After church meeting and lunch, we will be headed to Palermo to get our new sheep. We will be getting 2 lambs about 3 months old. The farm we are buying from weans his lambs late, which is good for them. The longer they can be with mother sheep the better. So, our time of anticipation is nearly over, and preparations are done. It is time to get on with it.
This puts our homestead collection to 2 sheep, 6 Rhode Island Red layers that are 1 year old, 3 Silver Laced Wyandotte bantams, 4 Ideal 236 pullets(leghorn type layer), 4 Rhode Island pullets, 5 Ameracauna pullets, a dozen assorted 3 week old bantams of all colors, shapes and sizes, some feathered feet, some bare feet, some with bright colors, and some single color plumage. Now June 13 we will be adding 50 Broiler type chickens to the mix for meat.
The broilers and the sheep will live in the newly renovated 16x8 shed(barn) with about 1/4 acre fenced right now. That will be expanded later on in the summer when they need it, and will allow rotational grazing to some extent. The layers and bantams have their own section of ground about 2500 square feet, and with about 35 chickens, that is just about 75 square feet per bird. That should do just fine for now. I forgot that along with the 3 week olds, we have 6 or 7"males for warmth" which appear black and white striped, maybe a Barred Rock type chick.
With strawberries planted, along with 3 new pear trees, and the inlaws having a ton of apple trees(which they don't care for and we get all we can pick) and a garden that is currently about 2200 square feet, we are getting ever closer to true homesteading.
So, with all the discussion around here about a milk cow, we have decided to wait until at least fall. That will give me time to build the fence needed, see how the pasture hold up, etc. There is a lot more to it than just getting a cow and feeding it hay. Sure, you could do that, but we want a happy healthy cow and would rather wait than do it wrong and become disillusioned. We have an acquaintance that has Dexters just up the road that he uses for "meat and mowing" in his words. He has calves born each year, and that will be where we probably get our family cow.
I will post pictures of the sheep later today or tomorrow, along with updated pictures of the fences, barn, etc. We are still not using about 1/4 of an acre here. That area will have perimeter fence next and then we will consider the cow. Until then, we will enjoy the sheep and chickens, and keep buying our organic milk for $6.25 a gallon. The cost and time of keeping a cow is nothing when you consider we make a trip to town each week and burn $10 in gas to get 4 gallons of milk, cheese, butter, and all the other products that we could produce right here if we had that cow. Also, an added meat bonus calf would be nice for the freezer.
Life sure is good here on the 1 acre homestead. Check out Sara's blog for more information on the family, kids,and garden. She is doing all kinds of new things to save money and help us eat more healthy. God has blessed us richly, despite most folks considering us poor. I pray that you also continue to be blessed.
Our family Bible time is such a wonderful time of reading together, hearing what the kids think about a passage, and a great way to spend our time. We pray daily that God will bring people our way that we can minister to, and the Lord has blessed us in that way too. If you do not have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus, please contact me today. You could also visit this page to learn more about the ultimate cost of sin in our lives. Don't wait to learn what God desires from our lives. After all, we were created by Him and for His purposes.
I pray that today is the day that you commit to serving God. We are not promised riches or fancy living, but knowing that you have a part in serving the God that created all things, living in harmony with His will each day, life couldn't get any better than that. We are so blessed to be able to share that joy with others. If you are one who follows God through Christ, I hope you share the gift of salvation with others you meet too.
Sheep pictures will be here soon! Keep checking in, and go enjoy the day. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Mark
