Any homesteaders in Central TX?

Matt73 · #1 05/19/13, 11:55 PM

I just wanted to see if anyone else on the forum is from Central Texas, as I am. I have had may issues growing produce and keeping wild animals away from my livestock and would like to know if anyone in my area knows anything I can do to keep them away... I live in a very very small town called Maxwell just outside of Lockhart and I have wild hogs tearing up my garden, wild dogs killing my goats (AND MY 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER'S PET POTBELLY PIG!!!) and problems with the soil getting much to grow...

Buffy in Dallas · #2 05/20/13, 03:25 AM

I'm not in central TX, but I'm close. (by Tx standards)

What you need are fences. Really good, tight, electrified fences. And Dogs! At least 2 large dogs of a "livestock guardian" breed. Then inside the perimeter fence, have a tall "deer fence" around your garden and another really good, tight, electrified fence around your critters living area.

Yep, Fences and Dogs. Expensive but so worth it!!!!

As for the soil. Mulch, mulch and more mulch. Oh, and throw a little compost on there too. Eventually you can build your own soil.

Research Permaculture.

Good luck and have fun!

Big Dave · #3 05/20/13, 05:34 AM

I lived in McLennan county for the first 38 years of my life. We always had a good garden. Different type soil where you re. I have heard the wild hog problem is very bad. I have predators and have to take extreme action to protect my stock and gardens here. Fences around growing areas and now a hoop house. Good Fortune to solving your problems

Buffy in Dallas · #4 05/20/13, 06:26 AM

Oh ya, wild pigs = free pork

Get a gun and a hog trap.

Alice In TX/MO · #5 05/20/13, 06:45 AM

I'm south of you a few miles.

Electric net fencing.

Livestock guardian dog.

High velocity lead pellets.

Raised bed gardening.

Cyngbaeld · #6 05/20/13, 09:22 AM

Lot of Texas homesteaders on the board.
Yes, guardian dogs, tight fences and hog traps are good. If you put an ad on CL you can probably get someone to come trap the hogs for you.
Get a good gun and start shooting the wild dogs and coyotes.

Matt73 · #7 05/20/13, 10:38 AM

Thanks for all the advice. I have a .300 WinMag I use for the hogs. I have 2 large dogs, one german shepherd and one bird dog mutt. I also have a glock 9mm that I intend on using to "take care" of the wild dogs, mainly because they come on my property but hang out not very far from my neighbor's workshop and I'm not comfortable shooting a rifle that direction from 300 yards. I think a raised bed garden might be exactly what I need, since my garden is not that big... I am more interested in my livestock! Unfortunately, our dogs aren't smart enough to guard anything but the house. Which is a good and bad thing, if someone comes to the gate, we know about it. If another dog comes, they just want to play. And if a pig comes, they don't know the difference because they were living with a potbelly pig that thought she was a dog. My goats are so destructive that the fence is getting damaged faster than I can fix it.

Oh and I have donkeys that, for some reason, are good for nothing!!

whiterock · #8 05/20/13, 11:14 AM

You are on the Blackland side of I 35, so adding some organic to the soil will help. That black clay is good soil if you can keep moisture in it. Mulch well and you should do well.
Good thght fence all around. Hogs will go where they want, but a good fence may direct them around you. Coyotes are a nuisance anywhere in Texas just as the hogs are now. Good dogs, rifles.

I'm about 175-200 miles north of you.
Ed

brendafawn · #9 04/04/14, 01:16 AM

Matt73 you are my close neighbor. I am setting up my homestead off 304 by delhi. I was in lytton springs by mustang ridge.lots of wild hogs but our big problem has been rattlesnakes.

crobin · #10 04/04/14, 07:43 AM

Hi, Matt73 and brendafawn. Guess ya'll are pretty close to us. We are in the Luling area on Plum Creek. Half our land is sandy loam, half blackland. Thank goodness our garden, about 2 1/2 acres is in the sandy part. Lots of hogs here, too. J

fordy · #11 04/04/14, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt73

Thanks for all the advice. I have a .300 WinMag I use for the hogs. I have 2 large dogs, one german shepherd and one bird dog mutt. I also have a glock 9mm that I intend on using to "take care" of the wild dogs, mainly because they come on my property but hang out not very far from my neighbor's workshop and I'm not comfortable shooting a rifle that direction from 300 yards. I think a raised bed garden might be exactly what I need, since my garden is not that big... I am more interested in my livestock! Unfortunately, our dogs aren't smart enough to guard anything but the house. Which is a good and bad thing, if someone comes to the gate, we know about it. If another dog comes, they just want to play. And if a pig comes, they don't know the difference because they were living with a potbelly pig that thought she was a dog. My goats are so destructive that the fence is getting damaged faster than I can fix it.

Oh and I have donkeys that, for some reason, are good for nothing!!

..............You should go buy the strongest fence charger available ! Run hot wires on the inside and outside of all perimeter fencing . Goats are just as destructive to the inside of a fence as Hogs are to the outside !!! , fordy

brendafawn · #12 04/04/14, 08:59 AM

Hi crobin we are close. We also have the sandy loam with red clay about two feet down. Do you use raised beds for your garden. What grows best there.

crobin · #13 04/04/14, 09:09 AM

Hi, brendafawn. This is our first gardening season here. We have potatoes doing well, radishes (of course), lettuce, collards and some beans coming up now. Putting in tomatoes, beans (snap and dry), peppers, squash, eggplant, okra, corn and peanuts this weekend. The more we can grow, the less the grocery store gets. We also have a milk cow, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and guineas. How long have you been on your place?

brendafawn · #14 04/06/14, 09:30 PM

Hi crobin we Are just moving in. Have been at another place and have been looking. have a couple of goats and a pair of Santa gertrudis calves we have raised from the bottle, chickens and rabbits. The man we bought our place from is giving us a couple of donkeys. I raise my own vegetables and am looking forward on expanding my garden. We bought ten acres. I am really excited about this. I am also looking for a couple of wiener pigs. It has a good pond on it so we plan on stocking it. We try to live off grid as much as we can. No cable, no land line. We use lanterns and battery or solar lights. Wood stove. Well water which we dont pay for. But it does have a septic on it. It has a one room cabin which we plan on adding a couple of rooms. Living room and bedroom. My husband does remodel work so when he tears something down he salvages all the good materials. We have enough to build several rooms. I have never grown peanuts but think i will give it a shot.