How We Started Being Self-Sufficient On Our Farm

 You Have To Start Some Where.

Silly Goats Farm

2014 was my first year working full time from home and working towards being totally self-sufficient.  Our ultimate goal is to be off of the grid by 2020.  Not paying any electrical bills, growing our own food for the year and that includes meats, eggs, butter, milk, cheese, vegetables, fruits.  That goal also includes Sandy working on the farm full time and having the income to be able to sustain us. We will do this by growing, and selling what we make right here from our own little slice of heaven, the good Lord has given us.

Our goal this summer was just to get started.  We wanted to grow our meat chickens, get 2 beef cows and get them started, raise pigs for the freezer this year, put away veggies and fruit from the fruit trees for this year and we had a pretty good.  We accomplished a lot of what we set out to do.

Sandy is still working her corporate job in Syracuse.  She has a great job and makes good money which we are very grateful for.  If not for her income just starting out, I would not be able to stay home on the farm grow our vegetable garden, raise all our animals and start our new business Silly Goats Soap Company.

First thing we had to do this year was come up with a working budget.  

We had to buy the pigs, cows, meat chickens (we already have laying hens and a nice coop), goats,

Sandy And Blossom

equipment, fencing material, animal feed, vegetable seeds, canning supplies etc.  The list is long.  We started with what we had $3000. In that budget was 3 pigs, 2 steers, 65 meat chickens, 3 Lamancha does, fencing supplies (Pig pen, chicken pen, goat pen, cow pasture), misc. wood, milking supplies (stainless steel bucket, etc).  Just the essentials to get our operations off of the ground.

Of course the feed was not included in this budget.  By the time we had searched and acquired all of our animals we had to still feed all of them.  We of course want to feed them the best possible food we can feed them, without breaking the bank, so we searched around and found a feed mill that has ground pig feed for $20 a 100 lb bag.  We also found out this mash works great for the meat chickens as well so we started using it as our meat chicken, feed.  it was about 14% protein so it worked great for both pigs and meat chickens.

We have 14 acres of land 10 of it is actually pasture or hay fields.  We bartered with our neighbor for the baled hay.  We get from him 400 bales of hay and he gets to keep the rest.  it works out well for both of us.  When we seeded the hay a couple years ago we did a 60-40% split on the seed 60% orchard grass and 40% clover.  This works out well for us because we have 2 horses and can't feed them high protein hay.  We take the first cutting (more grass) and he gets the second/third cuttings which have more of the alfalfa and the higher protein for his dairy cows.  So, if you do not have a hayfield and the equipment to do it yourself, you can always barter, or you will have to figure into your feed budget.  We are going through a bale of hay a day (November).  Hay, depending on where you are, drought or not, or other factors will run you $3.00-$10.  Usually about $3.50-$5.50 for good quality hay.

So we got all of the animals shelters built and purchased all of the animals and then just got down to the everyday chores.  Feeding and milking, 2 times a day.  Working on the new Silly Goats Soap website in the mornings or making goat milk soaps, goat milk lotion and other goat goodies, or researching new products and recipes. and in the afternoon working on the garden or fixing things around the house or the farm.  There is always something to do.

This is the first installment of Silly Goats Farm and what we are doing here.  I do plan on given more detailed information on lessons we have learned about gardening, animal husbandry, easier ways to build shelters, pens and everyday things on the farm.  Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts and ideas.  Sharing is what helps each of us learn as we move to be more self-sufficient.

God Bless,

Chris