Mutually supportive/self reliant homesteading

[sumi]

I'm after finding ways to plan a homestead to ensure that the gardens, animals etc directly, or indirectly support each other.

For example, animals and gardens. What animals are best to keep as "companions" to gardens to ensure maximum benefit to both?

If I keep a flock of hens, their eggs will feed me, any surplus can be sold or used as pig feed. What are the best crops to grow to feed them, to cut back on feed costs?

Pigs is an animal I am very keen on keeping again. Not least because of their waste disposal qualities, they will eat just about anything! Pigs I know are also very good for clearing land/veggie patches. As are chickens to some extend. Pigs can be fed extra eggs (from the hens), extra milk (from a dairy animal) and of course extra veggies.

Goats? Goat milk is wonderful and any excess can go to the pigs' feed. But what can I do in return on the homestead to benefit the goat(s)?

I hope my ramble makes sense!

 

[Mini Horses]

Goats will eat a lot of things you may not think about. Many "weeds", grass, bread, pumpkins, carrots, beets, greens.....they can be tied out to take care of "areas" that are not fenced. Any wooded areas, they will clear it! But, will also kill young trees so watch out for any you want spared.....esp fruit trees!

Pumpkins take a while to mature but, store well for a long time. The seeds are good for all the animals you listed and flesh will be eaten, also. Mangel beets get huge! store well and have been used for feed in Europe for centuries. My pigs like potatoes & melons, actually most fruits! Almost ANY veg. We all know how prolific summer squash is! Just have to watch proteins for animals to be sure they get enough.

Some grains can be grow in a short time. Milo is easy to harvest by hand and since there is a large "pod" of seed, it can be thrashed into a trash can by hand. Leaf portion looks like corn growing with less stalk -- forage!! For space I will plant corn, with pole beans to climb them, pumpkins under all, to spread & shade weeds..."three sisters" planting. Will eat some fresh corn & freeze some, balance will dry on stalks to feed animals. Beans growing there, same. Some types fresh, others for dry for winter soups.

I'm working at just what you are saying -- grow more feed, utilize excess to feed another. My pigs are currently pre-tilling my Spring garden. I have a pull-type tiller but, these guys are eating the roots of the grass, VERY helpful. I will till it to level out their shallow hills/holes. Goats will begin kidding in 10-15 days. Soon will begin to milk -- 3 this month, 2 next & one was just bred, so mid June kids. Works to give me milk all year by staggering kiddings. My AGHs are 2 male/2 female. In about 2 mos, one male will be put with the girls -- for Summer piglets --- 2nd male, alas, freezer camp in June. Will sell weaned piglets, keeping 2 for freezer. And so it goes.

I sell eggs, goat milk soaps, occasional goat milk, piglets, weaned kids, trained milkers. It helps with the feed bills -- sold three 6 mo wethers yesterday. Will sell excess veggies, & stemmed flowers at farmers markets this year. I'm fortunate that I can do this!!! Besides supplying my own needs (meat, veggies, eggs, milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, soap) I would like to support my feed bills. For me, that's doable. Since I have 15 Ac, I can pasture and use that for 3/4 of the year, supplementing milking does all year. Hay & xtra feeds in winter as pasture is sparse.

I LOVE my farm life.

 

[Denim Deb]

Just a word of caution w/goats. If you have any yews, don't feed the clippings to the goats. I read of someone who did that and had a bunch, if not all of their goats die. I'm not sure w/out checking, but I think that yew is poisonous to all animals.

 

[Britesea]

Dangerous for humans too-- yew was the traditional wood for bows and arrows, lol

 

[sumi]

Thanks for the head's up, @Denim Deb. I did not know that.

 

[Denim Deb]

I'm wondering if we should start a forum, or at least a thread on poisonous plants.

 

[baymule]

We moved in February 2015 to 8 acres. We are still in infrastructure building mode, but can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are building a 36'x36' barn, the guys aren't working today because it is cold and drizzly, but will be here tomorrow to put up rafters. I can't wait to have a ROOF!

I found a good deal on 4 bred Dorper/Katahdin ewes and we bought them. We had a small pasture fenced, but no shelter. We quickly put up a small wire enclosure to put them up at night, followed by a 8'x8' temporary shelter. We are starting on a permanent lean-to off the side of the portable building for them. 2 of the ewes gifted me with twins Jan 4, on the same night!

We are feeding out 3 pigs, have a butcher date of March 13. They are in the garden spot, rooting and pooping. The garden spot is covered with pine shavings from a horse event center.

I have 6 pullets, laying, and 4 old hens that manage to lay 1 or 2 eggs a day between them. 2 I will keep as pets, 2 will hit the stew pot. I will order more chicks in the spring and will be able to keep a ROOSTER! YAY!!

I also want to raise food for my animals to try to get away from bought feed. I plan on a big garden, the overflow to go to the animals, plus winter squash and mangel beets. We'll see how that goes. I have very little pasture and am working to plant seed and improve what I do have. I have plans to plant fruit trees both for us and for the animals, but they will take several years to bear. It is all a work in motion!

 

[sumi]

I'm wondering if we should start a forum, or at least a thread on poisonous plants.

Good idea!

 

[Beekissed]

Sumi, have you seen that Back to Eden film? A symbiotic thing going on there between the chickens and the garden, with no need for the animals to be plowing up the land for garden prep at all, but lending their composted manure to the garden while eating the excess of the food produced.

I use chickens here in much that way, though I don't pen the chickens...I pen the garden instead and have started the BTE method. The chickens work as insect control, while producing more compost in the coop in the composting DL. They are also fed all garden and kitchen scraps there~meat scraps go to the dogs~and the scraps not eaten get buried under the DL, there to compost and return to the garden.

Hair sheep work well with chickens and a garden, as long as the garden is fenced. The sheep and chickens improve the pasture, as does the runoff from the wood chip layer in the garden, and all feed from one another. Katahdins are just milky enough to provide milk for cheese and drinking if one is so inclined.

 

[sumi]

Beekissed, no I haven't but I heard of it. I'll check it out.