will this work?

[doulanobles]

I'm planning to move to the Spokane area with the hubby and 2 kids in the next couple of months. We'll probably purchase 15-20 acres. I'd like to raise a beef calf, laying and meat chickens, several ducks(mostly for slug control), 1 or 2 horses(norwegian fjords, I think) and maybe, maybe a couple of dairy goatsand pastured rabbits for meat. I have expereince with chicken tractors and they worked well for us here in western wa. but we don't have a ton of predation either. If we need to start from scratch in fencing, pasture, etc... What on earth is the best way to keep all these animals in the lowest maintenance way??? What should I plant for pasture? How much hay/supplemental feed should I expect to purchase during the winter? Our chickens were pretty self sufficient but it never really freezes around here and they had the run of an acre.

Anybody homesteading in the Spokane area or have any thoughts for me?

Also, we're pretty expereinced garden wise, canning, etc. which ids thankfully one less thing to start from scratch on!

Any advice and or input is appreciated, thanks!

[Molly Mckee]

We live in Spokane county and I'll be glad to help but a lot will depend on what you mean exactly by "near Spokane". The elevation of your land will make quite a difference as will buying pasture or wooded land. The water table outside of the Rathdrum aquifer is very uneven, so you may have a problem if you have to drill a well. Wells very close to each other may produre vastily different amounts of water or none at all.

We average about 17 inches of rain, mostly in the spring and late fall. A sucessfull garden will have to be heavily watered. Ducks for slugs are not really necessary! If you are looking at property with a spring or creek be sure you understand the water rights here.

You will have to put at least a six foot fence around the garden or the deer will eat most of it. The growing season varies greatly depending on your elevation.

There are coyotes, and deer everywhere. In some areas cougars can be a problem and wild turkeys will ruin a garden in no time.

Spokane county has restrictive building regulations and the land prices while not as high as the west side have gone up quite a bit in the last few years, especially for mini type farms. Hope this helps, Molly

[Ravenlost]

Ducks are more than just for "slug control". Our Pekin Duck lays more regular than the chickens and the eggs are larger. This Spring we're getting more ducks instead of more chickens.

[doulanobles]

Thanks for the info. We are looking mainly in 2 areas. Either the Elk/Chattaroy area or the Loon Lake/Springdale area. I hope to find a place with a well already dug because I'd heard about spotty success. Where can I find out where the boundaries of the Rathdruum aquifer are? Also, we are intending to purchase property with a year round creek, pond or spring on it. How can I find out about water rights and restricitions? We hope to use a gravity feed system from whatever the water source is to water the garden and livestock. I had heard about the deer problem and we are already setting aside $ for good fencing.

I guess slugs aren't an issue there, huh? I have a soft spot for ducks although I haven;t tried them for eggs yet. The last batch we got were all males! What are the odds, huh? Anyway, the only problem I had with them is that they wouldn't go into the chicken tractor at night.

I'd love to hear more about the Spokane area. We're in zone 7 here which is nice. My parents will be making the move with us and my brother and his family will join us in a year or so. We'd like to grow a small market garden with a roadside stand. I also am a doula and childbirth educator and make my own soap and candles to sell. I'm hoping to continue all that when i get there although I can see my plate filling up already!

I love all the resources on this site so thanks!

[Molly Mckee]

The aquifer runs from NE of CdA to W of Spokane city. I think the N boundry is about Mead so the area you are interested in is not over the aquifer.

We live in the Chattaroy area, wells run from 100-600', with 1-100 gal a minute. I would try to find a place with a well so you know what you have. You will need 5/gal min to get a morgage, or you will have to put in a holding tank. Anything less than 4 gals isn't going to be enough to water a big garden and water livestock in addition to a household. Drilled well will have a well log at the health dept so you can verify flow. I think dug wells have to be replaced to transfer property.

Water in the state belongs to the people and unless you have 1st water rights you can't use water from stream, creeks, springs, or natural ponds. Your deed will say if you have water rights, how much and how you can use it. This is a serious issue here and not following the law can result in daily fines. You can check the state Dept. of Ecology website for more information. You may know about the "eye in the sky" program, areial photo's are taken every two years and can be used for taxing unpermitted buildings and water use.

If you want to build your own house I would look in the Loon Lake-Springdale area, it's in Stevens county and the building regulations are less stringent.

The zone for gardening is 5 to 6. It depends on evelation. We are really a 6, our friends 3 miles down the road and 600 ft lower are 5.

You can pasture cows, horses and goats together usually, you will need good electric fence. You will have to feed hay anywhere from all year to six months or so, depending on how much pasture you have and how good it is. We are starting to see a serious knapweed problem, it is carried by both turkey's and deer. It is almost impossible to get rid of without serious chemicals.

I hope I'm not discouraging--we love it here, but no one needs nasty surprises! Welcome to the neighborhood, Molly

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by doulanobles

I'm planning to move to the Spokane area with the hubby and 2 kids in the next couple of months. We'll probably purchase 15-20 acres. I'd like to raise a beef calf, laying and meat chickens, several ducks(mostly for slug control), 1 or 2 horses(norwegian fjords, I think) and maybe, maybe a couple of dairy goatsand pastured rabbits for meat. I have expereince with chicken tractors and they worked well for us here in western wa. but we don't have a ton of predation either. If we need to start from scratch in fencing, pasture, etc... What on earth is the best way to keep all these animals in the lowest maintenance way??? What should I plant for pasture? How much hay/supplemental feed should I expect to purchase during the winter? Our chickens were pretty self sufficient but it never really freezes around here and they had the run of an acre.

Anybody homesteading in the Spokane area or have any thoughts for me?

Also, we're pretty expereinced garden wise, canning, etc. which ids thankfully one less thing to start from scratch on!

Any advice and or input is appreciated, thanks!

My first thought to save money is to fence the entire perimeter first, and let everything run loose untill you can get a barn built.

[doulanobles]

I really appreciate all this good info. I would really like to avoid any nasty suprises! Also, of course $$ is an issue as hubby is starting over in a new career so we'd especially like to avoid costly suprises!!

What should we expect to pay in the Spokane area for hay? Hopefully less than here!

We're hoping to buy property with some kind of barn/outbuildng already on it.

Hubby's job is most likely going to be in Spokane valley...what kind of commute could he expect from Loon Lake or Elk?

Seems like electric fencing is the way to go. We want to have rotating pastures if we can. Any thoughts? Is a barn necessary if we have breeds suited to pasture and outdoor living? I know we'll need some shelter but barns are not cheap to build!

[Molly Mckee]

Hay in our area runs from $80.00-$125.00 a ton, depending on quality, the year, and time of year.

If your husband is working in the valley, I wouldn't want to commute to Loon Lake or Springdale. People do, but in good weather it will take over an hour, in bad weather Hwy 395 is a real problem. It is one of the worst highways in the state for wrecks. They have improved the road in the last few years, but most of the injury accidents involve drunks. From the Loon Lake area there is no good way to avoid it.

The Chattaroy area to the vally is about 35 minutes in good weather, our neighbor says he can get to work in 25 min in good weather, but I think he's really speeding. There are several ways to go out to the valley from the Elk-Chattaroy area too, which is nice.

Three sided shelters, with an overhang so the animals can stay dry is really all that is necessary. A barn is nice for the people taking care of them! Rotating pastures is a good idea but in the late summer everything dries up and you probably will have to feed at least some. Hope this helps, Molly

[doulanobles]

Thanks Molly for all the info. It's been so helpful! Hubby is rethinking taking the job in the valley...commuting is not high on our ideal list. Plus, land is more affordable in the loon lake area. He's in Spokane now pounding the pavement looking for work. I can't tell you how valuable local info is to us!

[Molly Mckee]

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, pm me if you have any questions. Molly