Acres

[Artichoke Lover]

I was thinking/goal:
2 horses: pasture and hay
2-4 pigs: a breeding stock and piglets- foraging and grain
15 goats for selling babies and milking grazing and hay with grain
4 barn cats- feed
2 dogs inside and outside-feed
10 bantam chickens- penned up with feed and 40 standard size chickens- foraging
4 geese- foraging
10 ducks- penned up
5 breeding stock for meat rabbits and 3 pet rabbits- cages/ tractors
30 quail- cages
5 meat turkeys a year- foraging
130 broiler chickens- foraging

Are you planning on selling goats milk or products made from it? A single milk goat can produce more than 3 quarts a day.

 

[hysop]

I was thinking/goal:
2 horses: pasture and hay
2-4 pigs: a breeding stock and piglets- foraging and grain
15 goats for selling babies and milking grazing and hay with grain
4 barn cats- feed
2 dogs inside and outside-feed
10 bantam chickens- penned up with feed and 40 standard size chickens- foraging
4 geese- foraging
10 ducks- penned up
5 breeding stock for meat rabbits and 3 pet rabbits- cages/ tractors
30 quail- cages
5 meat turkeys a year- foraging
130 broiler chickens- foraging

I know that’s a long term goal and that’s awesome.
I can’t imagine the cost of this on one income. Unless you make really good money.
Will the land you’re getting be paid off or you’re getting a loan?
But nothing is impossible so just chipping away at your goal will make it come true. As mentioned before, one animal at a time or you’ll feel overwhelmed with care and cost. I’ve learned my lesson

 

[LizzzyJo]

Yes. That’s a good idea. I want to be at lead 50% self sufficient. I’m by myself so all this will would be buy me. Plus I’m hoping to be a vet tech and have a full time job. So I’m looking for something that can handle what my needs are. That’s when I think to myself living by myself that not to much on my plate. So that why I’m leaning to 20 acres. I’m in one income

I think that you should buy as much land as you can within your budget up to those 15 or 20 acres. Try to look for land with water sources and varying topography (as mentioned). Also look for property with existing and maintained out buildings like garages, sheds and barns. Ask the neighbors about the annual changes. For example, the back 2 acres of my property seemed high and dry and didn't have water the first full year. Whelp, fast forward and those acres flood EVERY year and the first year was the odd one out. Had we built quickly, we would have a pole barn pool for half the year and sheep knee deep in water. Build slowly and you can also learn at a good rate what you can handle yourself. Personally, I would value good out buildings over that last 5-8 acres of land if I were you.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

i live on 21 acres. a few years ago i wanted to farm sheep here. long story short it was not enough land to make a go or even spend money on fencing. for the amount i would make back.

but another factor to look into is zoning and building permits. you might find a great piece of land but if its zoned something else you might not be allowed to put animals on it.

 

[Sally PB]

What everyone else has said. Very good advice. I would add...

Keep in mind your work commute, or how far it is to go to the store. Do you have a vehicle that can make the trip in the winter? (You didn't say where you are located. You can add your general location to your profile, and that can help people give more appropriate advice.) If you are really remote, how do you deal with the power going out? It will at some point; have a plan for getting water or heat if necessary for your animals.

One thing to think about, and I don't mean to sound like you can't or won't succeed. If something changes and you have to move, how saleable is your home/land? When we moved out to our "heaven on earth," we had some very lean years, money-wise. If we had had to move, it could have taken years to sell our home. Houses on this road often sit vacant for 1-2 years before they sell. It is very much a niche market. More than one neighbor has had to take a bath when they sold, or lost the house to foreclosure.

I'm glad you're thinking and planning. Good luck!

 

[RaineyTN]

Yea your goin to have a 20 acre mud hole, with no time to take care of any of it

 

[SegiDream]

I seriously seriously recommend watching videos of Joel Salatin - Polyface farm on youtube. Justine Rhodes has some good videos of him, some other people have interviewed him too. Joel has 40+ years of experience. He gives a ton of information like how many rabbits you can raise in one tractor and how much acreage they eat up in how much time etc. The same for pigs and cattle and chickens. He also uses the animals to enrich the land either by building up fields or prepping for planting or for clearing the land. For example to clear out land he'll bring in pigs that will eat lower brush and goats that will eat higher up brush and then you can clear out the trees or keep some trees for shading the pigs. He keeps the animals in smaller areas but moves them frequently so there is always fresh grass and gives the landscape time to recover.

There is also a book that I have called the Backyard Homestead that has layouts for homesteading and how to use smaller acreage to the best of your ability. I think with proper management and keeping their numbers low you could pull it off but like others said, do ONE new species at a time. Pigs and cows and goats all have their unique containment issues and health problems. Tackle one new challenge at a time.

eta:

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Growing up, and into adulthood, I've always kept in mind about 40 acres is an amazing size to utalize the surrounding land. My grandmother had 40 some odd acres and she had horses, goats, chickens, a pond, lots of timber. It was the perfect space, with healthy wildlife population. Seems to be the magic number of any property I've been at