INTRODUCTION
Homestead Roots Newsletter - 6/6/2024

I was getting ready for bed last week on Thursday when I realized I hadn't sent out a newsletter! I thought about it a few times but the other work of the day got the best of me and I simply forgot! I am back this week and then will have another week off next week as we travel and do some fishing. Enjoy this weeks newsletter!

HOMESTEAD UPDATE
Staying Busy On The Homestead

We've stayed busy on the homestead sneaking in a few small projects here and there. The days are longer and that means working into the evening is possible. It is a blessing for us homesteaders still doing a day job!

I completed the first move for the pigs over the weekend. With all the rain we've had this was pretty necessary as their first paddock was pretty muddy. They are now enjoying paddock #2 and munching on all the stuff that has grown there over the summer. The pigs are growing really well and seem to be happy in their environment.

The homestead garden is almost completely planted. We planted sweet potatoes, potatoes, dried beans, and tons of onions. We still want to get in some winter squash and maybe some popcorn. I think the kids want to get some watermelons planted as well. We don't have irrigation set up down there but so far the rain has kept things plenty moist. As we dry out a bit we will likely need to figure something out to get some water down there. The apple trees I planted are hanging on but definitely suffering from transplant shock. Long term I think they will be fine.

The goat herd continues to be trimmed back. We weren't intending to sell any more of our milkers but a woman who was interested in some past goats came back around and after some discussion we decided to sell our other yearling Stormy and her buckling. We have some really nice doe kids that we are hoping to keep so I think this was a good decision. We still have a couple bucklings we will need to sell and maybe one more doeling. Bergen has been getting the goats out grazing for an hour or so each day. That seems to keep them satisfied. We aren't feeding any hay at the moment so the grazing is important.

The wet weather has our forage looking really good so the goats are happy and it is making me think we might have enough to graze a cow on. Maybe next spring!

KEEPING ANIMALS
Meat Chickens Part 2 of 3

In the last newsletter I shared some do's and don'ts to keeping meat chickens. In this article I am going to touch on raising the birds and we might do one more part to discuss the butchering process as well.

With the right set up keeping meat chickens is one of the easiest and most efficient homestead activities. To keep birds for 8-12 weeks and in the end have a years worth of valuable protein is pretty amazing.

There are two prominent meat chickens people raise, cornish cross and red ranger. The cornish cross is the typical meat chickens, this is the same bird that is raised commercially for the vast majority of the chicken the world eats. The bird have been bred to be raised in a short time, grow huge breasts and be easy to butcher. They take 8 weeks to grow out to a nice large size. Cornish cross are eating, pooping machines, they just sit by the feeder and eat all day long. They do very little foraging in the grass. Though they do some.

The red ranger takes about 12 weeks. This chicken as red coloration vs. white. They are a little more chicken like than the cornish cross. They will forage a little more, though not as much as a laying hen. This is the chicken we've raised for the past years we prefer them due to their more chicken like behavior and the proportion on their carcass. They have more leg and thigh meat and not just giant breasts. Overall we have had a good experience with these birds. I could be talked into the cornish again in the future as well!

Having thought out infrastructure is important for these birds. This starts with a good brooder. They will need heat as well. Whether that is a heat lamp or a warming table (HERE). Having good feeders and waterers leads to less frustration. They should be started on pine shavings.

After about 3-4 weeks the birds will be ready to go outside depending on the weather. If the weather is really harsh I would likely wait. We move ours straight out to the chicken tractor. A chicken tractor is basically a movable pen that protects the birds from predators while also giving them access to the ground for foraging. Chickens will need constant water and need to be fed in the morning. There are good calculators online to figure out how much feed they need each day. We always try to feed them such that they run out of food at the end of the day. If they are running out of food to early they need more feed. If they still have food in the trough at night then you fed too much. This break overnight allows the birds a break from eating and helps them not grow too fast, something that can be a detriment to cornish cross. They literally eat themselves to death, by growing too fast and having heart attacks.

As you get closer to butcher date you can start to weigh your live birds. I usually do this in a 5 gallon bucket. Sometimes looks can be deceiving with chickens so getting a weight is helpful. The internet says dressed weight is usually 70-75% of live weight. So if you want a 5 lb carcass then you would aim for a 7 lb live bird.

Depending on how crowded your chicken tractor is will determine how often you have to move it. By the end of our cycle we are often moving the tractor twice per day. This just keeps the birds on fresh ground and keeps them from living in their own poop. The fertilizer left behind by the chickens is amazing for your pasture! So it is a good bonus.

Meat chicken feed can be sourced many places. Lately we have fed organic. You can feed conventional, soy and corn free, non gmo and probably other options.

We go in cooperatively with a few other families to order everything together, raise our own chickens and then get back together at the end to butcher together. It has been a good system and something that I would recommend. Next time we will discuss butchering!

MARKET GARDENING
Tomatoes Growing Fast!

The market garden has been thriving. We have ample veggies available and have been searching out a few additional sources to sell to. This is a good problem to have! Over the years we have felt like we are short more often than not. The big challenge is to get enough in the ground during this good growing period to last us through the hot and dry period to come in the summer. I think we are keeping up but it takes diligence.

Tomatoes are really jumping these days. It is amazing how they just sit after transplant and then suddenly take off. We have plants 4 feet tall at this point and many little fruits are setting with lots of flowers coming. I did a little watering with fish emulsion to try and give them a boost. I think it does make a difference.

We've been adding a few more products lately from other local farmers and people have really be enjoying the additions. It is so fun to be able to help farmers sell what they grow, raise and produce.

CLOSING WORDS
Teaching Hard Work

I have been recently concerned with reports of young people struggling with hard work. My community consists of a lot of farmers, homesteaders and tradespeople. While I am certain that this doesn’t speak to all young people, it is concerning. I know that we have had some excellent hard workers work for us at the farm. Not to suggest this is a generational thing (it might be) but I was a poor worker when I was young as well at least compared to what I have learned later in life, this homestead truly taught me what hard work was!

Today we put a lot of focus on education, MANY hours of the typical American child’s life has them sitting in a classroom. I am sure they are learning things but are they learning how to work? Work ethic may just be more important than knowledge. A person who knows how to work can learn anything they want. The book Educated by Tara Westover often comes to mind when I think about things like this. It is a memoir. The author lived a tragic story as a child. Lots of trauma, abuse and next to no education. Yet, through her difficult childhood she learned how to work hard. And in the end she self educated for the ACT test, got into college and got advanced degrees. Because she knew how to work she was able to achieve these things with no formal education. It is an amazing story and a book I recommend.

Teaching kids hard work is challenging. There is plenty of resistance. 🙂 But setting kids up for a future of success no matter what comes there way makes all the headaches worthwhile!