Heritage Homesteading?

Excellent start

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Ignorance is the true enemy.

I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my children.

www.newcenturyhomestead.com

Talking is SO important. It's funny how often we all forget that!
A Polyanna post from me as well - my husband was totally an indoors boy with no experience of animals or growing anything. I did all the chicken stuff and goat stuff by myself with only very occasional help from him.
Over the years he has changed and realised where the world is heading and how important it is to grow your own food. Together we have bought our farm and chosen the livestock. He injects sheep, puts up fencing and is developing a good stockman's eye. He also happily spends hours in the fresh air. Truly amazing!
Best wishes to you. Start small and keep going!

"Stuff like: rabbits stink when you butcher them. Seriously, they smell awful. I've gutted deer, and butchered all sorts of animals, I have experience doing this -- and rabbits stink. You might think that this is no big deal, but trust me when I say that the first few you butcher for your table REALLY aren't all that appealing after YOU butcher them and experience that stink for the first time. The books don't tell you this. They tell you what to expect for growth, how to set up their hutches, what to feed them, and HOW to butcher, but they say nothing about the smell." -Tracy Rimmer

Very interesting. My parents used to raise meat rabbits that they butchered, dressed and sold to the Big Bear grocery stores that used to exist in eastern and southern Ohio. I was just a small kid at the time, so I wasn't much involved and don't remember the smell. What I do remember is that rabbit manure is some of the best fertilizer around.

Anyway ... Your words about the importance of first-hand experience is sage advice, indeed.

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"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." -Dwight D. Eisenhower

http://blogs.daily-jeff.com/lowedown/

Start with heritage vegetables and work your way up!

Pick a chicken breed that will set and raise it's own chicks. Save yourself some trouble in the long run. And a handful of chickens is how we all started...beware of the addiction...

The Speckled Sussex make great brooders and mothers and those are the types of hens I'm wanting to get.

Also, finally found someone that knew about ordinances regarding where I live and I can have a small flock of chickens on my property since I'm out of city limits!

Mine never did. I only had a couple though, not a huge sample. They are amazingly friendly though, and almost smart (for a chicken) and really pretty. It's not such a bad thing though, if not all your girls go broody. Once they do, they are done laying for quite awhile.

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"I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else."
- G. K. Chesterton

Hmm, according to all the breed profiles I've read they go broody and make great moms. Ah well, I'm looking for mostly egg production, which they're supposed to lay delicious medium to large light brown eggs.

I skipped right through, so forgive me if I'm repeating....

I raise several types of poultry listed as critical by the ALBC. I suggest that you raise them in an effort to "keep them going", for no other reason than you want to help/participate, because unless you take the time to enter them in serious poultry shows, you will not make any money selling chicks. Cackle Hatchery has just about every variety of rare chick for sale, for less than $3 each. You would have to make your birds/hatching eggs *really* stand out, with winnings at shows; build up a reputation for exceptional show quality birds. The same with the rare breeds of rabbits. Just my two cents.

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I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.

So you're saying that unless I want to get into showing that I should just go with common breeds?

I've had Speckled Sussex chickens, too. Only one of the hens liked to go broody, but she was a great setter and mother. General breed characteristics are helpful, but individual chickens of any breed may or may not give you what you're looking for. I decided I want more reliable broodies so I don't have to keep buying from the hatcheries, so I'm trying Partridge Rocks right now. I'm doing things on a small scale, so experimentation isn't too costly.

It's nice that you can keep chickens and rabbits where you're living now, so you don't have to feel like your plans are all on hold. Getting the garden in and getting experience in growing, cooking, and preserving foods is a good idea, too.

As for your livestock list, good for you for learning about different breeds ahead of time. When you actually have the land for them, you can always change your preferences based on what your place is like, what's available etc. We have raised Narragansett turkeys but now prefer the standard (not broad breasted) bronzes because of their greater size. Have you looked at Sandhill Preservation? They focus on keeping many rare poultry breeds alive.

Also, have you thought about sheep? You can get breeds that don't need any supplementary grain, that both graze and browse, and that can give you wool, too, if you like to play with fiber.

"My advice: don't take on anything you can't do all by yourself."

Gracie88's advice is good. Not that you have to do everything by yourself, but if it's really your dream, you'd be better not having to depend on someone whose passions and energies are directed elsewhere.

There are plenty of rare breeds out there that you can love. I try a new one every year. Showing is expensive in itself with the travel, etc. So while you might get a better price for your eggs/chicks you also spend more.

You don't need to sell very many chicks or eggs to have your chickens pay for themselves. That's all I ask of my chickens.

Look at the offerings of Sandhill Preservation Society- they have a lot of chickens to choose from too. It's a bit awkward to order from them since you have to order, then they tell you if they will have enough. I have also ordered from several of the online hatcheries and have never been disappointed.

Do any stores over your way sell the Pprospector and/or Bulletin Board papers... they are buy/sell/trade publications that come out weekly and cover most of WV, some PA, MD and OH. 99% of the listings are from individuals... not businesses.

There are listings for most anything you want/need from farm equipment to livestock... if it's not there one week, keep looking and somebody will likely list it in coming weeks.

The Bulletin Board just came out today and the have a number of listings for chicks/chickens (including Barred Rocks for $2 ea.), heritage turkey chicks (does not list breed) ducks, guineas, etc.

It's a good place to start looking and keep an eye on prices for stuff.

If you can't find them in your area, send me a P.M. and I'll see I can get some over to you.

It may take me several days to get back to you because I only have internet when I come to town and hit a wi-fi spot.

Tim

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"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid".

We do have a trader's guide and I'll be checking into that, but at the moment I'm having no progress because of my unemployment and being unable to purchase, let alone feed, stock.