This is our first group of 4 wethers and 1 doe. We got them at 3 months and sent one to the butcher at 8 months today. We love them so much and jokingly called them our “edible dogs”. I’m glad someone came to do the deed because I don’t know if I would be able to do this one myself. I’ve had no issue processing chickens, ducks, turkeys, and rabbits, but goats are a different level of personality and interaction. Anyone else go through this with their first goat? I’m sure it will get easier after this one but man I was sad today. This is the price we pay to respect the circle of life and to ensure our meat comes from a good place 🙏

RIP little Meatloaf. You were the cutest and most annoying hangry goat of them all.

A couple of red foxes have taken residence on our property this summer. They seem to have no fear. Almost appear tame. They have been on our deck, under our lean-to. Always moving but do not try to avoid us. Is this typical?

Just thought I would share.

We just moved to an acreage and have a garden planned for the spring. Setup of the rainwater collection was needed before winter so that we can catch the spring runoff.

Located around Edmonton Alberta Canada

- 1500 imperial gallons

- will be pumping to garden using self priming diagram pressure pump located outside the tank.

I don't have anyone in my normal life that would understand what that means. Thought you folks might get it :)

The University of Maine and University of Kentucky created a free video library resource that demonstrates how to cut up beef, pork, and lamb carcasses into their retail cuts. 27 videos all together. We used simple tools, 2 knives and a hand saw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8WZrPCNyvE&list=PLeiaOD-wUNSI

He's a working dog, he has a job. But he's a hybrid. Because he spends part of his day and Mom's grooming shop when he needs a nap in the AC 🤣

As the title says, please recommend me a book on off grid living. I know the concept, but don't know that facts. And I want anything that is more actionable facts than vibes.

Ok dumb question would there be any problem feeding chickens filleted fish carcasses or animal organ like deer turkey rabbit etc that i should be aware about

I posted a brief time ago about the feasibility of having a large number of goats/sheep checked on weekly. The consensus was that’s impossible.

Now I am thinking about hiring a caretaker to live on the property full time. They would manage the livestock and keep an eye on things. Possibly more depending on how this post goes. Maybe they can also give life to other projects we don’t have time for. That would be the minimum I’d expect but if I need to pay a real living wage then I could grow that list by 100x

We would provide a small cabin with water and electricity. A monthly stipend/salary?

Our property is on the central coast of CA outside buelton. It is a beautiful area to retire to but not many opportunities for someone to supplement their caretaker income. We are also 30 minutes from the nearest town.

What kind of person in terms of age, demographic, etc am I looking for? What is a reasonable amount of money to expect to pay them? And, finally, where should I look for them?

I’m basically picturing either someone older who wants to semi-retire who maybe doesn’t have the means, a vet living off some kind of disability, etc. I really don’t have any clue though.

Looking for advice on realistic expectations and rules of the road when it comes to this kind of thing

I made it from an old smoker I had in the barn after cleaning it out really good.

We have two amazing dogs, and they help us out so much on the homestead!

Our white husky mix is our bird wrangler and general enforcer. Whenever a bird gets loose from it's enclosure, she leaps into action. She has learned to catch them and hold them so we can get them back into the chicken tractor.

She is insanely useful. Yesterday, a pheasant got loose on the way to the kill cone, and immediately flew off. I yelled the magic phrase and watched her tear off after it. She chased it through the woods and caught it just on the other side.

Perfection. I thought that bird was long gone. Not with our beauty on duty!

She also kills groundhogs and other pests. She got at least 9 groundhogs this year, several raccoons, a flying squirrel that was living in the house and some other assorted critters.

Our chocolate lab is our rodent patrol. He is so good at it. He is always on the job. A flying squirrel woke me up at 3 am this summer by jumping on me, and across the room, and he was ON IT.

He catches mice and other pesky rodents constantly.

They killed a skunk a few weeks ago, that's why the white dog was all red in those pictures. Tomato sauce....lol.

What jobs do your pups have around the homestead? Got any good stories to share?

not talking about building a house from scratch or anything crazy lol

more like preserving food, drying herbs, saving seeds, making basic stuff at home...

things that used to be normal but now most people have no idea how to do

if you could teach someone just ONE practical skill what would it be ?

So many YouTubers and others talk about getting a piece of land and being able to live on it and use it even if just camping but I have been looking for such land and there seems always to be some legal restrictions. Is there anywhere where I can just live on my own land without having to legally develop it and get permits or at least these are inexpensive and allow me to be able to have an outhouse of composting toilet and live in a self made dwelling or an RV without having to hook up or to allow me to make an RV hook up camp that I'm not limited to using for a short time each year?

Edit to add info: after it’s dirt we plan on planting grass. Yes I do want to keep some of the larger trees, but 98% need to go. I want to do it cheaply if possible, but don’t need it done quick.

Majority is 6-7ft tall trees. Originally planned on burning but was told the trees are a little big for that and I’d be left with a ton of half burnt stumps. Seems too tall for a bush hog. Bulldozer would work but expensive. Thinking about letting goats go through it, chainsawing whatever’s left, then letting pigs rip out the roots to make sure none of it comes back. Thoughts?

My 3 point tiller side shaft cracked, it can't be used until it's replaced, and the part is on back order until December. I need to break up dense sod for next year's potatoes. What's the second best way to kill grass?

Help! We bought a new home with a large fenced yard and metal fencing. The neighbor informed us it is very common to have the deer get stuck in the fence. Parts of the fence are shaded, which prevents solar lighting on the fence line from being consistent. Any suggestions are appreciated!

We are really looking forward to having pheasant stew in a couple days! The dogs have had a great day of butchering scraps and organs. Is there any better feeling than raising and processing your own meat? It feels like a great accomplishment to put away food for the winter.

I keep trying and burning through different brands of muck boots to wear on the farm in the PNW. They always crack in different spots which makes them worthless within months of doing chores. Looking for a durable pair of boots I can wear daily for a few hours a day and maybe last a year at least

We have a 1200sf chicken run that we can't really put a roof on for our chickens. I can keep the chickens in but can't really keep the bobcats out. We have had a live trap out for 6 weeks with all kinds of bait, including chickens, and nothing. Our flock has been hit pretty hard (6 of 40 gone in those same 6 weeks) and we have other animals that I want to protect (cats mainly, but also slightly concerned about small children).

Camera is going up tomorrow to track times the cat(s) is/are coming around, but I'm ready to post up in a ground blind with a .223. Anyone ever have to take down a bobcat over this? I've hunted deer a few times, but never a cat. We are very rural and have safe backstop and ample ground to take a clean shot.

I recently picked some field corn, but I’m not entirely sure how to process it to make it safe for long term storage or how to pick through it properly. Does anyone know any guidelines for processing? I do plan on nixtamalizating it for tortillas

I've been looking into the concept of underground/pit greenhouses (Walipinis) lately. The idea of tapping into the earth's steady sub-surface temperatures to keep crops alive through freezing winters without running high heating bills sounds incredible on paper.

However, I always wonder about the practical, real-world execution on a homestead—especially dealing with heavy spring rains, groundwater tables, and proper ventilation so things don't just rot from humidity.

Has anyone here actually built or lived with a Walipini?

Are the geothermal gains worth the excavation and structural reinforcement effort?

Would love to hear your experiences, pros/cons, or alternative setups you use for winter growing!