Hello! I just wanted to introduce myself as a work-in-progress semi-homesteader / prepper living in the desert southwest. I started reading this thread from the very beginning, but finally jumped to page 115 after reading the first 25 pages, so please forgive me if I ask questions about things already discussed long ago.
Anyway, we live on 5 acres of land previously used as a rock quarry, so the soil is more rock than dirt, and the dirt isn't suitable for growing much of anything other than the hardiest of native desert plants...especially nutgrass, which I detest. I've spent the past couple of years reading, researching and experimenting with methods to make our home more self-sustaining and I'm finally beginning to make some progress by focusing my efforts almost exclusively of my approximately 1/3 - 1/2 acre back yard. I started last year by trying to turn my brown thumb green by planting in both raised beds in the form of watering troughs, and straw bales, which worked surprisingly well. I discovered, however, that I MUST invest in some sort of greenhouse covering to protect my garden from the scorching summer heat, as much of my hard work turned brown and died this past summer. Like I said....work-in-progress. Right now I'm growing cover crops of beets, carrots, three kinds of kale, cabbage, spinach, swiss chard and clover in my raised beds. I'm starting my indoor seedlings now and preparing to acquire more straw bales to season for my winter/spring harvest while I work on a greenhouse design.
This year I've added chickens to the mix, and plan to use them not only for eggs and meat, but also to help me nourish the soil and return it to a bioactive state conducive to planting. Last years straw bales are now being composted by the chickens, and I hope that in the next couple years I may be able to grow fruit shrubs and maybe even some fruit trees...none of which have been able to survive my soil and sun so far. Many of my garden clippings are currently going to my chickens to help supplement their diet. And while I don't know of any other homesteaders in my area, everyone I've told about my chickens has already begun offering to buy eggs from me. (They all know I'm a food snob, and my chickens are 100% organic, no soy, no corn, no canola.)
I have ten chickens right now, my first flock, comprised of 4 Australorps (all pullets), 3 Barred Rocks (2 pullets and one cockerel) and 3 Silkies (2 cockerels and 1 pullet). These are my eggs layers an pets, not meat birds, and even though my BRs are hatchery stock, I plan to breed them this next year to aid me in understanding a bit more of the genetic material I've studied in my poultry husbandry reading. I'll also be acquiring some meat birds in the very near future, as my hubby allowed me to purchase an incubator as my Xmas present, and I'll be ordering hatching eggs in the coming days. Right now I'm favoring the Naked Neck Turken for meat, as it's a very hardy bird that typically acclimates well to this desert environment. I'm very excited about hatching them! And I look forward to being able to breed them and have some broody hens to take over the incubation process.
I should also add that I'm a total nerd. I read and study almost obsessively, preferring actual books to digital...which may help explain why my intro is so long and wordy.
