Southern Oregon Wanna Be Farmer Lady

[MayLadybug]

ORChick...I am out in Murphy...just south of Grants Pass. Where in the Umpqua region are you?

Dawn, I am originally from Eugene...born at Sacred Heart and former Nurse at Sacred Heart also. Went to Springfield and Eugene schools growing up.

Would love to hear about "chicken beginnings"..or in other words...how ya all got started with your chickens.

Have a fabulous day.

MayLadybug

 

[ORChick]

That's a pretty area. If we had looked in the area between Murphy and Applegate before coming up here we might have bought there. We're near Roseburg; moved here about 10 years ago from California, after we retired.
I got chickens 4 years ago as it seemed a better alternative to the nervous breakdown I had contemplated after my DH went through 10 months of cancer treatments the year before

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I've been curious about OR since the 80's when 'Packing It In' was filmed. Its one of my families favorite comedies; probably because it is about subjects that interest us. If we didn't have about 100 small farm animals to haul around with us, I'd be interested to use OR as my next hurricane evacuation site, just for the experience.
I know you can't grow all the things I can in south/eastern LA, but there are a few things I can't do because of the extreme heat. In your situation, I'd go with a good dual purpose chicken to start (after making a Coop Knox.....which is bear proof as well as possum, coon, etc) and I'd search out seeds with info on zones....like planting dates and last day of frost, types of soil and sun needs, etc...
20 acres would be nice. I don't have quite that, but even if I'd have about 15 it would be nice if it was square and not a huge rectangle like I have. Kind of hard to do things private, if the landowners right next to you are just 20 feet from what you plan on doing....a lot of vandelism. Got to have eyes in back of your head now.

 

[so lucky]

I love Oregon; it has such diverse topography and weather. My brother lives in Eugene, and it's been way too long since I was there for a visit. We went on a driving "tour" through Oregon and northern Cal. a few years ago, planned out by my SIL. The place I remember most fondly was a little roadside park called "Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside". Which was maybe in the vicinity of the Rogue River valley? It has the highest number of species of wild flowers per square foot of anywhere, I do believe. Paradise for a photographer.

 

[Joel_BC]

Welcome!

... from mountainous southwestern Canada.

 

[MayLadybug]

ORchick....that is one of the reasons I am looking into self sufficiency and raising chickens and goats...so I don't loose my mind. I have always worked one or two jobs and or worked and gone to school and or been working and going to school and raising children. Currently, I am disabled (altho I hope it is not permanenet as I am only JUST 50) and I am getting tired of not having a routine or things to keep me occupied. Gardening and having a few animals would be a constant that would give me more structure as well as hlep keep me moving and hopefully get me physically stronger again. I hope your daughter is doing better. I have a daughter who has some health issues and I worry alot...but am trying to accept those things that I have no control over. There seems to be many these days. But....I can do what I can in my garden and in my home to make it a better world for me and mine...and I think chickens would be a wonderful addition.

solucky....I had my first visit to Rough and Ready wayside last fall, when the river was quite low. Adn then we went again in the late winter and what a difference. It is a wonderful place for wildflowers...and I feel fortunate that we have a number right here on our own property. We are about a 35 mile drive from Rough and REady. I feel blessed to live in Oregon. MOst of my life was in the Willamette Valley....Eugene/Springfield to be exact. I much am preferring the weather and surroundings of the Rogue Valley.

rhoda...WE definately won't be cultivating and working all of the acreage. Maybe 3 acres is what I am thinking. I"d like to try some wine grapes, honey bees, and maybe a small CSA if I am able. I feel blessed to have such beauty around me every day.

Thanks all for the warm welcome. I look forward to sharing more about self sufficiency as time goes by. I am on a learning journey for my wellbeing and I love it.

MayLadybug

 

[Denim Deb]

You'd be amazed at how many of us on here have some type of disability, or 2 or 3. And, doing SS type stuff does keep us sane.

 

[ORChick]

MayLadyBug - Best wishes for your SS journey. And for the health of your daughter. In my case, it was my husband who had the cancer, but all his tests and scans have been good now for more than 4 years. I got rather tired of people asking me, in a worried voice, how I was doing while he was sick ("Oh, you poor dear! How are you holding up?"), so I got in the habit of saying that I'm fine, for the moment, but I have a nervous breakdown planned for the week after he finishes treatment . When the time came I decided that chickens would be more fun.