Need Help...Yeah

AirborneBenny · #1 04/20/08, 09:03 PM

OK. Thanks for reading. That helps a bunch already.

I have finally convinced the wife that we should homestead. We plan on dedicating 1/2 acre to vegetables, another 1/2 acre to fruit and 3 or 4 to animals. Trying to decide on what animals. Beth doesn't want poultry. I like goats (good feed-to-meat and feed-to-milk ratio). Pigs sound good.

We are in the process of finding the piece of land we will inhabit. Due to my son's Autism, we are tied to certain geographical areas (want to keep him with the same social worker), so we are a little limited on that. We live in southern NH (USDA zone 5). Yeah.

Thoughts, suggestions? Help?
Yeah.

Benny

themamahen · #2 04/20/08, 09:29 PM

Well it sounds like you know what you want already ~ the same area you are in but with land so i would look for that. I would not buy anything under 10 acres with what you want to do, so far as the animals go they need room and fresh pasture, being able to grow some or all of the feed will also help you. With eggs being $2 a doz. and rising I would suggest chickens/ guineas too they eat alot of bugs and ticks.

Welcome to HT

Callieslamb · #3 04/20/08, 10:06 PM

Congratulations on getting the wife on board and going forward with your decision. Are you doing this with a job, or for a job?

I ditto the land situation. I don't know how many goats you want to keep, but at least, buy MORE land than you think you will need - buy as much as you can afford. It is easy to expand if you have the land than if you don't. Who knows? Maybe in a couple of years, the wife will decide chickens are okay after all.

good luck!

seedspreader · #4 04/20/08, 10:13 PM

Welcome aboard. Will the land you are attempting to buy be around one acre (judging by your .5 and .5 designations above)?

If so, and you have neighbors, you may reconsider on pigs.

Is there a good reason on the "no poultry" from your wife?

Do you like rabbit? Rabbit are the (in my opinion) easiest animals to clean/butcher.

If you hadn't said what you did about the poultry, I would have suggested chickens at first.

Don't go overboard, pick one thing at a time and ease into it, especially since the way you wrote suggests to me that your wife may be on board... but not with both feet.

You can't beat fresh eggs though. Maybe a couple of hens for laying and not eating?

A .5 acre garden is a REALLY big garden. What's your garden experience?

When you plan on getting the land? Do you garden now? Being in NH I will assume you will have to amend your soil. Think of starting out much smaller and more intense in raised beds.

Tons of suggestions and questions folks will have for you.

Take it a bit at a time and have fun. There's a lot of info here.

Beeman · #5 04/21/08, 08:32 AM

Bees!
Fruit trees and gardens like bees and bees like fruit trees and gardens. Without a doubt chickens are the most sensible next step. My wife's not a chicken lover as far as touching them but the way I have my coop set up everything is handled from outside so you really don't have to come in contact with them if you don't want.
Next would be pigs and or rabbits. Goats if you want milk from them or for meat but most are usually pets or brush clearers that become pets. Sheep if you want wool or mutton.

AirborneBenny · #6 04/21/08, 10:50 AM

I'll reply in order...
Mama - 10 Acres is what I'm aiming for. I figure (in New Hampshire, especially) that most of it will be tree lots for firewood. My mom has a few quasi-chickens (as I call the guineas). She has found it difficult to coax them into laying eggs. And they are NOISY. That is my wife's biggest objection to fowl and poultry. Right up there with the smell. I'm going to work on that. I have raised chickens before (never butchered, though) and I can handle it again. It has been a while...since I was a teenager. But still.

AirborneBenny · #7 04/21/08, 10:50 AM

Callieslamb - I am doing this with a job. Beth is a stay-at-home mom, I will be able to get up and do the chores before going to work and most evenings, I will be able to do the chores, as well. But on the occasions I can't, she will have to. So she needs to be 100% on board for whatever we do.

Yeah, I don't know how many goats, either. Is it cheaper to buy goats every spring or breed your own? Any thoughts on that?

AirborneBenny · #8 04/21/08, 10:55 AM

Seedspreader - No...I am aiming to get as much land as I can afford. Between my job and the VA Loan, I should be able to get a sizable chunk of Earth.

I don't mind rabbit meat. But Beth doesn't like it one bit.

The .5 acre garden comes from my grandfather's garden plan. That includes area that will go fallow.

As far as gardening goes, I have a bit of experience. Three years of tilling, rock-picking, planting, weeding, harvesting, canning/preserving and tilling again with my grandfather was a long time ago, but it'll come back to me. I'm a voracious reader and I research things before I jump in, even if I think I know (hence, here I am).

Yeah, the "bit at a time" deally is certainly my idea, too. I'm going to start with the veggies and work my way up to a full homestead.

AirborneBenny · #9 04/21/08, 10:57 AM

Beeman - How labor intensive are bees? I have a regular job, too (I want to save for retirement...the plan is that the homestead will actually speed that up).

AirborneBenny · #10 04/21/08, 10:59 AM

Rose - I eat a lot of vegetables and a lot of meat. I really don't care what the meat is. I like steaks and ground beef and bacon and pork chops and sausage and mutton and goat. I like goat cheese and cow cheese and butter and honey and fruit. Yeah. I'm a food guy.

fantasymaker · #11 04/21/08, 11:26 AM

If you want eggs and and a quiet bird you might look at Ducks, khaki Campbell's are know for being able to lay more than a chicken and are quieter. just supply a SMALL deep water source for them to drink out of and there wont be much mess , specially if you run them in the same area as the pigs.
For meat and milk you could take a look at Sheep Agni they are quiet (cept when hungry)and can be quite proflic, with A good Finnish ewe having up to 6 lambs 3 times in 2 years.
Have you explored water stock? There was a great thread here about prawns last year and of course fish are well known for feed to meat ratios.
In the area of gardening Id look into a greenhouse set up as a patio. There is something about being in the warm sun surrounded by plants and plant smells in the very early spring while snow is on the ground that is just so luxurious.

Mid Tn Mama · #12 04/21/08, 12:20 PM

Big difference between guineas and hens. Get some banty hens that are so cute your wife cannot object. Without a roo, they are not loud. Yes, they cackle when they lay and egg, but who wouldn't? I find it comforting to hear my chickens each day.

How mobile/disabled is your son? I think helping to care for animals could be one of the best things you could do for him. I've seen tremendous results with autistic children who are in a special horse program.

turtlehead · #13 04/21/08, 01:26 PM

The .5 acre garden sounds awfully big, especially if you're working plus trying to tend the garden.

.5 acres for fruit - is that berries or fruit trees? Might want a larger space for an orchard.

I strongly urge you (your wife) to reconsider chickens. Without a rooster they're not that loud and fresh eggs are so much better than store-bought. There shouldn't be any smell, either. Every morning when I feed and water the chickens I fluff up the litter under their roost. It rarely gets stinky and when it does I put down more straw/leaves/whatever. I clean it all out once or twice a year - but then my chickens roam, they get to deposit a lot of their poop outdoors.

Can't help you with the goat/pig ideas, but I think you'll find you need more land than you're planning on if you want them to have enough room to graze rather than be in a pen (pens get stinky and are more prone to parasites and diseases; read up on rotational grazing).

How will you heat? If with wood, you might consider a wood lot as part of your land requirements. Also a water source will be important.

Congrats on your new direction!

Windy in Kansas · #14 04/21/08, 02:59 PM

Welcome to the forums. Looks like you a fairly recent addition or are shy with posting.

Mare Owner · #15 04/21/08, 05:10 PM

I can see why your DH doesn't want poultry if she's been around Guineas, thinking the chickens will be like that. We are chicken-less at the moment, but raise both here, free range both and some chickens in a house for laying.

Chickens are very quiet compared to Guineas, and if you don't keep any roosters (only need those if you want to raise baby chicks), you'll hardly hear the chickens. It is lovely to watch the chickens scratch in the yard and eat bugs, and the eggs are so much better than store-bought. Chickens are easy to raise also, it's one of the easiest animals you can raise.

AirborneBenny · #16 04/23/08, 09:43 PM

Thanks for the advice guys. And gals.
Water stock is out. Benny no likey fishy.
Wood lot. Turtle, it is hard to get anything BUT a wood lot in New Hampshire. We still carve our plots of the forest 'round here.
Ducks sound good. My sister has ducks. She doesn't eat them, though. They're pets. Silly lady. She lives in a compound.
As far as the size of the garden goes...I want a large garden because I want a lot of corn. Or did I say this already? I had a brain injury last year. Yeah. Airborne, baby!
Fruit...orchard and bushes. A couple few different varieties (for a lengthier season) of apples and some peach trees (they do work in New Hampshire). Blackberries, blueberries and grapes also flourish here. Rhubarb does so well here, it is almost a weed. Potatos, tomatoes, cabbage, pole beans, summer and zuchinni squash, pumpkins, corn, carrots, bell and hot peppers all do well here (and I have grown here).

Callieslamb · #17 04/24/08, 06:53 AM

add to that
Strawberries and raspberries. Very easy.
Bees are easy - I just got mine this week and so far, they are my favorite 'animal' on the place!

Give your wife time, somet hings take a bit of getting used to. My Dh isn't a farmer. He basically has nothing to do with the chores around here. But that is okay. If I am gone, he will do all the feeding and watering. We don't eat our chickens yet either. And he is really good about forking over the money for what I want to try next. Start small, let her adjust and dont worry abou the rest. I have a freezer that holds a lot of beef for us. And guess who asked if I would be interested in getting a bit more land to raise that too? You don't have to build up a place in a day.
Ask her if she would be interested in a brick oven or something.....

chickenista · #18 04/24/08, 08:15 AM

Perhaps if you were to get her some cute little fuzzy chicks.. it is really hard to hate chicks....a nice sweet breed like Buff Orpingtons or Speckled Sussex. Quiet, calm, sweet natured, so danged friendly you trip over them.... all with little pink bows around their necks...

Beeman · #19 04/25/08, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirborneBenny

Beeman - How labor intensive are bees? I have a regular job, too (I want to save for retirement...the plan is that the homestead will actually speed that up).

Ha,Ha,Ha! The Homestead will eat up all of your time and much of your money. I work more then a regular job, it's all about how much you and your spouse want to do it. Bees can be as expensive and labor intensive as you want them to be, like everything. Once established they do require time and of course money for equipment. They do have disease problems and require mangement.

For poultry I would begin with layers and get your wife used to the eggs.