Are You Trying to Do Too Much?

Homesteading is this sort of wonderful, addictive, meandering adventure.

It all starts with a chicken.

And it spirals from there.

We may take different paths, but eventually, we can easily find ourselves sitting in the middle of a homesteading mess if we are not careful.

I can not name one legit, self-proclaimed ‘homesteader’ with plenty of space, who did not branch out from that first chicken.

Some of us stay in the poultry department adding ducks, guineas, turkeys or even geese to our operation.

Others of us happen to find ourselves in situations where animals literally drop into our lives.  I never chose rabbits, potbelly pigs or the current guineas we have squawking around our place.

And there are those of you who are the methodical ones who like to plan futures and have five-year goals.

I have no idea what that is like.  I barely know what I’m doing tomorrow.

The path traveled varies, but can end in a desperate place.

All of a sudden, you wake up one day and look around to a somewhat out of hand farm conglomeration.

And maybe, you are feeling overwhelmed.

Some of the hardest words I’ve heard over the years-

“When you have animals, you are going to lose animals.“  -My oldest son (said when he was 15 years old)

“There are two kinds of farmers.  Those who have problems and those who are going to have problems.” – Dr. P (vet in Kentucky)

These statements couldn’t be more accurate.

It is not that we are bad farmers.  It is not that we are inept.

When you have animals things happen. 

The more animals you have, the more things will happen.

• Someone will accidentally step on a chick
• The old cow will eventually die
• The guineas will run away (very flighty – we’ve never had any stay longer than a year, we always see them down the road a mile or two living out their lives, ungrateful for the home and life we gave them)
• The baby bunnies die.  Sometimes of natural causes (and sometimes their mommies eat them)
• The pigs will go to market
• The bull calf will go to freezer-camp
• The raccoon (or fox or opossum or neighbor’s dog) will eat your chickens
• The milk cow will get mastitis

And so on.

It is just math.

The more animals you have, the more problems.

If you have 80 animals (especially if it is a variety… poultry, rabbits, cows, goats, sheep, hogs, etc) living on your homestead you can expect to deal with death, processing, and illness more often than a person who only has three chickens.

We had a good, long stretch without any major problems on our homestead.

I had my sweet milk cow.  My son had his chickens.  We got a pig (or two) each spring.

Other than my garden, this was the extent of our homestead.

It was smooth sailing and life was simple.

Then things expanded

The operation grew and so did the farm.  We added buildings, sheds, hutches, barns, and pastures to accommodate the additional animals and the livestock seemed to explode.

• We raised several pigs (instead of just a couple).  One year we had 17.
• We bred and raised meat rabbits.  This quickly turned into a space problem.
• We added sheep to our farm and the sheep population grew.  Each spring the sheep (usually) gave birth to twins, tripling the size of the herd annually.  This summer we were up to 12 sheep.
• We raised beef cows (from calves) and sold them for meat.  We kept anywhere from 4 -11 cows depending on the time.

As you can probably calculate, this is quite a bit, even when everyone was healthy.

And when it rains it pours.

We trucked along with our menagerie of projects and animals for several years without any major problems.

Eventually, we hit a wall

I suppose it was more like a cliff.  It felt like a cliff.  Everyone jumped at once and suddenly it felt like we were the worst farmers in the world.  We were having issues all over the place.  I was overwhelmed.

One day when the vet was out he spoke the words I needed to hear.

“Candi, you had a really good stretch {without problems}.  I think you may have too much.”

He was right.

I would rather do a few things successfully than try to juggle 15 things and barely be surviving.

And that was what it felt like, “Barely surviving.”

Do what You Love

We have spent the past few months evaluating our homestead and deciding what we really want.

Instead of trying anything that comes along, we are refining and doing what we love.

What 2020 Looks Like on our Homestead

In order to reduce workload, stress and make the farm our happy place we are downsizing to what matters most.

1. THE MILK COW.  Fresh, raw milk is a staple of our daily diets and it is a sustainable resource for our farm.  This is the most adored animal on the farm and every minute I spend with my cow brings me joy.
2. CHICKENS.  Eggs from the coop are another superfood that nourishes our family.  Chickens are easy to keep and inexpensive.  In order to reduce the number of chickens invading my driveway and porches, we will be selling more than half of our flock.  This will also reduce feeding costs.
3. THE GARDEN.  Never has a girl loved her garden as much as I do.  I also believe that a garden is not a drag or a burden if approached correctly.  If it is the right size, the soil is healthy, and you are using methods to avoid weeding and bugs, a garden is a breeze.  (to learn how to do this- you can join the site & have access to the entire gardening course.  Learn more HERE).

That’s all folks.

My daughter is keeping her angora rabbits, but they are simple and she is very independent (she’s 15).

I am sure the day will come when I will get another spring pig, but not this year.  This is the year of downsizing and focus.

How about you? 

Are you overwhelmed?  Is your farm just the right size or is it getting a bit out of hand?

Chances are if you dread chore time or look for reasons to leave the farm, you may have too much going on.

HOW TO DOWNSIZE

If you are feeling overwhelmed, dread the farm duties, or are experiencing a multitude of problems lit may be time to consider downsizing.

When it comes to downsizing it is important to remember a couple of facts

1. This is not forever.
2. If for some insane reason, I desire to have sheep in my life again one day, I can easily go buy a starter herd of 3 sheep.  It’s that simple.  I have all the records and contacts from our previous suppliers and could even get sheep from the exact same bloodline I had previously.  If that is what I want.  SIDE NOTE:  Someone please stop me.
3. “Making other arrangements” for an animal or group is not cruel or mean or insensitive.  Sometimes it is the best thing for all parties.  Especially if you are not able to devote the sort of time and energy needed.  Another farm may be the best solution for you AND THE ANIMALS.  So stop beating yourself up about getting rid of Porky or Bun-bun, or whoever needs to go.  It’s OK.  If you decide you want another Bun-bun someday you can go buy yourself one.

Now, if you want to downsize and are not sure how to begin I have a couple of tips.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR DOWNSIZING

First, make a list of your farm chores.  Once the list is made, number or organize the chores in order starting with your favorite chores and ending with the ones you dislike.

Once the list is done you will have a somewhat clear picture of what you love and what you don’t.  Use this information to decide what direction to go in.

What are your farm goals in 2020?  What are your favorite animals on the farm?  Are you expanding?  Are you reducing?  Why?

I’d love to hear from you!

XO,

Candi