Ken with chickens, bees, and a couple of sheep

Date sort Score sort
G

Gamecock Apiaries

In the Brooder
Oct 9, 2017
9
30
34
Hi,
My wife and I purchased a 110 acre farm at auction in 2012. We started completely reworking the old 1910 farm house. People thought we were crazy for trying to make something out of a dump. But thanks to our one man contractor he turned it into a beautiful home.

My wife doesn't have any desire to work a farm though we purchased the place because she wanted to live on a farm. We sold part of the farm and are at 66 acres. I started out in 2014 with some chickens that I purchased at flea markets that were laying or ready to lay.

I purchased 2 ram hair sheep this August and hope to purchase some ewes by the end of the year. I have been a beekeeper since 2008 which is when I retired.

Last year I lost over 40 chickens (hens/pullets/chicks) because of predators after my Great Pyrenees disappeared. We purchased another one in Dec 2016 as a pup and have only had 1 killed so far. (Just 2 weeks ago.) I was hoping to sell eggs for a little extra income but it has been nothing but a black hole between my losses last year, the hens not laying this year and the majority of my eggs coming in before the farmers' market opens in June. So basically I donate most of my eggs to a homeless shelter and get a tax deduction.
 
Gamecock Apiaries said:
Hi,
My wife and I purchased a 110 acre farm at auction in 2012. We started completely reworking the old 1910 farm house. People thought we were crazy for trying to make something out of a dump. But thanks to our one man contractor he turned it into a beautiful home.

My wife doesn't have any desire to work a farm though we purchased the place because she wanted to live on a farm. We sold part of the farm and are at 66 acres. I started out in 2014 with some chickens that I purchased at flea markets that were laying or ready to lay.

I purchased 2 ram hair sheep this August and hope to purchase some ewes by the end of the year. I have been a beekeeper since 2008 which is when I retired.

Last year I lost over 40 chickens (hens/pullets/chicks) because of predators after my Great Pyrenees disappeared. We purchased another one in Dec 2016 as a pup and have only had 1 killed so far. (Just 2 weeks ago.) I was hoping to sell eggs for a little extra income but it has been nothing but a black hole between my losses last year, the hens not laying this year and the majority of my eggs coming in before the farmers' market opens in June. So basically I donate most of my eggs to a homeless shelter and get a tax deduction.
Click to expand...
I have a question. Do you have to train your GP to stay with your flock or is it an instinctual kind of thing ?
 
ronott1 said:
you are living the Dream!

Have you gotten into hatching yet?
Click to expand...
Somewhere in between. Bees are not a hobby as at the moment I have 49 hives. I got a 90% first farmer grant from the state of TN which allowed me to cross fence the property, drill a well, install a pump (hook it up to my breaker), run over 1/2 mile of water line, install 3 water hydrants, install a 4-hole water fountain, and 2 100 gallon water stations. I must raise some kind of livestock. I have chosen hair sheep. I am taking my time with the sheep as I got in over my head with the grant so early in the ownership of the farm. The chickens are probably a hobby to a certain degree but my intentions were to make a profit.
 
:welcome

Thanks for joining us, what an interesting intro. Sorry to hear about your 1st dog disappearing, hope your new one works out well for you and the poultry losses will be much less. In addition to the chickens and sheep, do you plan to add other birds to your farm (like ducks, geese, etc.)?

Best of luck with all your projects, it's nice to have you here!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom