends to be a more common age for starting children in livestock programs.