Homesteaders

[boskelli1571]

Sounds like you are doing well with your savings - hope you get what you want!! Perhaps you could start a non-profit bunny rescue place..... They would love the 4 car garage -

 

[RTFchickens]

Raech
You can buy my house, but you would have to move out of state...
Meets and exceeds all of your wish list. Well, only 2 stall garage, but if you would like to change states, let me know ;-)

 

[trsturself]

I don't remember if I posted here or not... we finally got our land! We moved into our new house a couple of weeks ago. It's on 5 acres. There is a front and back pasture of roughly 2 acres each, except it's not really pasture anymore because the people before us overgrazed it and now it's all weeds and cacti. The chickens were able to be moved right in to a nice big covered run and coop.
Last week we picked up 2 nigerian dwarf goats to help with keeping the weeds manageable in our fenced off area. Eventually we have plans to milk the one girl. We also have plans for a cow and some horses after we get the fence fixed in a few areas. The whole back part is falling down and needs new poles and wire. That's the next project.
The only downside is I don't have a garden this year. I do miss my 7 garden boxes with good soil from the last house. This house has sandy loam that is hard as rock. I at least got grapes, blueberry, strawberries, and raspberry bushes planted. I also got 1 cucumber plant and 5 tomatoes in the ground but I don't think we'll see any fruit on either, they are too small for this late in the season. Oh well, had to try!

Going to start figuring out what to do for a garden for next year. It's going to take a lot of work!

 

[RichnSteph]

I don't remember if I posted here or not... we finally got our land! We moved into our new house a couple of weeks ago. It's on 5 acres. There is a front and back pasture of roughly 2 acres each, except it's not really pasture anymore because the people before us overgrazed it and now it's all weeds and cacti. The chickens were able to be moved right in to a nice big covered run and coop.
Last week we picked up 2 nigerian dwarf goats to help with keeping the weeds manageable in our fenced off area. Eventually we have plans to milk the one girl. We also have plans for a cow and some horses after we get the fence fixed in a few areas. The whole back part is falling down and needs new poles and wire. That's the next project.
The only downside is I don't have a garden this year. I do miss my 7 garden boxes with good soil from the last house. This house has sandy loam that is hard as rock. I at least got grapes, blueberry, strawberries, and raspberry bushes planted. I also got 1 cucumber plant and 5 tomatoes in the ground but I don't think we'll see any fruit on either, they are too small for this late in the season. Oh well, had to try!

Going to start figuring out what to do for a garden for next year. It's going to take a lot of work!

Congrats!!! Since you have bad soil at the new house and aren't going to be working on a garden you should start a couple of compost bins. That's what we are doing since we waited to long to start a garden.

You are going to LOVE having 5 acres to mess with.

 

[trsturself]

Congrats!!! Since you have bad soil at the new house and aren't going to be working on a garden you should start a couple of compost bins. That's what we are doing since we waited to long to start a garden.

You are going to LOVE having 5 acres to mess with.

I have tried compost and actually have a container in the kitchen but don't do very well with them since the animals get most of our scraps. Even yard clippings won't do because we don't mow that often (too dry here and we don't have sprinklers to keep a nice green lawn going) and I don't have enough brown to balance it out when we do. We only have 1 tree that isn't pine so not many leaves to save in the fall. I think my plan will be to offer to take some aged manure off the neighbors hands and till that into my garden area. First step is to figure out if I'm going to plant in the ground or do raised boxes again.

 

[Raech]

Sounds like you are doing well with your savings - hope you get what you want!! Perhaps you could start a non-profit bunny rescue place..... They would love the 4 car garage -

Hubby would kill me if I even mentioned putting a bunny any where near the garage, my car isn't even allowed in there if there isn't a complete wall to keep "the kids' dust off his baby."

I finally caved and have decided to not have a portable bunny hut, so I will be putting it on the edge of the yard, possibly with 2 runs off of either side, so it doesn't kill the area in the run. And that way I can have an easier time cleaning it. Hoping that a tub will be pretty easy to just pull out and clean instead of having wire with a tray under it. Too much time on my hands for me to be planning all of this. I need to get over to my Grandpa's and get more boards off the Chicken House, maybe I can start getting the wood set aside for the hut while I am at it, after I get my 10 boxes made, and the flower box out of a pedestal table I found.

"Hi ho, hi ho...it's off to the heat I go, with wasps and bees and lots of things to get my tetnis shot."

 

[trsturself]

Hubby would kill me if I even mentioned putting a bunny any where near the garage, my car isn't even allowed in there if there isn't a complete wall to keep "the kids' dust off his baby."

I finally caved and have decided to not have a portable bunny hut, so I will be putting it on the edge of the yard, possibly with 2 runs off of either side, so it doesn't kill the area in the run. And that way I can have an easier time cleaning it. Hoping that a tub will be pretty easy to just pull out and clean instead of having wire with a tray under it. Too much time on my hands for me to be planning all of this. I need to get over to my Grandpa's and get more boards off the Chicken House, maybe I can start getting the wood set aside for the hut while I am at it, after I get my 10 boxes made, and the flower box out of a pedestal table I found.

"Hi ho, hi ho...it's off to the heat I go, with wasps and bees and lots of things to get my tetnis shot."

Our rabbit lives with the chickens. When we had a smaller coop and run she thought she was chicken. It's adorable. Now that we have a bigger area though she keeps to herself more. We have a wild rabbit family living under our barn. She has been spending a lot of time under there lately. Maybe she's figured out she's a bunny. lol

Here she is in the nest box being broody with her best friend.



and here she is on the roost with her best friend getting ready for bed


The new coop has the boards short side up so she doesn't fit anymore. Eventually I plan to fix that so she can sleep with her best friend again.

 

[boskelli1571]

I have tried compost and actually have a container in the kitchen but don't do very well with them since the animals get most of our scraps. Even yard clippings won't do because we don't mow that often (too dry here and we don't have sprinklers to keep a nice green lawn going) and I don't have enough brown to balance it out when we do. We only have 1 tree that isn't pine so not many leaves to save in the fall. I think my plan will be to offer to take some aged manure off the neighbors hands and till that into my garden area. First step is to figure out if I'm going to plant in the ground or do raised boxes again.

Ask around the town. Oftentimes people are happy to give you grass, pine needles etc. maybe even the town maintenance people...congrats on the new house & land!

 

[rancher hicks]

Yes - I would pick them. You can freeze them or make gooseberry jam (delicious!). About how many pints do you have?? My currants (all 3 the bunnies left) arn't quite ripe yet, but when they are I will pick them.

I'm not sure I have enough for any recipe and have I mentioned I have some in the freezer already? I think I will pick them just the same.

 

[rancher hicks]

Our rabbit lives with the chickens. When we had a smaller coop and run she thought she was chicken. It's adorable. Now that we have a bigger area though she keeps to herself more. We have a wild rabbit family living under our barn. She has been spending a lot of time under there lately. Maybe she's figured out she's a bunny. lol

Here she is in the nest box being broody with her best friend.



and here she is on the roost with her best friend getting ready for bed


The new coop has the boards short side up so she doesn't fit anymore. Eventually I plan to fix that so she can sleep with her best friend again.

That is so sweet. I've not gotten rabbits yet.