25# a Day?!

I think about getting a milk cow for our little patch of land. Apparently, I'm quite talking out of my ass still. This is why it's good that the dream is still so far off...I've got some serious researching to do.

Throwback to Trapper Creek says she's feeding her 9-month (aka nowhere near fully grown) milk calf a regimen of milk replacer, daily pasturing, and then 25 pounds of hay at night with some grain. That's like, half a small bale! That tells me that for just one milk cow, I would need to grow a field of hay on top of buying from outside, just to keep the cow in feed. That expands my acreage needs and increases the whole package. I'm also betting that if I were to try like, 3 goats or sheep instead of 1 cow, I'd easily be talking about the same or more in feed. So I definitely have to research more and put some reins on my initial dreams.

Update

I know in my bones, that it won't be logical to try and find a house that's zoned for livestock when we first move up there. I have too much of Dad in me to even bother with the notion. This could be disappointing if I think about it too much, but really it's just pragmatic...it's going to be hard enough just getting up there. Our credit may not be up to snuff. We will run out of money too soon, no matter how much we save....because once we get up there, there's going to be some big initial expenses: washer/dryer, lawnmower, and couch for starters. So wondering whether or not we're allowed to have a couple of chickens, just isn't worth stressing over yet.

Start with a puppy, work our way up...that's what I'm hoping. Once we're settled into a place, I'd love to get a puppy. Figaro would probably disown us, but I know I want more animals, and I'd love the challenge of a dog. I've been reading more about them recently, training, temperments, breeds, and of course, once we find our little patch of land, dogs will enter into the equation to help with our tiny batch of livestock. But it's in the "we'll see" category, of course...if we're enjoying a small human at the same time that we're settling in, we'll certainly have to shuffle the dreams around some.

My goals for the rest of this year will revolve around getting us up to Charlotte. But I definitely want to start making lists here as well, for what I'm looking for on my little patch of land. These don't have to be there either; of course, I expect to do some building ourselves, but it would certainly help.

Example:

1. A barn
2. At least one outbuilding
3. A sheep/goat shelter
4. A chicken coop
5. At least 2 acres? of fields

Goats, you ask? Well, I found a farm blog recently that had Nigerian Dwarves in stock. They're frickin' adorable and good for milk, so they peaked my interest. Lord knows, if you invest in goats, you need patience, good fences, and patience; but I'm thinking about them anyway.

Been reading the writings/blog of Jon Katz at Bedlam Farm. It's stirring my soul the way Jenna at Cold Antler does, because he's another one who realized he HAD to live this way and jumped into it before he knew exactly HOW to live this way. So there's plenty of mistakes and calamities documented for us poor city folk who're dealing with Barnheart and looking for our own cures.