Hello everyone! I posted last year about my endeavors to do some backyard chicken farming in Utah. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, since we just moved), my city didn't allow livestock on properties not already designated as "livestock okay". Last week, I moved to my mother-in-law's farm and I'm jumping with excitement! We've got three one-acre horse paddocks, a barn for horses with an existing chicken coop, a pond for fishing and great growing conditions! I've got a bunch of aspirations, but I imagine we'll take it one step at a time! Eventually, I'd like to do the following (probably in this order):
Chickens in the Spring (for meat and for eggs - have a lot of learning to do!)
Milk goat and/or cow (milk is crazy expensive here compared to Utah!)
Horses (two probably, I'd like my kids to learn to ride - and me, of course!)
Alpaca - I'm a knitter and would love to learn to prepare and spin fiber for yarn!
Anyway, that's probably it, and we may only get to the chicken's this year. We're also considering meat rabbits, but my husband saw some, and he thinks he couldn't eat something so cute and fuzzy. I told him to get over it! LOL I've never slaughtered anything myself and plan to contact local poultry farmers to see if they'll show me the ropes. I don't want to hurt and animal unnecessarily while slaughtering it - my goal is to get away from factory farmed meat entirely and in the meantime, I'm seeking out local farms to buy beef and pork from.
So, I'll be picking your brains as I go, and I look forward to meeting you all and gabbing it up here!
Eileen
First Time on a Farm!
Welcome mevnmart!Ask away
Welcome!! Plenty of us here have been doing the exact same things...
Welcome! You have come to the right place. There are lots of people here doing all those things.
I've got three boys, so we go through a LOT of milk. Plus, I want to try my hand at making my own cheese and yogurt. I'm cool with the every 12 hours thing. In fact, it's part of my motivation to have animals. Animals don't care if you're feeling lazy - it's like forced activity and Lord knows I need it! I'm thinking the cow might work better than the goats because we don't have anything in place to keep goats corralled - the horse paddocks would probably work for a cow though! Thanks for the welcome guys!
I would get some fresh cows milk and see if the boys like it.My 40 year old daughter still talks about me making them drink fresh cows milk,she tells everyone that I even tried to disguise it in store bought milk jugs, said she hated it but that was all there was to put on her cereal.She said it was blue looking and all the cream went to the top and it was disgusting said it tasted like the barn smelled..Me I loved it,would love to have fresh milk to drink everyday but is to much trouble having a cow now and I never did learn how to milk even though I really tried hard.I`ll just stick with my chickens and the fresh eggs.
how wonderful. I wish you much luck and hope all your dreams come true
Welcome and enjoy your adventure... I would like to get a cow someday, but I am afraid Billy trying to rope it all the time would make the poor thing not produce milk. I love fresh milk..
Horses are wonderful, I suggest you get an older gentle one to learn to ride, and really are worth the company. I would not be happy if I did not have them, sometimes in the spring and summer, I have my coffee with them while they are eating, there is a permanent chair out by the pens just for that. I love to watch them run and play and well the view from between their ears is spectacular. I have found that animals are a good way to teach kids responsibility...
Billy is now bothering me to get a Marshmallow, like Miss Claire has so he can ride it. I tried to explain that Miss Claire uses her's for wool, but in his mind, she should ride it... LOL (I tried to explain Claire, but he was insistent that you need to mutton bust)
I would like a picture of that !!!! LOL
Marshmallow might need a course of steroids to prepare for the contest.
I would be afraid to take BIlly visiting on Claires farm, she would so string him up to dry. He would be asking to ride all her critters, and when she would say no, he would ask her why.. I could hear it now, he would say, it dont hurt when I hold on, just when I fall off... LOLOL...
o my....