How much land should I be looking for?

[matt14132]

Hello everyone,

I have become very interested in becoming a home owner over the last few weeks.

I want land. I want a lot of it. I realistically probably wont be able to afford or find a house with more than like 2 acres, they exist, but they are few and far between.

I would love to have a peacock some day and would like to have a few geese (and sheep). With the amount of space I have right now and the size of my coop make it impossible for me to add any other birds to my flock at the moment.

The .2 acres that I am working with now wont cut it anymore.

Honestly, I care more about the space for livestock than I do anything else.

Just curious as to how many birds you all might keep on a given amount of land? Or what seems to be working well for you right now?

Very interested to hear from everyone!

 

[Pork Pie]

This link may help
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

As the link suggests, space requirements differ with climate, management style etc.

 

[aart]

How much land should I be looking for?

Buy as much as you can afford, then adjust your livestock numbers to what will fit the land and what you can afford to feed and build housing/containment for.

How much land should I be looking for?
I realistically probably wont be able to afford or find a house with more than like 2 acres, they exist, but they are few and far between.

There are plenty of them, whether you can afford them or they are in a place you can or want to live is another matter. Gonna take more than a few weeks to find one that suits tho.

 

[chickens really]

Here in Alberta. Each county has limits to how many animal units you can have.. I have 7 acres and my allowance of Birds is 15..I'm a bit over by two.
Contact your local county office for information.

 

[Folly's place]

I live almost an hour away from work, so we can have a small farm. About fifty acres, and a less than perfect house, that we could afford because it's NOT in an expensive area.
Also, it's zoned agricultural, so critters are okay.
Look for land first, learn about zoning, school district if you have little kids, and then see what's out there. Having a 'dream house' was pretty low on our list, but didn't want a house from hell either.
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

Here in Alberta. Each county has limits to how many animal units you can have.. I have 7 acres and my allowance of Birds is 15..I'm a bit over by two.
Contact your local county office for information.

Definitely look into the zoning code for areas you're interested in, before you start the house search. There's so much variance between each town, each county, each state. Like I'm amazed that someone on 7 acres would be restricted to fewer than 15 chickens.

I'm on a little over 4 acres. According to my zoning I can have thousands of chickens, but only 3 cats. It doesn't always make sense!

 

[Folly's place]

Logic often seems to have nothing to do with it! There are so many threads and sad stories here about people moving to areas where they can't have chickens, or roosters, or whatever. Or people trying to hide such animals from the neighbors.
Find a place to live without such hassles! There will still be plenty to deal with and worry about instead.
Mary

 

[AllenK RGV]

I have been following this thread today and am finally going to comment. I have just purchased my first homestead within the last year. My primary criterion was to not have a HOA or be within any city limits. There is a 30 acre ranch behind my property that is now up for sale that if it still hasn't sold in the next 6 months I might offer to try and buy some of their acreage if they are willing so I can add donkeys and goats to the property. 1 Acre doesn't meet my long term goals so this might not be my final homestead but there are options yet with this current property.

Fortunately land here sells for 4-5 per acre so it wont be anything that will break the bank and it would be a contiguous property if the current owners are interested in such an offer.

We can always dream!

 

[Folly's place]

Avoid being within any city limits whenever possible. Taxes will be higher, and zoning more difficult. Pick a few areas that look possible, and concentrate on looking there, and spend the time it takes.
Get inspections done, and beware of red flags like buried oil tanks (leaking!), for example.
Mary

 

[AllenK RGV]

Avoid being within any city limits whenever possible. Taxes will be higher, and zoning more difficult. Pick a few areas that look possible, and concentrate on looking there, and spend the time it takes.
Get inspections done, and beware of red flags like buried oil tanks (leaking!), for example.
Mary

Also mineral rights! Ensure you get a slice if you live within any type of fracking region. That or plan on strategically placing permanent structures on your property to prevent it.

--------edit----------
In many cases if you aren't a stakeholder you do not get a say in drilling operations. In my state you control 100% of the surface rights but if you fail to negotiate mineral rights those stakeholders are allowed to drill anywhere on your property that isn't within 300 yards of a permanent structure if my memory serves me correctly.