Search Bar
Billy Joe's Food Farm - ᵀʰᵉʳᵉ ᶦˢ ᶠʳᵉᵉᵈᵒᵐ ᶦᶰ ᵃ ˢᵉᵉᵈ⋅™
  • Food Farm Blog
  • Kid's Blog
  • Home
  • FOR SALE
  • Our Animals
  • Photos From Around the Farm
  • Resources and Websites
  • French Lop Rabbits
    • Rabbits For Sale >
      • Bucks
      • Does
    • Raising Kits: Birth to Weanlings
  • Pet Page
    • Up For Adoption
  • Goats
    • For Sale

Lessons That I Have Learned

4/23/2013

4 Comments

 
After almost three years of living this homesteading lifestyle, I have learned a valuable lesson;  start small, and dream big.

I have a very bad habit of aquiring animals that I think suit our purposes, before I have their buildings/stalls/fencing/enclosures finished.  I am now in the position of having to sell half of our stock, because I do not have the pastures available to them to forage.  That means that every bit of what they eat has to be purchased, which just isn't practical.  In addition, there does not seem to be much of a market in our area for sheep, which makes it nearly impossible to recoup any money spent feeding them through the year.

The main lessons?  Know your market, know your own strengths and weaknesses, and concentrate your efforts on one or two species.  I am grateful for this experience, and know now that I am simply not the kind of person who can keep a menagerie and still break even, let alone make a profit.  I know some who do, and I applaud them.  But for us, scaling back and rethinking our business plan is our plan of action.  And I will no longer bring any animal to the farm without having the space available for them.

Learning this lifestyle is certainly an ongoing project.  But it is absolutely one that is full of lessons worth learning.

4 Comments
southrengirl
4/23/2013 04:21:43 pm

I know where you are coming from. I bought two hogs one male and one female. I was so excited. I thought I would have some little piglets to sell.That would cover the cost that I had invested in them. I thought when my hogs got bigger I could have them butchered. Well I feel in love with them They became my pets so their was no way I would ever eat them. I am the same way with my chickens. Anyway my hogs never breed. Someone suggested that the might have been brother and sister. Who knew? After spending about 1,000.00 dollars on feed and building a fence for them,(in a years time) I sold them real cheep! I am a farmer wantabe.

Reply
Tina
4/24/2013 01:52:24 am

Yes, it is especially difficult for us, because my husband refuses to butcher and/or eat any livestock that we can't sell. There has been interest in everything we are selling, except the adult sheep. I don't know what we will do if no one wants them. We might be reduced to giving them away, and taking the loss.

Reply
Boonie Adjacent
4/23/2013 11:16:22 pm

"Learning this lifestyle is certainly an ongoing project. But it is absolutely one that is full of lessons worth learning."

Well said.

Reply
Carol Wheeler
4/28/2013 05:01:28 am

I so wish you were closer to me ... I'm looking for a local source for pasture-fed lamb. I do understand and appreciate the lessons you are sharing.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    If you like our blog and would like to help support what we do, please feel free to donate any amount to help keep us going!  Our goal is to use this blog to help care for the animals.  We will let you know how your donations are used.  Thank you!
    Billy Joe's Food Farm
    Organic herbs, spices, teas and oils.
    The Enclyclopedia of Country Living is one of THE best homesteading books I have ever purchased, and I still refer to it often.

    RSS Feed

    Author

    We are city folk who decided to move our family to the country, to experience life the way it ought to be lived...OUTSIDE! 

    Categories

    All
    Butchering
    Chickens
    Ducks
    Food As Medicine/Herbal Medicine
    Food Security
    Gardening
    Gmo
    Goats
    Heirloom Seeds
    Herbal Resources
    Homesteading
    Rabbits
    Self Reliance
    Sheep

    Archives

    February 2014
    November 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Shop Amazon's Kindle Accessories Store
    Search & Win

Billy Joe's Food Farm 

  Raising sheep, goats, chickens, guineas, ducks, dogs, cats, and gardens since 2010.  Oh, and not eating anything but plants and fish.  Welcome!

    Contact Us

Submit
Proudly powered by Weebly