Mini Farm

[JoJo 95]

Ok. I have a 1.2 acre yard. Not very big but I want to see what I can do with it. It is wooded, has a small canal that used to flow through it. If I clean the stream it will continue to flow. I want to raise pigeons, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, goats, and fish. I also plan on buying two dogs that will free roam the area. How should I go about doing this

 

[NancyP]

Hi, check out a book called "The Backyard Homestead" you will be amazed at how much your land can produce. Enjoy and best of luck to you.
Nancy

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Well .... you can order chickens from a hatchery. Dogs well there are tons of dogs out there. pigeons ... don't know about them!
Ducks, and turkeys can both be ordered threw a hatchery. pigs dunno about them. Fish just about every pet store has fish! Good Luck!

 

[88Haywood88]

Well, I have 6 pygmy goats, four geese, and have had as many as 30 free rang chickens on LESS than what your yard is. If you get goats, go with a mini breed like pygmys or nigerian dwarfs... they eat less and require less space. you could free range the ducks, chickens and turkeys, but keep them in separate coops at night. I don't know anything about pigs, or how to raise fish for eating. There are two good books i know of. One is called "barnyard in your backyard" and the other is called "five acres" both will give you advice on all but the fish. Hope this helps.

I have raised pigeons... easy to raise. I kept mine in a 6x6x12 chain link dog kennel with a roof. it acted as an aviary. if you want more advice on pigeons, PM me. I'm no expert, but i have done it.

 

[BarredBuff]

I agree "The Backyard Homestead" is where you should start. It covers the basics on growing veggies, fruit, grain, chickens for meat and eggs, turkeys, ducks, hogs, and goats. I read it often trying to find new ideas. Then after you decide that you want all of these animals Storey has guides on all of the animals you listed except fish and pigeons. Are you gonna garden any or this animal production only?

 

[Goose and Fig]

Do you read Mother Earth News?
Every issue is packed with ideas for homesteading. We have lots of acreage, but only use about 2 acres because of the woods & mountain terrian- so it can be done. Just be prepared to invest in lots of fencing/ welded wire to keep the critters out of your food and you can all co-exist very happily

 

[Bluemoon420]

It can be done with 1 acre no problem. It will just take some planning.

Like some other folks said, Mother Earth News, and The Backyard Homestead are places to start. Once you have a system down everything else will fall into place. Happy Homesteading.

Bluemoon

 

[The Chicken Lady]

You also need to check zoning regulations for where you live. Are you zoned AGR (agricultural)? You may need to register with your local township to raise certain animals. Where we live, we have enough land to have 40 chickens, but we can't raise larger livestock, such as goats. We live on 1.5 acres and are zoned agricultural/rural residential.

 

[JoJo 95]

I'm pretty much allowed to raise any domestic livestock that doesn't require a exotic or native species license. I have already read barnyard in your backyard. I go on the mother earth news website often. I don't garden much. It's mainly just for animal production. Nice to know this can be done

 

[JoJo 95]