My one acre homestead

I do all my gardening by hand. I do use an old antique push by hand cultivator, and shovels and hoes, etc. I do raised beds though so no tilling.

Ironically, Krcote, you live very close to me! I'm in Tilton.

I'm currently trying to estimate the cost of providing 100% of a cow's food for a year. I'm torn between a dairy cow and a pair of nubian goats. In all honesty, I do much prefer cow products to goat products.

V-NH said:

I'm currently trying to estimate the cost of providing 100% of a cow's food for a year. I'm torn between a dairy cow and a pair of nubian goats. In all honesty, I do much prefer cow products to goat products.

Click to expand...

Goats will probably be cheaper, there are goats that have different tastes in their milk, maybe you can look up a breed that has milk more similar to cow's? I personally don't like goat, I love their products, but don't like goats. So, if you can find a breed that has a milk you enjoy, and don't mind the goats, that will probably be cheaper. The average large cow will eat a bale of hay a day,plus grains. Add that up with bedding cost, and you have your yearly number. I'm not sure how much goats eat, since I don't have them. Hope this helps! =)

This is AWESOME...If everyone would try a little self-sustainablity....what a wonderful world. Power to the poultry - Down with factory farming! Make EGGS not WAR! ok sorry ....rant over.

Also with goats (and cows), to some extent, what they eat will affect the taste of the milk. Most cows are on a pretty regulated diet so you don't have the weeds etc affecting the taste. I really do not notice that much of a difference between goat milk from a controlled herd with a set feeding program and cow milk from the same. I have had goat milk from goats eating a lot of weeds and on spring pastures with a lot of that garlicy weed stuff and it was awful, but the cow milk also tastes funny in that case, just not as bad as the goat milk.
One reason to consider starting with a goat or two is just the idea of starting small and working your way up the animal size chain. If you have never done any milking that is also something to consider if you are planning on doing it by hand. Would also add that even with a calf on her a good milk cow has to be milked on a darn strict schedule, a goat with a kid or kids you usually have a little more leeway. And for some reason it seems like it is easier to find somebody willing to milk a goat if you have to be gone I don't think there is any question that two goats are going to be cheaper to keep than one cow.
You had me curious so I asked a neighbor down the road who has a little Jersey cow they milk. I got about an hour long lecture on the care and keeping and behavior of their pet cow, I knew they liked that cow, I didn't realize quite how much. They actually have her to keep a couple of calves on that they then raise as feeder steers, they buy 1-2 little calves and let her raise them with her own and when they want milk for themselves they just keep the calves off of her for a couple of hours. With the extra calves they said they don't have to worry about milking her on a schedule and they haven't have problems with mastitis, they do have to feed the calves extra eventually when they get too big for Brownie to feed them all. They do keep her on a decent pasture but they still feed her a bagged feed for dairy cows they get at the feed mill. They said they feed her around 10-15 pounds of the feed a day (6 - 50 pound bags lasts them about a month) and the feed is around $15 a bag. They vary the amount of feed by how she is doing, how big the calves are etc, they also hay when needed. They are not really keeping track of expenses so they couldn't really say what it really "costs". It is kind of like our beef cows, we can buy beef at the grocery store for less than it costs us to raise, but at least we know where our beef comes from.

V-NH said:

I have never grown okra before, so I honestly don't know how it is going to turn out. I'll definitely let you know if it grows. I was considering getting a couple sheep to keep the cow company once I purchase it, but I feel like I am already pushing the 1/2 acre fenced in area to the limit with a cow and 26 birds. Although, 6 of the birds will be processed by July so I'll be down to 20.

Click to expand...

I crow okra every year. Our does great, I have plenty to eat during the growing season and freeze quite a bit after the season is over.
I live in the south so maybe this has some part to my success. But as a tip, okra likes water, to combat the heavy watering by the hose
I chose a low spot in my garden that tends to catch a lot of water when it rains. The okra thrived there and produced bountfuly.

V-NH said:

Hello everyone,

I am excited because I am 75% done building my ideal homestead on my one acre property. I'm a teacher by profession, but recently backyard farming has become a very serious hobby of mine. I made a design in paint of what my property is going to end up looking like once everything is complete. The only part I haven't done yet is build the single stall barn and purchased a dairy cow. I currently have 20 chickens, 3 meat ducks, and I am waiting on 3 meat turkies that I purchased. The entire setup is on one acre. I am growing pumpkins, butternut squash, okra, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and cucumbers. To help put the size of the garden into perspective, my house is a 1600 ft ranch.

What do you think?

Click to expand...

Your plan looks great!! it is so exciting planning out a homestead and bringing it to fruition. We also drew our homestead plan out on paper before breaking
ground. Each year we add one or two new additions. What is great about a plan is that before you even buy your plants they have an assigned place so
you can add as you are able. Your plan is very similar to our drafted plan. You will really enjoy your backyard homestead, and will be surprised
at how much you can harvest from one acre. We also have a one acre homestead. Post pics as you begin bring your plan to life. Would love to see
them!!! Good luck and have fun.

V-NH said:

Hello everyone,

I am excited because I am 75% done building my ideal homestead on my one acre property. I'm a teacher by profession, but recently backyard farming has become a very serious hobby of mine. I made a design in paint of what my property is going to end up looking like once everything is complete. The only part I haven't done yet is build the single stall barn and purchased a dairy cow. I currently have 20 chickens, 3 meat ducks, and I am waiting on 3 meat turkies that I purchased. The entire setup is on one acre. I am growing pumpkins, butternut squash, okra, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and cucumbers. To help put the size of the garden into perspective, my house is a 1600 ft ranch.

What do you think?

Click to expand...

Looks Great, best of Luck, and

Do you plan to keep your cow's calf for butcher? If so, that's a hay expense you'll have to factor in. If not, selling the weaned calf could bring in some hay money! Then again, do you have means to breed her again (trailer) or someone to AI her? Just things to keep in mind......

With that wooded area, I'd be looking into goats for meat. Fencing is always a consideration for goats, but we recently butchered our first goats and I'm loving the meat. They're pretty easy keepers and you only keep them a few months.

I don't know how much hay a producing cow needs. I go by 10% of body weight per day for my minimally active horses and wind up with not quite four ton a year per horse.