Survival Homesteading

[Shella]

Hey all. I aint been here for a while, sorry been busy. We havent been doing ss much lately. We need to expand our land to the back to have room for hard core homesteading. I aint to sure how big our property is now.

My questions are for a family of five

1 How many dual purpose chickens, should we have to have a good egg supply and to hatch out hens to hatch, and roosters to eat? In winter too?
2 How many turkeys, geese, and ducks to provide a meal of this type once a month for each?
3 How many goats for adequate milk, butter, cheese, and soap supplies?
4 What about rabbit numbers for rabbit meat at least twice a week?
5 How big of a garden to provide all potatoes, squash, pickles, corn, beans, pod peas, sweet taters, tomatoes/by products, brocolli, cabage, lettuce, carrots, and onions?
6 What kinds of herb should we have for survival?
7 How many fruit trees?
8 How big should the berry patches?
9 How big shuold my barn be?

 

[BarredBuff]

1 How many dual purpose chickens, should we have to have a good egg supply and to hatch out hens to hatch, and roosters to eat? In winter too? Probably should hatch close to 100 eggs a year for 50 or so roosters to eat, plus any biddie hatched. I would say the flock should be 2 Dozens Hens and a rooster.
2 How many turkeys, geese, and ducks to provide a meal of this type once a month for each? Trio of Turkeys, Pair of Geese, Quad of Ducks.
3 How many goats for adequate milk, butter, cheese, and soap supplies? I'd say three. (whats everyone else say?)
4 What about rabbit numbers for rabbit meat at least twice a week? 8 Breeders (104 meaty buns)
5 How big of a garden to provide all potatoes, squash, pickles, corn, beans, pod peas, sweet taters, tomatoes/by products, brocolli, cabage, lettuce, carrots, and onions? 100 by 60 with additional beds for lettuce, carrots, and onions.
6 What kinds of herb should we have for survival? Any culinary herbs you like, for me I'd do Lemon Balm, Lavender, Aloe Vera, and Stevia. Probably more I am just unsure of them
7 How many fruit trees? Depends, what ones do you like?
8 How big should the berry patches? What kinds?
9 How big should my barn be? I'd say 36 by 24 with individual areas.

Go at it slowly, dont jump in or youll get burnt out easily. We have homesteaded for 5 years now, and are just getting goats and turkeys, and raising meat rabbits.

 

[the funny farm6]

Depends on how much you think you will eat.

For my family of now 4 (2 adults and 2 teens)=

1. We eat @ a doz/ day. Plus we sell a few eggs so @ 24-30 hens is about right for us (and a couple roos if you want chicks)
2. We are working on getting ducks this year plan to have 5-6 hens and a drake. We have had geese... and NEVER again! Those things are just plain mean! And turkeys we will do maybe next year last couple years we just raised a few chicks for eating.
3. I have 2 nanny kids and a billy plan to get 2 more nannys.
4. Rabbits for food for yourself, @8 breeders, maybe a few more if you want to sell some of the babies.
5. For garden you might start smaller and expand year by year.
6. Herbs, I would look in your cabonet and see what you use. I make a lot of chicken so I use more rosemary and thyme. We also make a lot of sausage so we go threw lots of sage too. Plus I love mint and lavender.
7. Fruit trees depends on what you like...if you like apples plant them. If you don't like pears, don't plant those.
8. Berry patches- again depends on what you like and how much you eat them.
9. Barn size depends on the animals and feed requirements. I have horses so my barn is quite large.

I agree with BarredBuff start slow. I have been on my property for 7 years in june. And still making progress. We will get there but it takes a while.

 

[Buster]

1 How many dual purpose chickens, should we have to have a good egg supply and to hatch out hens to hatch, and roosters to eat? In winter too? Probably should hatch close to 100 eggs a year for 50 or so roosters to eat, plus any biddie hatched. I would say the flock should be 2 Dozens Hens and a rooster.

24 hens for one roo? He's gonna be a busy boy.

 

[fair weather chicken]

yeah, but he'll probably die happy!!!!!!!!!! lol

 

[the funny farm6]

yeah, but he'll probably die happy!!!!!!!!!! lol

Hehehe

 

[peteyfoozer]

3 How many goats for adequate milk, butter, cheese, and soap supplies?

Do you have a cream separator? It's hard to get the cream off of goat milk as it is naturally homogenized. For a family of 5 a dairy cow might be a better option...it will supply you with adequate milk and cream plus yearly beef for your freezer, not to mention good organic conditioner for your garden area.

 

[Cindlady2]

As far as chickens go... I would say about 30 and 2 or 3 roos. You'll probably want some good dual purpose breeds that go broody. Australorps are my #1 pick. But look into "reds" and other heavy breeds that are good layers. Keep your best broodies, layers and at least 2 roos over winter and send the rest to freezer camp. in fall.

With the rabbits it might take a while to find good breeders. In spite of the reputation, not all rabbits are good breeders and even fewer does will raise kits. If you could find a proven pair that could give you time to find does that will raise kits.

Garden, I agree, start small 25' x 50? and grow the things you know you like, can store and will use. Adjust from there. However, I would do separate gardens for herbs and a separate place for things that "winter over" like onions. That way you don't have to worry where you put them when you ready the garden for spring/summer crops.

Also, find out what herbs grow wild in your area.... it will save you some space and when your ready to cultivate them you'll know where to get a free, region hardy supply.

Also, remember with goats you don't want to keep the billy with the does year round. Their musk will taint the milk (ick) and if you slaughter, make sure it's not when their in musk!

That's all I got.
Good Luck and take it slow.

 

[pinkfox]

1 How many dual purpose chickens, should we have to have a good egg supply and to hatch out hens to hatch, and roosters to eat? In winter too?

Personally i would go with 2 1/2-3 dozen good dual purpose hens or 1 dozen serious layers and 2 dozen dual purpose
geet your serious layers (RIR, Leghorns, Stars ect) in a breed specific pen and eat all their eggs save a dozen a year for the incubator to replenish your egg pen
the dual purpose then you can just allow to breed however thye want and each year cull all but a few of the best birds so youve got constant "fresh" layers in the flock, dual purpose by nature arnt as heavy laying as the mediteranian breeds, but theyll keep themselves "in stock" if allowed to go broody and make good meat birds. the older hens can then go in the stew pot when they stop producing well.
id do 1 ro to 12 girls or so.


2 How many turkeys, geese, and ducks to provide a meal of this type once a month for each?

Turkey id do a trio, that should give you enough to have a turkey each month.
Geese are tough, their laying season is short and a femela will generlaly give you about 25 eggs (35 is a GREAT layer) per year. assuming your going for meat id say go for embdens. and id probbaly do a Trio, should give you enough meat for once a month and still some in case of death/sales ect.
For ducks, depends, if you want meat and eggs id go for 1/2 a dozen egg layers (runners, khakis ect) and 1/2 a dozen pekins... if just meat id go for a flock of 1/2 a dozen (5hens to 1 drake) pekins.

3 How many goats for adequate milk, butter, cheese, and soap supplies?

Id do 4 does, breed 2 for spring babies and the other 2 for fall, this would keep you in milk rear round (assuming good milkers) if doing milk and cheese go for a high butter fat breed, nubians or lamancha. soap doesnt take much milk but if your also using it for cheese and drinking ect youll go through alot more.
the other option would be go for 2 does (breed 1 spring and 1 fall) and then 1 dairy cow (dexters are great for small farms but a jersey will give you the best milk for butter/cream) keep a steer calf for beef each year (if you get a heifer sell her and buy a boy for the freezer (plus a little money left over)

4 What about rabbit numbers for rabbit meat at least twice a week?

Family of 5 and rabbit meat, youll probaby need 2 buns per meal (more if youve got teen boys) even on te big meaties the meat is on those back legs/thighs mostly...
Id say a minimum of 4 does and 1 buck, but it think youd be better with 8-10 rabbits total (2 bucks) i prefer to keep 2 bucks so you can cross out to eep your herd strng breed does abcd to buck 1 and defg to buck 2, then next time, switch...if you keep any of the daughters you have a buck to outcross too keeping your heard alot more open without having to bring in much new blood

5 How big of a garden to provide all potatoes, squash, pickles, corn, beans, pod peas, sweet taters, tomatoes/by products, brocolli, cabage, lettuce, carrots, and onions?

im still a "learner" on the gardening front, and methods you sue will play a huge part on how much space you use, with traditional methods id have to go with everyone elses suggestions as im honestly clueless...however if you start doing modified sqft methods ect you can get alot more from less space so...

6 What kinds of herb should we have for survival?

ooo what kind of hearbs shouldnt you have i think is the good question. culinary herbs are a given, go with what you like (if noone likes cilantro...why grow it?!) medicinal, id go through what medications your one, what normal health issue syou seem to deal with reguarly (ie trouble relaxing go for a bed of lavender, feel a little run down off to the echinecea ect) there is a post a few down i belive in this section of the forum with medicinal herbs and a great link inside.
i love adding herbs to my flower beds too

7 How many fruit trees?

again this will depend on what you and your family like and how much you eat...youll want to spread out your growing season too...id say at least 2 of ach of your faovirite verietes and as many as humanely possible otherwise...(i plan on hvaing a dedicated orchard area, BUT once i get thigns cleared out and set up exactly how i want them ill be planting more fruit and nut trees then along fencelines in gaps, anywhere that needs a little more shade ect.

8 How big should the berry patches?

again this will definatly be preference, once again id say at least 2 of each of your favorite verieties...(more is better)

9 How big shuold my barn be?

this will depend on what your using your barn for...if you want hay and feed storage in the barn its going to have to be alot bigger than if your just doing livestock in ther...add amilking room or a stall for acow ect and it changes the dimensions needed. personally id go as big as you can afford without overwhemling your land. extra space in the barn just means more room to expand later, or park a tractor or get in extra hay/feed when its on sale ect.

 

[Shella]

We d love a milk cow, but space don't permit right now. We eat a lot of peaches, apples, and if we had cherries we'd eat more of them. A few pears, and plums. Then blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries.

thanks for help