Everybody Needs Chickens

They are the most important thing on your homestead!

  Growing up on our small farm in upstate New York, We had all sorts of animals, but the most important and valuable creature on the farm was the chicken, without a doubt! Most people think chickens and homesteading, and they think primarily of eggs. Sure, the eggs are useful, but that is hardly all there is to chickens. They are amazing little creatures, that fill MANY rolls on the homestead.

A Food Source

   Properly raised and taken care of, A single chicken lays approximately 200-300 eggs a year. So a small flock of a dozen chickens has the potential for at LEAST 2400-3600 eggs! Thinking about JUST the eggs, That's a LOT of food alone.

  Now lets consider the meat! Out of those that you decide to hatch, some will be roosters. You only really want one rooster. They will fight otherwise. It's just a fact of life. You butcher them, And eat them. The quality of hormone free, chemical free, farm raised chicken, is simply amazing. If all you have ever eaten is store bought chicken, you will be in for a real surprise. The juicy tender meat that farm raised free range chickens offer simply is the best.

Fertilizer 

  This one goes without saying. Chickens poop. A LOT! It is prized as a fertilizer once properly composted. It is VERY hot with nitrogen however, So you NEED to compost it. I cant stress the importance of this step enough. Added FRESH, it will burn the plants.

  Another important fact with chicken manure for fertilizer, is they fully digest all seeds they eat. This means when you use it for fertilizer, your not planting unwanted weeds seeds with it.

Financial

  This one is a no-brainer folks. Sell the eggs, sell the chicks, sell chickens, sell fertilizer, And sell meat! When running a homestead, every penny counts! And any extra source of income helps. A LOT!

So all in all, Think about it folks. Chickens are a great investment. Ill post more later on breeds, raising tips, etc.. So stay in touch!

~John~

My Biggest Challenge

  Today a good friend asked me, What my biggest challenge has been so far with homesteading.That answer is simple.

  I cant begin to tell you how many challenges I face on a daily basis trying to get the hang of this. But without a doubt, the one that continuously plagues me on a daily basis, is time management. There is only so many hours in a day, And you can only delegate just so much. Today I have mowed 4 acres, built 3/4 of a chicken coop, picked sooo many blackberry bushes, replaced a set of stairs, worked on my truck, conversed with 2 separate customers about custom furniture orders, set up a deal with another homesteader concerning some poultry, and worked for about an hour researching solar panels....... And it's Sunday. My EASY day.

  Don't be fooled when you are considering this as a lifestyle choice. A lot of people think it's all about "not having to work a 9 to 5" anymore..... Yeah, It's not 9 to 5.... For me it's 6 am to ...well, as I'm typing this, it's 11:51 PM.... And I still haven't even eaten my dinner yet :) See where I'm going with this?

  Now don't think for a second I'm trying to scare you off from it all, I do this because I LOVE it. The work is rewarding! But never think all homesteaders do is pick some veggies in the garden, and relax all day..... A 9 to 5 gig sounds like a vacation ;)

  So to all of you who are considering it, I say go for it! just be aware what you are signing yourself up for.

Goodnight friends,
~John~

Children On The Homestead

If you have children, You should try to include them in all the facets of homesteading. It's a great opportunity to teach "real world" lessons they wont ever have the chance to learn otherwise.

  Think about how sad it really is. Look back at all your fond childhood memories. Now look at your children. now look at your memories again..... Now look at your children.

  As children, we had fun! We played games! We had all sorts of inappropriate shenanigans. And most importantly we learned from it!

  Our children's generation.... Not so much. Sitting around, glued to video games, Tablets, I-phones/pods/pads/whatever... they are missing their childhood memories!

  I can ask my nephew what he did last summer while he was out of school, And he will reply with a big smile on his face about all the things he built in Minecraft. Or the newest videos hes seen on you tube. Or.... well, that's about it.....

  We, as parents, need to break this cycle. We are raising a generation with no real world skills. They don't know where food comes from, How anythings made, How to fix anything... Or even whats expected of them in a social environment. Sure, They think they have LOTS of friends..... They have a friends list on Facebook, that counts, right? Sad when you really think about it, isn't it?

  Our children are our greatest creations. Our future. Our hopes and dreams personified. Quit wasting their childhoods. They deserve better.

~John~

  I feel truly blessed on this property. The previous owners had a rather large garden, as well as MANY rows of blackberry plants already established. Several varieties of grapes, a handful of very well producing peach trees, fig trees, persimmon trees, loquat trees, etc...

  It really is perfect. Not to mention it already has gated fenced pastures with many outbuildings present. 





 Is it "perfect" for the "perfect" "100% self sufficient" homestead? Of course not. But then
what is? That's the question on all of our minds, Isn't it?
But it IS perfect for me and my family. And really THAT is all that matters. Everything else can come later. While being 100% self sufficient would be awesome, I'm shooting for a more realistic goal. Just to be able to produce SOME of what we need to survive. ;)