Homesteaders

[Beekissed]

Taters should be in the ground now...even in NYS, if the ground is workable. Crops like sugar snap peas, cabbage, broccoli, onions, spinach, lettuce, kale, radishes, chives, leeks, etc. can be planted now as well...they are very frost hardy and thrive better in cooler weather then in hot.

I'd not plant any pumpkins, cukes or squash until May and I usually direct sow those...they germinate and grow so quickly and easily that there's no reason to start them indoors or early.

Here's a link to info about Jacob Sheep.

http://www.jsba.org/history.htm

If you don't like having to shear and you'd like to have milky sheep, the Katahdin is my favorite hair breed and some are just as milky as the milking breeds of sheep. Sweet, docile sheep with a hardy constitution and stay fat on grass and hay, lamb easily, mother well, prone to twinning. Can't say enough good things about the pure Katahdin breed.

 

[rancher hicks]

Thanks on tht tater advice. TSC has some and so does Country Max. I was going to order some but didn't . NY weather is so frustratioing.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I'm planting my own taters from last year. I'm going to see if they turn out as good as they did last time. I figure I can replace seeds I use with fresh one from other plants so why no my taters. About 1/2 of what I'm planting this year is from last year's crop.

So we have our meat coop finished, our insurance is now for a farm, my garden is up and going. Next is to build my road stand, well that and find a good meat processing place that's not killer expensive. 100 birds at a time is a lot for me to do.

Next spring I can start building my large animal barn up on the hill. So it should only 2-3 years before I'm all set. Then it will be 1 horse and 1 cow and 1 goat. Then as time crawls by I should be able to aquire 1 more horse so my daughter and I can ride together. The cow and goat of course will need breed so I have replacement for each come butcher time.

I know some of you will say I have big dreams and think I'm a bit crazy. However, if one does not have dreams what is there to work towards? I dream of my kids having our family farm, no matter the fact it's small, to rely on as they get older.

"Bit of Heaven homestead" for a farm name? Or maybe "corner of Heaven family farm"?

 

[Loc20chick]

I'm planting my own taters from last year. I'm going to see if they turn out as good as they did last time. I figure I can replace seeds I use with fresh one from other plants so why no my taters. About 1/2 of what I'm planting this year is from last year's crop.

So we have our meat coop finished, our insurance is now for a farm, my garden is up and going. Next is to build my road stand, well that and find a good meat processing place that's not killer expensive. 100 birds at a time is a lot for me to do.

Next spring I can start building my large animal barn up on the hill. So it should only 2-3 years before I'm all set. Then it will be 1 horse and 1 cow and 1 goat. Then as time crawls by I should be able to aquire 1 more horse so my daughter and I can ride together. The cow and goat of course will need breed so I have replacement for each come butcher time.

I know some of you will say I have big dreams and think I'm a bit crazy. However, if one does not have dreams what is there to work towards? I dream of my kids having our family farm, no matter the fact it's small, to rely on as they get older.

"Bit of Heaven homestead" for a farm name? Or maybe "corner of Heaven family farm"?

Great plans, it's good to think big, start small and get to your dreams. I like "bit of heaven homestead"
If you don't get a reasonably priced processing place you could make a plucker or invest in those big ones that will make proceeding easier and quicker.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I also have 4 capable kids. They want stuff all the time they can help do the work. There are 7 of us in the house and 6 are able body and can do 2 hours work a day to get our farm going. So if I don't find an inexpensive butcher the kids better get to plucking.

I thought of the name " Happy Clucking Farm" but hubby did not approve. He said it was inappropriate.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have 5 white leghorn, 5 black sex link and 5 red sex link. They are about a year old and were laying great since last fall. These are the first layers I had. I raised a few batches of jumbo boilers before them. I need a little more body heat in the coop over winter so I was going to add 3 more of each. I was also going to add a second coop with 10-15 jumbo boilers. Then I see the hatchery I trust and love has Sagitta they sound like the perfect dual purpose bird for me. I could keep some for layers and butcher some this fall or do I butcher my old ones when or before they molt? I can only get the Sagitta in a straight run so I was thinking of getting 20 of them. What is appealing is jumbo boilers need different feed and could not stay with my layers. Have my meat birds be replacement chickens just seems way cool. I am struggling to find detailed information on these from anyone first hand on BYC. I did find this description.

Sagitta - From Dunlap Hatchery
Write the First Review!
The Sagitta is a dual purpose bird that is a cross between a Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red and Cornish Cross. They are a heavy, docile breed that will provide large eggs as well as a nice size bird on the table.

I have Sagittas from a hatchery here in Wisconsin.
I have a dozen duel-purpose hybrids that I got last June. I ordered 15 birds and got one "mystery" chick with my order, so I had 16 chicks. At 7 months, I butchered the 4 roosters. which left me with just hens - 3 special blacks, 3 special browns and 6 Sagittas. The Sagittas were the straight run chicks, so 3 of the roos were Sagittas. They got to a good size, the carcass weights ranged from 4.75 pounds to 5.5 pounds dressed out - no necks, no organs. My Sagittas are a docile bird, not really friendly but not mean either. The browns are very friendly, but they are substantially lighter in weight and a little bit smaller bird. The blacks are my peckers, they let me know that I am not feeding fast enough - have to watch them if I don't have gloves on. The Sagittas are out the pop door as soon as it opens in the morning - they come back in for food, but they go out and check the run for food first. I put the scraps out in the run for them - they get lettuce, spinach, old fruit, stale bread, dried out tortillas, freezer burned blueberries, etc. Their favorite treat is French fries! For the last 2 months, I have been getting 10 to 12 eggs per day from my 12 hens. I am very happy with the breed. I can't wait to see how they do when I can let them out in the afternoons for free-ranging.

 

[5Sons Coop]

My special black run the roost too they are the biggest bird. The special brown hold there own. I rarely get pecked but if I do it is from a white leghorn. If a chicken gets out it is white. Customers like brown eggs better (when fresh I don't think the is a difference). So I will not order white leghorns again. I ordered 10 Sagitta and 10 jumbo boilers due in from Sunnyside on April 14 th. I am currently building a chicken tractor to double as a brooder for them. The last ones I brooded in there 6'x8' coop, but with 15 adult birds in there now I need a bigger or second coop. I was asking around for building materials and a customer gave me panels from a walk in cooler. By looking at the stack of panels it appears I can build 8' x12' by 8' tall. I am think about putting a gambrel roof on it with dormers giving me a second story for storage, brooder and someday an area for a mating pair of blue laced red wyandottes when I am ready to start hatching. The wife put her foot down and asked how many birds I thought I needed. So now (depending on space) I am thinking about getting some game birds hehe. Or after I butcher this fall maybe I will put a couple beef in there. She said no more birds nothing about beef, or goats, or sheep, or pigs, or maybe a couple alpaca! With having 5 sons I have lots of table scrapes. Any meat is the favorite then potatoe peels and/or bread.

 

[KlopKlop]

Happy Easter, All! I was up early today making dinner rolls and boiling eggs and I remembered i promised somebody a dough enhancer recipe:

TO be honest, i dont know what soy lecthin in the recipe is, or where to get it. I think the last time i made this I used the gluten, milk powder, pectin, gelatin, and substituted citric acid (from my canning supplies) for the ascorbic acid. I would say that this helped soften up some heavy whole wheat breads that I have made.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Oh my word.. these kids do not need anything else with sugar in it for a week. Daddy thought it would be a good idea to let them have at their Easter baskets. They have been going non stop all day . To the point I thought their tongues were going to fall out from talking too much.

On another note, a sweet lady I know came 12 days ago and got 24 eggs from me. She has them in her incubator for me. Well kind of, I have 2 breeds that we think will make a pretty cool mix so she has first pick of the chicks. But of 24 there are 11 white and 8 brown still going strong. Oh I'm so excited I can hear the chirping. As soon as everyone hatches and I go get them I will post pictures.

 

[Raech]

Ok folks, I have a plant dilema. Last spring I planted flower bulbs(they didnt survive) so I planted onions and garlic side by side(both did great) harvested both and had empty planting spots by the time fall came around. My problem is now I have a plant popping up where I planted the 3 different plants and I dont know what it is. Looks like a green onion at the root area but has leaves like garlic and has a mild garlic onion taste to the green leafy parts. None of the plants went to seed and they are growing exactly where I did the others. Any ideas??