Well not too much has went on since the last posting other then lots of reading and studying for the homestead. The house in Colorado is still pending a sale, should close in the next couple weeks with any luck! We are currently planning the next trip back to the states in May. I will be there for about a month but Terri is most likely going to stay. We will plan on bringing the dogs back during that trip, it is best to travel with them before it gets too hot. Will be lonely here with out Terri, Soju and China but it will only be about 4 months before my next scheduled trip back in October (for a wedding and hunting season!).
It will be a busy time for those thirty days or so, hoping to get the chickens started, will order them to come in within the first few days after getting back, they will be day olds. I will try to get them as soon as possible so I will be there for most of the work getting them started before handing them off to Terri. LOL she is not quite feeling the homestead thing quite as much as I am but she did agree to take care of the chickens while I finish out this last year here. I will need to get the old chicken house updated as much as possible while I am home. The coop had a small fenced in run but we will attempt to free range until we start losing them to predators, if we do we may have to move them to the run so will have to get that in order just in case. We will not have a LGD (fivestock guard dog) yet, will probably hold off on that until next spring when we get the pigs and sheep. Luckily we do not have much in the area as far as neighborhood dogs which can be the worst for Chickens!
Think I mentioned it before but we will also be planting some alfalfa in order to get our farm number during that time, but thinking about planting a small batch of sunflowers as well, that can be used as treats for the Chickens. Terri will also be planting a garden in the spot where the last owners had one, it is mostly fenced off but we will have to close it off with a good gate while I am home to keep the Chickens out once they get big enough to be let out.
I was hoping to get the bee hives up as well this trip but think I am a little late on ordering the bee packages. Not to mention I really want to get bees from a northern climate however most of them are in California or in the South so may have to wait until I can check out local bee keeper clubs. I have been trying to decide what kind of hive to go with and think I have decided to go with a Warre hive over the typical Langstroth. Just like the more natural feel of it, the Langstroth will produce more honey but in the Warre the bees build their own comb rather then on foundations (which is why they do not produce as much honey, they use their energy building comb!). I was hoping to get them started this year to they could just build up through this first year and get firmly established and we could pull any excess honey off next spring (rather then the fall which is more typical).
I know some will ask why I want to add bees to the mix with everything else we are doing and it is about more then just being self sufficient, granted that is a huge part. It is about trying to also do my part to help the bees survive and stay healthy. Also it will make the homestead much more efficient. I do not think it is necessarily best for the bees as a species to load them up on trucks and transport them halfway across the country for different seasons, so I want hives that will be truly local, that will have pollinators out for the first flowers of spring. Alas it looks like next year however!
On top of all this by brother in law Kevin has volunteered to help me shop for a tractor. Still trying to decide what I want vs what I need. I am really looking for something used with a front end loader in about the 50 Hp range. Not to picky about the brand just looking for the best value for the money, looking for an all around utility tractor for the most part. If anyone has any suggestions I would be all ears!!
We also will have some fence repairs to do when I am back in order to get the north-west corner ready for the pigs the following spring. Terri will have her own hands full replacing the flooring with laminate imitation hard wood. With two bull dogs, carpet is not always the best idea. Well this is it for now, more later!
It will be a busy time for those thirty days or so, hoping to get the chickens started, will order them to come in within the first few days after getting back, they will be day olds. I will try to get them as soon as possible so I will be there for most of the work getting them started before handing them off to Terri. LOL she is not quite feeling the homestead thing quite as much as I am but she did agree to take care of the chickens while I finish out this last year here. I will need to get the old chicken house updated as much as possible while I am home. The coop had a small fenced in run but we will attempt to free range until we start losing them to predators, if we do we may have to move them to the run so will have to get that in order just in case. We will not have a LGD (fivestock guard dog) yet, will probably hold off on that until next spring when we get the pigs and sheep. Luckily we do not have much in the area as far as neighborhood dogs which can be the worst for Chickens!
Think I mentioned it before but we will also be planting some alfalfa in order to get our farm number during that time, but thinking about planting a small batch of sunflowers as well, that can be used as treats for the Chickens. Terri will also be planting a garden in the spot where the last owners had one, it is mostly fenced off but we will have to close it off with a good gate while I am home to keep the Chickens out once they get big enough to be let out.
I was hoping to get the bee hives up as well this trip but think I am a little late on ordering the bee packages. Not to mention I really want to get bees from a northern climate however most of them are in California or in the South so may have to wait until I can check out local bee keeper clubs. I have been trying to decide what kind of hive to go with and think I have decided to go with a Warre hive over the typical Langstroth. Just like the more natural feel of it, the Langstroth will produce more honey but in the Warre the bees build their own comb rather then on foundations (which is why they do not produce as much honey, they use their energy building comb!). I was hoping to get them started this year to they could just build up through this first year and get firmly established and we could pull any excess honey off next spring (rather then the fall which is more typical).
I know some will ask why I want to add bees to the mix with everything else we are doing and it is about more then just being self sufficient, granted that is a huge part. It is about trying to also do my part to help the bees survive and stay healthy. Also it will make the homestead much more efficient. I do not think it is necessarily best for the bees as a species to load them up on trucks and transport them halfway across the country for different seasons, so I want hives that will be truly local, that will have pollinators out for the first flowers of spring. Alas it looks like next year however!
On top of all this by brother in law Kevin has volunteered to help me shop for a tractor. Still trying to decide what I want vs what I need. I am really looking for something used with a front end loader in about the 50 Hp range. Not to picky about the brand just looking for the best value for the money, looking for an all around utility tractor for the most part. If anyone has any suggestions I would be all ears!!
We also will have some fence repairs to do when I am back in order to get the north-west corner ready for the pigs the following spring. Terri will have her own hands full replacing the flooring with laminate imitation hard wood. With two bull dogs, carpet is not always the best idea. Well this is it for now, more later!
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