How would you set up 5 acres?

First figure out what you eat and then that's what you raise. Diary animals mean you ain't going no where as they require milking every day. Personally it's pigs and a steer. Plenty of people will either come to your place to slaughter or haul them to the butcher for you. A trailer is not that expensive and you'll need one eventually any way.

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

7thswan, I live in the thumb as well! The farm fields all around us have been stripped down to nothing and the soil so dead and sandy looking and 1-2ft lower then our property, but the difference is night and day to our property, I dont know if it has to do with there used to be livestock on our part over the years and no fields farmed or what. The land used to belong to our house but the owners sold it off in the
60's. Our farm and house was built in the 1880's and the original barn is still
here but its coming down one piece at a time because its starting to rot
and the roof needed to be totally replaced wood at all and it does not work for what we have so its better to build our own but its
in great shape for its age otherwise. We dont like its location on our property as well. We are saving the good wood to make things out of, we made a entire chicken coop out of it so far.

Thanks everyone for all the advice and book suggestions! It helps so much to hear from those who have been there done that.
We are a younger couple and have the time and energy to commit and its the lifestyle we want to live and raise our kids around. We have enough budget to start slowly and add things as we feel fit. Which has been pretty much what we have done for the last 5 years of living here, adding one thing at a time. We tried to grow to sell at the farmers market last summer and I had a baby at the same time so that was a total failure, we could not keep up with the weeds (I wont use chemicals) and we did not mulch the gardens. This year I am thinking of using straw to mulch? Plus we had horrible weather, cold and the only time we got rain was huge amounts at once a few storms far between and that was pretty much it. The biggest problem was the weeds tho.
We have done the chickens for meat and eggs for 5 years and have passed the learning curve with those but we did wait too long to butcher the meat chickens after I had the baby and they were too rangy and tough so I have been using them for stock, soups and for the dogs. We raise all the chickens free range, but I think we needed to make the meat birds a yard so they did not get so rangy. We tried turkey for the first time last spring, got 6 and all but one died off slowly at different times with no symptoms, then the 6th died right before he was big enough to butcher, so I dont know what happened with those but we were bummed. They were the white meat breed, thinking of getting a heritage breed next time around. We did the rabbits but could not keep them through
winter since we had no way to keep water thawed so we had to rebuy stock all over each year so it became not worth it since we did not use them for meat at the time anyway. We grow tons of produce, but I need to learn how
to can/preserve it all, I have all the supplies. I have made and canned raspberry jam but did not realize I was supposed to remove some seeds and they were just nothing but seeds, but hey it was a start and they did not go bad so I did it right.
I also want to get a dehydrator and start drying. I have a big herb garden as
well and I did all those for the first time this year, usually I just used them fresh in summer and never harvested any for the winter, but this time I did.
We are at the point where we are ready to add something else, I'd love something for meat and milk so we are thinking of goats and maybe a few sheep, we have some ethnic contacts who want to buy lambs from us so we are thinking about that too. I'd like a cow or pig eventually or both, but not add it all at once, just one thing at a time as we learn. I am tired of just having chicken in the freezer!
Oh and we raise everything with no chemicals, all natural, so I dont know if thats something I can do with livestock or I will have to use some worming or what and how I'd deal with that. I will do it if I have to, but want it minimal
as possible.
Right now we also have about 8 apple trees, 1 pear, 1 plum, 1 mulberry,
about 50 raspberry bushes, 2 blueberry and many white and black walnut trees. I also have extensive flower
gardens all over the place, a herb garden and big veggie garden.

I cannot figure out what to do to keep the apples free of pests without using
tons of chemicals, any tips on that?

Stephanie

First, one question, what's a white walnut?

For watering rabbits without electricity in the wintertime, you might be able to find stoneware crocks like those shown in: http://www.thebunnybasics.com/products/2350.html

but we used to have the heavyweight crocks that looked like the top of a volcano--the outer sides slanted--so the rabbits wouldn't turn them over. The bowl inside should be rounded out and slippery as shown, so when you bring fresh water to them, the ice will easily pop out for the new fill. Then you should make more frequent watering trips to the barn each day. Yep, it's a hassle, but it can be done. And, if you learn how to butcher them at about three to four pounds, you'll get tender and tasty meat that doesn't dry out when cooked. Oh, did I mention, you need to get away from any thinking that rabbits are cute little pets strictly for show--they are really good food--in fact in Europe today they are staple food.

Next, I would suggest that you pick three to five subjects out of your idea list and EXHAUST Google and your local library--and County Extension Service--(if it survives the budget cutting in Michigan...) on each one. Sounds like you have reached a plateau in your learning curve and need some more education. I would choose "Raising Rabbits", "Raising a small cow(Dexter or Jersey)" Soil fertility and cover crop/legume gardening" "Electricity basics" , "Woodlots and coppicing" "Breads and grains" "Small tractors and trailers--pickups" You can also make a trip to TSC and get their new catalog to get familiar with farm supplies, feeds, animal meds, gates, halters, etc, etc. You don't have to buy there--just use it like we used to do with the Sears Catalog--as a wish book----(Okay, don't any of you younger folks ask, "What's a Sears catalog....?) Just a few thoughts--keep it up, you'll make it.

Thanks for sharing that link!

BTW - have you checked out http://www.onegreenworld.com ? They have GUAVA, CITRUS and other fruits & plants that you would expect to only grow in warmer climates that do just fine in ours!

__________________
Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West

Stephanie, where in MIchigan..I'm also in Michigan..can't tell you how to do your acerage but i'll tell you how i did mine..Michigan....5 acres

mine faces south and slopes off toward the north slightly.

we have put a privacy screen along the ditch by the road with a lattice fence 6' high on either side of our driveway and mixed beds of mostly evergreens (cedar, hemlock, red and white pines and white and black spruce) with some maples and ash mixed in and some vines..and on the south of the privacy screen along the road perennial and wildflower garden.

there is 60' to our garage and then our house is behind and west of our garage..which leaves about 150 feet of front yard between the road and the house..it is done mostly with lots of mixed beds with evergreens, ash, maple and fruit trees underplanted with perennials and vines..there are arbors with grapevines, woodbine vines, honeysuckle, russian vine, clematis, etc etc.

we have a picket fence to our west and just mixed beds to east (son's side he owns 5 acres adjoining ours).

there are some rounded curving lawns that also make a drive to our rear yard around the east side of our house..behind the house we have a lot of decking and 3 buildings..at this time we have no domesticated animals other than cats..so no barns as such. we also have some baby nut trees in our front yard..besides the dwarf fruit trees.Beside the house is a large black raspberry patch and some rhubarb.

behind and to the east we have a large pond..175 x 75 with some really deep holes..our drainfield is on the west side and is raised 4' above grade and the sides are planted with mixed beds and dwarf fruit trees, also there is an ash and a catalpa in the back yard and a very large seed grown apple..and a toolshed....both side yards are planted with mixed beds and fruit trees as well.

up near the house on the drainfield we have a small greenhouse and an herb and vegetable garden..there are also vines out here..similar to the front..lots of grapes and clematis...

behind this area is a larger production garden with rows of blueberry, red, black and golden raspberries, blackberries, sweet chestnut, hazelnuts, apples, plums, canadian cherry with a lawn around that and mixed bed around that and an arbor with more grape vines..asparagus, rhubarb, horesradish and other herbs..and an area for annual vegetables..this area is also west of the pond..and there is a lawn road between and a small glen of mixed hardwoods and lilacs.

behind this area is an access road and then a woods..so far at the edge of the woods is on the east the north edge of the pond and then on the west 3 walnut trees (one carpathian, one black and one butternut)..i am just beginning to develop this area..we had a lot of dirt and pond muck brought into this area last year..

the woods goes back for about 800 feet and is mostly mixed soft woods like aspen and wild cherry with occasional apple and some ash and oak and red maple..this area is low and black dirt and swampy/boggy in the spring.

the plan is to add food and other crops into the woods and to harvest out some of the dying aspen..and also to mix in better tree crops..

there is a small field area next to the pond to the west adjoining our son's property which is mostly open field dotted with alder and evergreens and his far north has a small woods area as well..

right now we have an abundance of wildlife..which we encourage..but there used to be horses and other domestic animals here in the past..and could easily be again..

You were asking about natural wormers. Check out the Hoegger Supply website or catalog. They have a natural herbal wormer for goats. This is all I ever used and it works great. However, note that it can be deadly for cats. One of the herbs in it is toxic for cats. We used it for years.

Maybe I have the wrong wording on the white walnut, I think someone told me thats what it was, but maybe its wrong? They are much cleaner then the black
walnuts, the husk falls dry and dark brown and the walnut comes right out, no mess.

Stephanie

Thanks I just ordered their catalog,

and thanks to everyone else for the tips and links!


Stephanie

Excellent advice!!

I have problems with frozen waters also- I just use one of those feeders that you hook over the stall wall. I can dump the ice out and refill a couple times a day.