Our patch of earth

[Britesea]

If you get chickens, do your homework; some breeds are better at foraging than others. My flock of 20 Speckled Sussex only require about 1 scoop of food a week- they get the rest of their food by free ranging our fenced half acre. Our LGD keeps most of the predators away during the day, and they are locked into the coop at night.

 

[Britesea]

@baymule I've been pretty happy with my Speckled Sussex. They are amazing foragers, as I said, and I get a pretty good lay from them, even in the winter without extra lights. They took a little longer to ramp up to full production though, but this is their third year and they are still going strong. I've also noticed that the eggs have a strong membrane, so they hardly ever accidentally break an egg like I get with my Leghorns (I have no idea whether that would make it more difficult for a chick to hatch). They are a dual purpose breed, so the carcass is similar to what you get from a Barred Rock or a Rhode Island Red, and the skin is a nice appetizing white color. They are supposed to be good mothers, but I haven't had one go broody for me yet. I also like their calm temperament; the roosters are pretty docile also (the dog likes to play with them, which is hilarious to watch). This was the preferred chicken of most english farms for a long time.

@baymule is right @Reice , threads can veer off topic as we solve the world's problems and talk about "Food, Glorious Food"

 

[baymule]

Talk to us BEFORE you get chickens. We will guide you through building a predator proof coop to keep out snakes, raccoons, hawks and other predators. EVERYTHING wants a chicken dinner. You don't want the excitement of having chickens turning to sadness because some varmit just tore into the coop and killed your hens.

Glad there was no damage. What a relief!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

And finally: Cattle panels are among my best homesteading friends! They are indestructible. Last for ever. Can be used for:

Trellising, making coops, chicken tractors, storage buildings, green houses, temporary pens for various animals... Their use is only limited by your imagination.

 

[Britesea]

We downsized 15 years ago- from 1500 to about 820. The hardest part was giving up some of our books. I took books to the library and every used book store in the area until they all told me to stop, lol. And we STILL have too many books. We finally hit on a procedure that is helping- first I go through a box and pull out only the ones I can't live without, then DH does the same with the box, then DS finishes it. We've all learned to be really hard-nosed about what we can give up... a lot can be borrowed from the library. But some are just old friends, some are excellent references. We are down to about 1 book case left to go through, and only 1/2 a shelf left available in the house. I hope we can manage it.

 

[Marianne]

We want to finish this house before we put it on the market. We're making progress, rather HE is making progress along with our son who is here just half of the time now that he has a girlfriend. So, like I said, we're shooting for next spring.
I agree with all the gardening tips and I was thinking that some bantams in a cute little coop and run would help me with my chicken fix....but...
Bottom line is that DH is the one that's having to clean the coop, the goat shed, etc. I know DH was thankful when that last hen died. Our daughter took our 4 goats and we had already given away our ducks and guineas. We still have a few barn cats that we feed on the porches, so I generally take care of that.

Our last house was built in the 1920's. We tore out plaster, lath, added on, redid the kitchen, bathroom, everything. We've also helped friends and our daughter tear out and rebuild houses. Neither one of us wants to get into that again. There are lots for sale there, but you have to choose one of the 4 house plans they offer and they build it. The restrictions are ridiculous for such a small town.

On the other hand, maybe the perfect little house for us will pop up on the market when we have a contract on our existing house, right?

Oh for Pete's sake.. sorry for the thread hijack.

 

[Mini Horses]

People have lived "without" for generations....and lived to tell about it! My grandmother did laundry by hand, with a tub & washboard. Water heated on a wood stove. Wash whites first, then light colors, then darks. Wring out, then hang on line. We even have plans for making a hand operated washing machine with 5 gal buckets, etc. on here somewhere. And a bucket in a bucket squeeze water out set up.

Lamp oil isn't terribly expensive. Lamps can be found in 2nd hand stores, etc. Some cheap solar lights work, too. Ice in a cooler for frig. Cook outside on camp stove or open fire. Solar oven? You won't have to paint those gal jugs of water. That sun will heat it fine! Heck, I just dumped some five gallon buckets of water that was too hot in just a few hours!! Some yellow, blue, red, etc...for animal watering. I have large troughs that stay cooler but, can vouch for the smaller/hotter in sun!

It can all be done! Camp out for a few weeks or months. May not be perfect but, it will work. You will survive. Make it a "fun" experience. A challenge.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

At least you are camping during the summer months. When hubby and I were "roughing it" we started in January. Yes, it CAN be done, and kudos to you for moving forward with your plan instead of whining about it. However, I caution you... Hubby needs to be extremely cautious about doing that hard labor with this oppressive summer heat. Have him do that tough stuff very early in the morning, and in the evening when the air is cooler. Be sure he stays well hydrated, and he may need some electrolyte solution to keep him stable.

 

[Mini Horses]

Bet that "shower experience" was a sight.....hope it wan't winter! LMAO

I had it a touch better when I built this house...living in an 8X14 camper. Had electric from the temp power pole, a porta pot on site, no running water as well not in yet, so hauled in 50 gal water tank. Had little electric stove & heat, a tiny tub...so I heated water and took 4 gal jugs of warm water in there....wet, wash, rinse. Gray water line to ground. LOL. Better believe when well was in I was glad. And electric in the house, so AC ran in summer, even tho not completed inside & no occupancy permit... The dog & I were thrilled with a cot on the floor, being cool. I did a LOT of the interior myself, took a while but I was all good. You adapt.

 

[Reice]

How is everyone doing? We're still kicking here.

Having a hard time finding seeds/plants. To be expected with what's going on. This was going to be our first year trying it for real when this stuff hit. Wish I had a few years to get it going good and have some seeds saved up, but it is what it is. So far we have onions, potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, and watermelon. Will probably just try saving seeds from stuff we still buy and throw it in the ground and see what it does.

Still waiting on unemployment, think this is week 5. Is okay, the stimulus did come through. Helps things stretch when you already had expenses cut to the bone. Actually, it was enough the hubby has been able to buy some things to work on the house. So it's all good.

Been hanging out in my she-shed quite a bit. It's really been my haven. My aunt surprised me with a tiny retro looking mini fridge which is awesome! It didn't have one. Cold drinks, AC, wifi, loving shih tzu.. what more could ya want? lol

The weathers been warming up quite a bit. We've really been testing out the cooling without AC in the house, as we don't have any AC installed yet. On warm days we let the cool air in the mornings come through, then trap it in when the sun starts warming up, lots of fans. One day it went up to 95 outside. The inside was on the warm side, but tolerable. Shorts and tank top, cold drinks, cool washrag if needed, lots of fans. This Friday is slated to reach 104 though, so we'll see how fast hubby gets those window units in by Friday, haha. Otherwise, it'll be she-shed to the rescue!!

Hope everyone is staying safe an remembering to smile often!