I had the opportunity to pick up some great quality Black Copper Marans newly-hatched chicks today. Up until about 5 minutes ago, I was getting ready to go.
Then a text from Hubby made me rethink.
Long story short, I can't get them. We already have 12 adults and 51 chicks, with another 56 eggs incubating. But, by the end of Summer, we'll have culled our flock to a few standard-sized chickens, 1 standard-sized roo, and probably 20 bantams. That means there will be a LOT of culling for freezer-camp, and selling those we don't want to butcher.
And honestly? About the goats? They are more trouble than their worth. We've fed and housed these for free basically. Not one of these did anything for us except give us goat berries! Hopefully we'll get some milk soon, but still, I can do without.
Hope Hubby understands that.
Basically, since I'm the only one doing anything around here (without being asked, begged or nagged), then I really should be the one who decides what stays and what goes.
As far as the plants, except for a few exceptions, most everything is gonna be grown in containers. That includes the strawberries, herbs, and raspberries.
I will use about 1/10th of an acre (or less) for (1) three sisters: corn, vining beans, and winter squash and right beside it, (2) what I call the three cousins: giant sunflowers, vining cucumbers, and melons.
So this Summer is gonna be busy. As soon as the goats kid (very close), I'll take pix and post the goat babies for pre-sale (gone after weaned). Then I might breed them again right away or just sell them. The chickens will be culled (or sold) by Thanksgiving. By then we'll have harvested the garden, and gotten most of it dehydrated. Cucumbers will be pickled. Winter squash will be stored for winter. Amaranth, millet, sunflowers and corn harvested by whole stalks and hanging upside-down for winter livestock fodder.
THEN this winter, I plan to go through my boxes and boxes of junk and get rid of most of it.
Yep, I'm tired of living in a junk pile!
Maybe by then, I'll be feeling better and ready to get healthy again. This time, all the way, baby!
2 comments:
Next year you'll have to do bees along with me!
I'm bummed about the goats cuz they're awfully cute. But I'm still thinking 'alpaca' here some day. Shhhh. . . don't tell hubster!
I desparately want to do bees. My son really loves honey, and I prefer it to molasses, which I couldn't produce anyway. Let's see how it goes.
Just recently heard there are mini alpacas. Maybe you can convince him they are a weird kind of dog?
Thanks for your constant support, Lanie. V
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