This thread is for those serious about homesteading in a big way. I really want to hear about people's successes and failures, frustrations and joys. Please try not to use this thread to criticize those of us who really are interested in living what Helen and Scott Nearing called "the good life". I know that for a lot out there, especially it seems those online, some of this is pie in the sky talk. Even so many of us still really want to be sufficient unto ourselves as much as possible. This may be hard for those who just want to raise a few chickens to understand. It can also be argued that it is imposssible. Others argue it is undesirable. However, a few of us really do want to "waste" our time doing it. I want to here from those who really do.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@brightok.net), July 08, 2003

Answers

Well this year, we solved our tractor problem by hiring the work done. God bless the retired farmer who did it for only $25 an hour. One of the best things I have done lately. I put in corn, milo, and heirloom hulless oats, as grain products this year. I also planted a lovely stand of sunflowers. Milo is the main grain we feed our chickens. We also feed our chickens Profat dog food, which is 28% protein. I figure anything I can grow cuts my feed bill. However I should say that the milk we get from our goats pays our feed bill in what we use. Our eggs and meat are free here. When you sit down and account the milk at $3 a gallon(I use this figure cause it is round. A little more than store bought cows milk and way less than store bought goats milk.), we pay our whole feed bill just with the milk. This is amazing return. Nearly every ounce of milk is used, either for food or it returns to us as meat. The goats make the rest of the animals pay.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@brightok.net), July 09, 2003.

Well, we are nowhere near self-sufficiency, although we see this old farm we've bought as having a lot of "potential". lol. I don't believe that we could begin to grow much in the way of grains, or even put up the hay, for that matter, until after we can buy a tractor. We do garden, and put up all we can from it. And we don't hesitate to put out fruit trees, and put up the fruit. We keep goats because otherwise I'd be running to the store every few days to keep our big family in milk. And I don't like running to town more often than I have to. We have not, however, butchered our own goats. We just sell the kids cheap. We like, and have produced, our own rabbit meat, and our own meat chickens, but aren't quite ready to start again now. And we like raising our own beef, but don't have one now, and haven't done the butchering ourselves, although it is something hubby is interested in doing. Right now, our efforts are toward getting a very old homestead back in working order. All of DH's spare time is spent on fencing (now that he has rewired the old house). The redo jobs right now just look endless, but one thing at a time.

-- mary,tx (mlg@texas.com), July 09, 2003.