Working Homestead on 6 Acres in WV

[Copperhead]

We've been homesteading this parcel for almost 5 years. We're trying to buy a larger farm in the area since we've decided to raise beef. Our 6 acres is getting small for our 5 angus heifers, 2 baby Jerseys, horse, 2 goats (more coming in Spring!), 3 pigs and an assortment of chickens and turkeys.



The house is a 5 Bedroom, 2 Bath over a full basement: about 2300 sq.ft. of total space.



The orchard contains apple, pear, peach, and cherry trees. We also have mature blueberry bushes, black raspberries, black berries, and some rhubarb. Deer and turkey are bountiful in the area. In the fall, I have to keep the turkeys in the barn to keep them from running away with the wild turkeys.



The two greenhouses are a 12x20 hoop for strawberries, chard and the occasional brassica, and a 6x6 hot-house for growing seedlings in early spring and peppers in early summer). The two 1-acre paddocks are fenced to contain goats. The 3 door barn is used for chickens, turkeys, and the occasional goat, calf or pig. We have raised rabbits, but the price was right last fall and the thought of filling water bottles all winter . . . The two gardens are each about 25x35. Both were tilled and fertilized by the pigs over the winter.



We are located about 4 hours from Washington, D.C. and about three hours from Charleston, WV or Pittsburg, PA. The nearest Walmart is 15 miles away in Elkins, WV. They also have a Southern States, Tractor Supply, and small private collage http://www.dewv.edu/.

We are asking $150,000. If you think you might be interested, send me a PM or email me at JDLoucks2@yahoo.com.

P.S. If only I had seen Pony's listing 5 years ago Best of luck, Pony, but I can't compete with your price

[Pony]

I love the pigs!

And your price is more than worth it, as your stead is certainly built up way more!

[Huntmo1]

I love how you used your truck topper for your pig shelter.

[steve73]

hello c-head i really like the photos i am looking for land but yours is out of my reach but if you dont mind i would like to ask you some questions i think you have the experience to answer them 1..i was looking to get atleast ten acres in tenn. so it can support my self sustainability do you think it would be big enough to support 30 chickens/2-3 minature cows/3 pigs/1 donkey/2-3 goats/4 turkeys/ but here is my question if i use 4 acres for growing and 1 acre left wooded would 4 acres be enough to sustain my animals,i really appreciate your input.
thanks steve 73

[Copperhead]

Hey Steve!
4 Acres will easily support the chickens, pigs, and turkeys. You can get by on less feed during the growing season, but you will need more during the winter and early spring. The cows and donkey will require rotational grazing during the growing season. I haven't worked with a donkey, but 1 horse eats as much as 3 yearling heifers, maybe even as much as 5 With good rotational grazing on good fertile ground, the goal is 1 mature animal per acre per year. The cold weather and snow isn't as big a barrier to year-round grazing as spring mud. I feed hay in March & April on a "sacrifical" paddock so the cows don't destroy the entire pasture.

I raise meat goats, so I would only have goats as long as I have brush. When the brush is gone, the goats go too. Milk goats are beyond my knowledge base at this time What is your definition of a miniature cow? Frame 4? Low-Line? Dexter? German Shepherd sized? I have a neighbor about a mile from me that raises miniature horses and donkeys. Some of his horses are smaller than the average German shepherd!

Yes, you can do it but expect to spend money to buy hay. 2-3 cows plus a donkey is going to stress your system to the max. I would start out with no more than 2 large animals until you are sure you can manage your grass efficiently. The more you research and educate yourself, the longer you can extend your grazing system, the less hay you will need to buy. I would fence off the wooded area and use it as a sacrificial paddock as the cattle won't hurt it when the soil is muddy and vulnerable.

Don't forget to graze the pigs! You will need a hot wire at pig height in addition to a hot wire at cow height, but they will benefit each other. The more you can keep them rotated onto good grass, the less you will be tempted to ring them In the fall, the pigs will really like the wooded paddock!

[Sherry in Iowa]

Really nice looking spot there.

[Copperhead]

Thanks, Sherry

If you're ever down this way, send me an email at JDLoucks2@yahoo.com and you can see it up close