How many acres? In the planning stage...

Another angle to look at. In our town you need to have at least 1 acre to raise chickens. It's a town ordinance. You might want to go to the town hall in the area where you want to live and find out if there are any ordinances pertaining to raising livestock. It would be terrible to buy your land, buy a couple of cows and goats and find out that the town has an ordinance forbidding livestock.

It is good to dream and then sit back and get 'real' information too. I have lived in MI on my 7 acres exactly - 2 months!!! We are still learning too. And, yes, that deal with the neighbor for the hay is a steal and we will be paying him some gift money just so he will keep coming back! If you are getting 2 gallons of milk a day, can you drink all of that? My family (3 of us now) drinks about a gallon a day and I think we are big milk drinkers. When I had the entire family home, we did 14 gallons a week, so I can see where you are coming from.... Even if you make cheese and butter, 2 gallons a day is still a LOT of milk. (and that is 1/2 of what a good cow decently fed can give you in a day.)

Cows give milk according to how well you feed them. If you feed them in winter, they will give you milk. You give them 2 months rest before they have a new calf each year - and you can kind of decide when you want them to be fresh (in milk) and when you want them to be dry. Typically, they give more more milk as they freshen and then gradually reduce that amount as the time comes for them to calve again. There are always exceptions to the rule. Also, a cow on fresh spring grass often gives a surge in milk production. Too much milk isn't always a problem - you can let the cow raise a calf for you and still have enough milk for the family. My dad ran a dairy farm. His last farm didn't really have enough hay to support the cows so he often had to buy hay. Therefore, he wanted as many cows milking as possible during the months that he had to buy hay. He also had us kids as little minions to do all that calf feeding in those cold months. (UGH). when my little heifer gets old enough to milk - I hope to let her be dry during Dec and Jan.....the coldest months here.

I think you are going to have to look into water rights in N. Colorado. Aren't you guys sending your water to CA right now? Also, are you legally allowed to sell milk to neighbors? I can't here - even if I sell it for them to feed to their 'pets'. If you can find a place with great grass, I think you can do a lot of what you want to do. It will take more than 5 acres though. Just as on my place, I might be able to squeeze in an acre of corn or other grain. I think I might be better off to put that acre in to alfalfa and have that hay to support the milk cow - in case I am not able to buy grain for her. It is all a trade off. I have a lot to learn. We bought the place we could easily afford with the most to offer us. (yep, there are some great deals in MI right now). It is up to me to prioritize what I want to do with what we have. I am just happy with what I have - before I had 1 1/2 acres, so this seems like heaven!

It seems like the cow is your stumbling block for the amount of land & feed.

Why not consider goats for their milk? I don't know much about goats, but I've had some goats milk & it's delicious. I've been told it depends upon what breed of goat. Also, every child I've seen that's being raised on goats milk is very healthy. They are also great lawnmowers and you can sell the offspring.

Just an alternative.

I have a 17 acre parcel, and live on a different 5 acres. At one time I wanted to move to the 17, but at my age, 5 is about all I can handle.

Just something else to think about....

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Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible

I get 18 eggs a week from 4 hens, more or less. They lay the best the first year, and then gently slide downhill.

The 2 pullets lay almost 1 dozen between them, and the other 6 eggs are divided between a hen and a banty hen. The banty hen lays the worst, but she can raise the chicks which saves me many hours of fussing.

Grace&violets,

Any chance you can buy anywhere else, rather than in Colorado? We struggle to even have a decent vegetable garden here because we have to water at least every 2nd day, and usually every day in late June/July.

Like other people mentioned, water rights are crazy. It's not legal to save rain water, nor is it legal to let grey water go anywhere but down the drain. AFAIK, if you have a well on your property, you have to get a meter on it, and then pay for the water you used, and there's something about only being allowed to use the wells for domestic use? I don't know. Major hassles to try get a pond dug on your property as well... all kinds of red tape to jump through.

That's why we put in an offer on a nice little place in Missouri.... trying to *patiently* wait for their answer.

Of course if you definitely have to stay in CO you can make it work, others have, but yes, you'll definitely need more acreage per head of cattle than you would in other states.

As for goats being easy to sell/give away... look on Craigslist in the Spring, there are always a ton of them on there. As for cattle - look into miniature breeds. Easier to handle, eat a lot less and apparently give you more % of meat on the hoof than the larger breeds. Dexters seem to be quite plentiful here in Colorado.

Good luck!!!

I really appreciate everyone's responses to my posts. I've learned so much from you all and you've given me so much to think about. It's time for me to research different breeds of cows, goats and chickens, and maybe pigs (but we'll see about that one!)

Dirt2Dig, we can actually have up to 6 hens (no roosters) in city limits. The only limitations are that the coop and any area the chickens will be need to be at least 15 feet from all property lines and no slaughtering on premises. If I weren't renting at the moment, I would already have my 6.

Callieslamb, yes CO gives their water to CA..grr....and it is not legal to "sell" your milk, but you can "give" milk, I believe. I've been trying to find a source of raw milk, and you have to buy shares of a cow to be able to get it.

Wolfmom, it does seem like goats may be the way to go. I'm keeping my mind open to any idea right now.

WildernesFamily, DH and I really love living in CO. Especially the area we are in. I've lived here for almost 18 years, right out of high school, and felt at home the minute I arrived. I know what you mean about having to water the garden every day. Especially at our old house, in a newer subdivision with no large trees for any kind of partial shade. I also know the "wonderful" legalities of saving rain water and having wells. Although in part, it may be necessary, it really needs to be revisited. To be honest, I've started looking into WY's laws, since we are really less than 25 miles from there.

So, so much to think about, research and ponder. Thanks again for all of the advice and responses!!

I would suggest you begin with chickens, first layers and then step up to slaughtering broilers. Simple, small, yet still a chore and challenge but manageable. Then go to 2 pigs, buy 2 in spring and slaughter for winter. Then you could progress to goats or cows. It will take quite a lot of time especially if the buildings and fencing isn't ready when you get there. A milk cow or even a milk goat is a whole 'nother world. It's more then a marriage as you can't not be there while they are in milk. No such thing as I'll get it tomorrow.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

Something to put in the back spaces of thought.....

If you think you can do all you want and only need 3-5 acres of land to do it then buy 6-10 acres. The added land will prove to be god-sent when the "I want to's" hits the reality of the "I just can't".
Trust me the added buffer, as in additional land, will not go to waste.
You can take this from someone who started out years ago looking for 5-10 acres with a stream and ended up with 57+ with 2 streams and still questions some days if'n I only had more.........

We live in the eastern CO/SW NE/NW KS corner. We ended up actually buying in Kansas for the simple fact that that's what we found after a couple of years of hunting.
Forty acres was our bare minimum.
On the bright side, land in this area is cheap. We paid $400 an acre and debated whether that was too high.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

640 acres.

it was considered a fine homestead in days gone by, would still be enough.

Other than in western Nebraska, and only under the Kincaid Act (1904), where was 640 acres considered a homestead?
The Homestead Act alotted 160 acres...

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop