What Would You Do?

[toasterburn]

My wife and I bought our home and three acres last December, and ended up spending all of our savings on down-payment, moving expenses, and home repairs. I want to turn our home into a homestead (complete with gardens, livestock, fruit trees, ect.) but right now I have little money and too many projects, so I need to prioritize. I have a few options, but I'm having trouble figuring out the best course of action. Figured you might be able to help me decide.

My Assets: $1000 cash and a truck worth $1600.

--------------------------------

Problem 1: Of our three acres. one acre is fenced in pasture. I bought a sheep to keep the grass mowed down in the pasture. Dog got in and hurt sheep. Bought donkey to guard sheep. Donkey eats more grass than sheep and now there is little grass left to eat back there and I'm worried about the pasture getting burned out.

Possible Solution 1: We have one more acre of grass that could be fenced in, and I could rotate them between the two pastures then. Cost if someone else builds fence: $2500. I could try to build it myself to save money, but I've never tried building a fence so I'm a bit unsure about it. I could trade the truck to the fence installers (two have shown interest in this) to cover part of the price of the fence.

Possible Solution 2: I could trade the truck for a good lawn mower (don't have one now) and cut two acres, bag the clippings, and feed them to the animals. If I don't buy a mower, I'll have the added expense of paying someone to mow two acres for me.

-----------------------------------

Problem 2: I have two retaining walls around my driveway that need to be replaced. They were made of railroad ties and are rotten and falling apart now. One wall is short, and I could easily fix it myself with $300 worth of blocks from lowes. The other wall is 5 ft high and 15 feet long. I'm not sure how to fix it. I'm having a contractor come out tomorrow to give me a quote. I'm worried about putting these two walls off, because if one decides to go, it will destroy my fence, and if the other falls it will destroy my driveway and possibly damage my house.

[simi-steading]

How bad do you need the truck? Is it your only transportation?

Myself, I'd sell the sheep and donkey.. are they really of much value to you other than as lawn mowers?

Are there any laws that say you have to keep the grass cut? I know it's a small lot, but you could always allow someone to come in and hay it for free just to keep it cut..

I've been too busy this year and haven't cut my fields one time this year.. Last year I cut them every month.. I have no animals, but I do have more deer and other wildlife since I've not been cutting them...

You are so low on money I'd really consider not paying anyone to do anything, and do the best you can to make repairs on your own... and if the wall does fail, and you have nothing in the field to keep fenced, then if you lost the fence, then you've not lost a lot..

[simi-steading]

Ask yourself this question.. .How many years do you have on this marble, and how many years do you think you'll live in that house? If you say the rest of your life, then just figure you have a long time to get it all worked out...

Buying a sheep and a donkey right off the bat probably wasn't in your best interest... You have to be able to afford the infrastructure to keep animals..

Homesteading is a life time commitment, not an over night endeavor... Give yourself time to get the money you need before you spend yourself into bankruptcy..

[light rain]

If your truck is fairly reliable and paid off I would think long and hard about selling it. Our trucks are indispensable for buying and hauling items bought used, animals, hauling wood, trash and free compost. Is there any way to increase the house income, like maybe through pt work.

Have you thought of raising an animal/s on your acreage that would provide you with meat? Was the sheep going to be dinners? I would have a problem with killing most animals but at least you would know you took care of them well and that it ate only healthy food. If meat continues to escalate in price we may go back to raising rabbits, but DH would have to dispatch them.

[Jennifer L.]

1)Buy a round bale and that will feed the sheep and donkey for a long time. Use your truck to go get a bale at a time if necessary. A lot easier and cheaper than anything else. Or else get rid of both of them, but I understand you probably like to see the animals around.

2) Then fix your driveway. The driveway is for your safety and for property value so put most of your money there. Do not make more work for yourself with additional fencing (before you are ready for it) and extra lawn mowing. The fields will still be ok in another year to do what you want with them. Get some cash built up first if possible. Bad things happen in life and you need to keep a cushion.

Good luck.

[SLFarmMI]

Originally Posted by toasterburn

My wife and I bought our home and three acres last December, and ended up spending all of our savings on down-payment, moving expenses, and home repairs. I want to turn our home into a homestead (complete with gardens, livestock, fruit trees, ect.) but right now I have little money and too many projects, so I need to prioritize. I have a few options, but I'm having trouble figuring out the best course of action. Figured you might be able to help me decide.

My Assets: $1000 cash and a truck worth $1600.

--------------------------------

Problem 1: Of our three acres. one acre is fenced in pasture. I bought a sheep to keep the grass mowed down in the pasture. Dog got in and hurt sheep. Bought donkey to guard sheep. Donkey eats more grass than sheep and now there is little grass left to eat back there and I'm worried about the pasture getting burned out.

Possible Solution 1: We have one more acre of grass that could be fenced in, and I could rotate them between the two pastures then. Cost if someone else builds fence: $2500. I could try to build it myself to save money, but I've never tried building a fence so I'm a bit unsure about it. I could trade the truck to the fence installers (two have shown interest in this) to cover part of the price of the fence.

Possible Solution 2: I could trade the truck for a good lawn mower (don't have one now) and cut two acres, bag the clippings, and feed them to the animals. If I don't buy a mower, I'll have the added expense of paying someone to mow two acres for me.

-----------------------------------

Problem 2: I have two retaining walls around my driveway that need to be replaced. They were made of railroad ties and are rotten and falling apart now. One wall is short, and I could easily fix it myself with $300 worth of blocks from lowes. The other wall is 5 ft high and 15 feet long. I'm not sure how to fix it. I'm having a contractor come out tomorrow to give me a quote. I'm worried about putting these two walls off, because if one decides to go, it will destroy my fence, and if the other falls it will destroy my driveway and possibly damage my house.

I would:
1. Sell the donkey
2. Put the sheep in the freezer or sell it
3. Fix the short wall myself
4. Get the quote for the large wall and make sure I understand what is involved in the repair. If the $ is affordable, then have the contractor fix it. If not, figure out how to fix it myself.
5. Keep the truck
6. Work on starting a small garden. Key word -- start small

[MJsLady]

Sell the sheep and donkey and put the money towards a mower.
Keep the truck. Trucks are invaluable tools.
You can do the fencing and the wall repair, read up on it and watch videos until you are comfortable to do it.

these are skills that will stand you in good stead on down the road.

[Nimrod]

You can do an awful lot with just your own grunt labor and a bit of money. If you are getting old you just can't do as much in one day as you used to so projects take longer.

The retaining walls can be replaced but you will have to buy materials. Railroad ties with the creasote coating will probably outlast you and can be found fairly cheap. A wall built using the method in the video and with the deadman holding it back won't move under the pressure of the earth behind it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSbYdfLa15Y

You keep critters for meat, milk, or resale. Otherwise they are called pets and cost you money instead of at least paying for themselves. One acre is not enough grass for the critters you have. If you keep them you will have to pay for hay. I would sell them. If you must have an animal, get one that can go in the freezer at the end of the summer.

I would spend some of the money on a small orchard. Put in fruit trees that will thrive in your climate. Be sure to consider the need for at least 2 of each variety for cross pollination.

Keep the truck. You will need it.

Build a chicken coop and get some chickens. Don't do this in the reverse order. I had chickens living in the spare room for 2 weeks while I finished building the coop. You probably only need 6 or 7 chickens to keep you and a partner in eggs. The hatchery will only ship 25 or more at a time so they keep each other warm. Order chicks in the spring, let them free range and eat bugs all summer (if the neighbors don't object), and send a bunch to freezer camp in the fall. Keep one rooster. If you are lucky enough to get a hen that wants to sit on a batch of eggs, you can get some new chicks ever year to replenish the flock. Let the chicken poop compost for a year and it makes great fertilizer for the garden.

Plant a garden. Start small. There is a learning curve so don't expect great results right away. Knowing how to grow your own food is a great prep.

Good luck.

[Callieslamb]

I agree that you should get rid of the animals. You aren't quite ready for them. Learn to build the fence yourself. If I (a 54 yr old woman) can learn to build a fence, so can you. Put your money into the retaining wall but do the work as much as you can by yourself. You can find out about how to that online too. Get some friends over to help with the heavy lifting. Homesteading is all about learning to do for yourself as much as possible. Then, fence the other acre and get a couple of sheep. You can eat them, donkey's aren't so good for eating. Get rid of the dog if it's yours.

[fordy]

.............1)DONOT sell your truck , as of right now it is THE most valuable tool you have !
.............2)For the retaining walls........Hire a tractor driver to dig you some 12 inch diameter post holes 5 to 6 feet deep ! Purchase some old oilfield pipe about 6 inches in diameter.........Now I'd dig the holes far enough out to allow you to stack NEW RR ties in front of the pipe . Once the concrete is set and you've installed New RR ties , you can backfill the open space with gravel and pack it by hand . Paint each individual pipe with roofing asphault enough to cover the portion that will be in the ground .
............3)Leaving the old ties in place will not matter as they will become part of the soil over time anyway . By backfilling with gravel you will prevent any accumulation of water around the new ties...........you could also install a french drain by using 3 inch PVC septic pipe with the holes in a gravel bed prior to the stacking of the new RR ties . , fordy

[secuono]

Get rid of the animals, you have no real use for them. You can rent the land to someone else to graze their livestock on it and MAKE money.
Get a pro to do the big wall, small one you should be able to handle yourself w/o too much issue.
If you have another car to use and fill up like you would the truck, then sell the truck, but if not, keep it. You might be able to make deliveries for neighbors as well and again, make some money off it.

[simi-steading]

Originally Posted by fordy

Purchase some old oilfield pipe

Id imagine that wouldn't be the easiest ting to find in AL..

Here in WV, where there is oil and gas everywhere and constant drilling, it's still not very easy to get your hands on old pipe or casing... I've been talking to a lo of people I know who work in the fields and tend, and they say I'll be lucky to be able to buy some..

Used to be it was a easy for the oil companies to get rid of. Just give it away... Now old pipe is a liability to them so they sell it off to where they can show record of it.. Thank you EPA...

[Harry Chickpea]

Sell the animals.

Look on craigslist for cheap riding mower with at least 16 HP. Cost under $500 is possible. You will need to keep grass mowed to keep the weeds and invasives from taking over, and you CAN bush hog with a riding mower if you take baby bites on overgrowth. Alternately GIVE the hay from a farmer willing to hay it at least twice a year, and do that until you have more cash.

Fix only the part of the wall that could damage the home if it fails. You don't have assets now. You have a very thin emergency fund, MUCH too thin to be starting projects other than boosting that fund.

There is urgent maintenance and there is maintenance that is best deferred. You had best learn the difference quickly or you will be belly up in the sun faster than you can spit.

[PlowGirl]

If you're planning on keeping the livestock, you can easily fence off your remaining pasture with electric fence and charger for relatively low cost. If you go this route, introduce them to the fence by running a strand across a section of their present pasture.
This solution will work for as long as you have pasture forage. When the cool season starts you will have to start feeding. Is that going to be a hardship?

[Danaus29]

Keep the truck. It's book value may be only $1600 but try to find a replacement for that price. I agree that it's one of your most valuable pieces of equipment.

I personally would sell the animals or butcher the sheep and sell the donkey. Lots of time and money going down that hole. I'm not familiar with Alabama growing seasons but I know where I am located you would have to buy feed for the winter months. I doubt if you could rent the pasture if it is so unsecure that a dog got in to attack the sheep. Get a good used mower and mow the pasture a few times a year.

Retaining walls, build the small one yourself. Get the contractor estimate and ask lots of questions like what they would do and how they would secure the footing. Then decide if it's something you can do yourself or if it would be better to have it done. But if you sell or trade the truck, how will you transport the retaining blocks to do the wall yourself?

[Calfkeeper]

One thing I can add to above excellent advice is to get to know your neighbors. You didn't mention them, but their help can be invaluable. We swap 'jobs' with our neighbors quite often...kind of the 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." My husband helped one neighbor with a fencing job, he helped us pull a well pump...etc. In general, people like to help other people out and trust in return that if they have a need you'll help them.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by simi-steading

Id imagine that wouldn't be the easiest ting to find in AL..

Here in WV, where there is oil and gas everywhere and constant drilling, it's still not very easy to get your hands on old pipe or casing... I've been talking to a lo of people I know who work in the fields and tend, and they say I'll be lucky to be able to buy some..

Used to be it was a easy for the oil companies to get rid of. Just give it away... Now old pipe is a liability to them so they sell it off to where they can show record of it.. Thank you EPA...

............Most of the old pipe that has been available in Tx is 2.5" and 3" , sch 40 thickwall ! For many years oil co's would connect numerous oil wells to a centralized set of 210 barrel tank batteries with 2.5" pipe strung out on the surface of the ground . As the flow lines aged and filled with parafin they would be replaced with plastic flow line because steel pipe was $$$$$ . Even today there is a steady supply of used pipe and a lot of it has been pulled from old producing wells but it is magnetized and extremely hard to weld . Plus , the salt water has eaten away at the inside and it is not always discernible when a fence builder is going through a couple hundred joints trying to pick out the good joints . , fordy

[RWeThereYet]

Originally Posted by toasterburn

My wife and I bought our home and three acres last December, and ended up spending all of our savings on down-payment, moving expenses, and home repairs. I want to turn our home into a homestead (complete with gardens, livestock, fruit trees, ect.) but right now I have little money and too many projects, so I need to prioritize. I have a few options, but I'm having trouble figuring out the best course of action. Figured you might be able to help me decide.

My Assets: $1000 cash and a truck worth $1600.

--------------------------------

Problem 1: Of our three acres. one acre is fenced in pasture. I bought a sheep to keep the grass mowed down in the pasture. Dog got in and hurt sheep. Bought donkey to guard sheep. Donkey eats more grass than sheep and now there is little grass left to eat back there and I'm worried about the pasture getting burned out.

Possible Solution 1: We have one more acre of grass that could be fenced in, and I could rotate them between the two pastures then. Cost if someone else builds fence: $2500. I could try to build it myself to save money, but I've never tried building a fence so I'm a bit unsure about it. I could trade the truck to the fence installers (two have shown interest in this) to cover part of the price of the fence.

Possible Solution 2: I could trade the truck for a good lawn mower (don't have one now) and cut two acres, bag the clippings, and feed them to the animals. If I don't buy a mower, I'll have the added expense of paying someone to mow two acres for me.

-----------------------------------

Problem 2: I have two retaining walls around my driveway that need to be replaced. They were made of railroad ties and are rotten and falling apart now. One wall is short, and I could easily fix it myself with $300 worth of blocks from lowes. The other wall is 5 ft high and 15 feet long. I'm not sure how to fix it. I'm having a contractor come out tomorrow to give me a quote. I'm worried about putting these two walls off, because if one decides to go, it will destroy my fence, and if the other falls it will destroy my driveway and possibly damage my house.

Is the stead your full time gig or do you have a off stead job?

Research your local area for ethnic communities who desire lamb. How about wool? Turn your liabilities into assets. If not, sell the animals.

Ever consider using a scythe for mowing? It is actually not that hard. I find raking and bagging more labor intensive then the actual cutting.

As for the walls, bust out the shovel and pick axe. You will sweat, you will swear, but in the end you will have your wall and your money too.

[Bellyman]

I'll throw a couple of ideas at ya, not sure if any of them will be of any value or not, but I figured I'd at least toss 'em out there.

First, the fenced acre. Fences are good. Fences are sometimes (usually) needed around gardens and sometimes orchards to keep animals out that shouldn't be in there. I don't know what kind of fence you have but it might be a good area to consider for your gardens and orchard if the land is good and it's in a place that would be good for that. Of course, if it's all rocky and not a good place for that, then it wouldn't work. But if you already have fence in place, maybe just fortifying it could offer some real protection. Worth thinking about at least.

Second, do you really need a riding lawn mower? How about a cheaper push mower for the close in stuff and a small tractor that can be used for multiple uses? Even something like a Farmall Cub or A with a belly mower, maybe, that can also pull a plow, disk, harrow, that kind of thing?? Doesn't have to be a Farmall and for your budget, probably won't be anywhere near new but sometimes a decent old used tractor can be had for the price of a new riding mower. Again, just something to consider.

Third, I tend to agree that the animals are really not doing you a whole of good right now and that something like a flock of chickens might be a better fit, at least for now. They're not a lot of work, really, and if you are able to let them free range, they can forage for quite a bit of their food. They will need protection from predators, though. Whether or not someone is at home all of the time might have something to do with what kind of fencing would do for them. Or maybe they could take a part of your fenced acre (?) since I doubt you'll be gardening a full acre. FWIW, a local Amish farm lets it's flock of chickens run in their orchard.

Just throwin' out some thoughts.

Good luck!!

[simi-steading]

I got a lot of that kinda pipe laying around fordy.. I can walk out my front door, and 20 feet away is a pipe running down the creek... I got lengths of it piled up... but in Alabama.... .hhhmmm...