# Horseymama2's Missouri homestead



## horseymama2 (Apr 2, 2017)

Starting over and starting a homestead back in the land of my childhood home.  We are to an age when we are looking ahead to retirement someday and hope this will be our last home.  We had hoped for more land, but got tired of house hunting and houses that kept failing inspections, so we bought 5 unimproved acres and are making it our own.  Maybe we will be able to purchase an adjoining parcel later...In the meantime, we have plenty to do.  We have three dogs, two cats, 20 chickens and three goats.  I hope to have horses again in a year or two.  We are going slowly and paying cash for everything so we can retire without a mountain of debt.


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## CntryBoy777 (Apr 2, 2017)

Welcome from NW Mississippi!...
We have 3 goats, 11 chickens, 14 ducks, and 3 cats on our 20 acres, here. I surely do understand the debt free desire, too. We are strictly cash, and have been for close to 10yrs now. I hope ya will be able to "Realize" that desire and succeed in attaining it.
Just take things one day at a time and you'll be amazed how things will come together for ya. Hope ya get your horses too.
There are many subjects discussed between some really knowledgeable individuals here, and if ya have a question, comment, or advice....just feel free to post. We do all love pics, so share as ya see fit. While browsing the Forums and Threads ya will definitely see tons of others pics of animals, set-ups, projects working on, births, injuries, and so on. There are many here that are a few yrs ahead of ya, so many can lend their advice on just about any subject.
Again.....


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## Latestarter (Apr 2, 2017)

Checking in to follow along. Wishing you a successful journey!


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## horseymama2 (Apr 15, 2017)

Hi Countryboy, thanks!  
Well, its been a busy couple of weeks, but things are coming along.  We have two of the corners set and braced for the pasture, the garden is tilled and I have started planting. I have purchased plants for a humming bird garden.  The baby goats have gone back to my sister's house to be weaned. The billy goat came to hopefully breed my little doe back, along with an older doe to keep my little doe company.  I made fresh ricotta this week from my goats milk and it was really good.  I plan to try making cottage cheese for my daughter this week.


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## horseymama2 (May 29, 2017)

Well, my little homestead is coming along. My garden is up and doing much better this year. The soil is much improved, I can actually hoe and pull weeds. My seeds germinated and came up this year. My little goat is still in milk and giving 6 cups a day, down from a peak of 9 cups a day. Best of all the fence is going up. I can't wait to have a fenced pasture. 
I tried uploading pics, but I keep getting error messages. I think the files are to big.


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## CntryBoy777 (May 29, 2017)

It does sound as if things are progressing for ya and the fence going up will be a really good thing for ya. The garden sounds like it will turn out to be a good producer too. Really glad things are coming together for ya and doing well....


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## horseymama2 (Sep 3, 2017)

Well, the fence is done. I have four big bales of hay from my own field. I bought an Alpine /Lamancha doe for almost nothing. She was tiny and thin when I got her, but after 8 weeks she is sleek, beautiful and growing like a weed now.  I am still not certain if my black doe is bred, hopefully I will know by the end of the month.
My garden did pretty well, but tomatoes and squash that came up from last year's plantings made it a jungle. I plan to enlarge my garden next year. 
We are looking for materials from old barns we can recycle into one for us.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 3, 2017)

It is good to hear and see that ya are making progress there. Sometimes it may seem a bit slow, but with things getting Better means that progress is being made and with fall and winter coming on....making headway in the garden becomes much easier. I might suggest to cover it with leaves as much as ya can and as deep as ya can....then in the spring work them into the soil before planting, this will help with weed control and condition the soil also. Your goats look really good and glad ya are still getting milk.....before ya know it things will begin to really improve as pieces come together and more of your Goals are revealed.....


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## Mike CHS (Sep 4, 2017)

Your place is looking good.  I think most of us lose control of the gardens as the season changes.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 4, 2017)

Do you have living quarters at the land?  Didn't see that info.  But, being there will sure help to be able to control weeds and animals.   You are milking, so you have to be close  

It takes a while to get everything set-up...sometime a long while.  Been here 18 years and while established, there's always "something" that needs attention!   

WHAT -- no chickens???    That's usually #1 critter.

It helps if you put the area you live in your profile.  Often that will determine the kind of reply you may have for a question.
Congrats on "own hay"   Did you get someone who would cut & bale such a small amount?    Here I can't get anyone to do that.

Your making progress.   Keep on.


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## horseymama2 (Sep 5, 2017)

I do live on the land. I have a cute little ranch house dead center of my land. I took the goat pictures from my porch.  I can't wait until I can sit there and watch horses in that field. I always love my gardens early in the season and hate the jungles of late summer. But my tomatoes over ran and crushed my tomato cages and then swallowed up the rest of the garden. My pole beans are just starting to produce beans, they were to late in the season for me. I am a teacher and went back to work August 3rd. I don't have time to can now.  I am ready to clear it for next year.
We emptied and moved a small shed into the pasture yesterday. We are going to split it and make it a goat house/chicken coop. Now the chickens can free range safe from my neighborhood fox. 
Well, I need to go to school. Ttfn (Tay ta for now).


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## Baymule (Sep 5, 2017)

I also used tomato cages, but now I use cow panels. They are awesome! I spread sheep manure, compost, topped with cardboard to keep the weeds down, then pounded T-posts and put up cow panels. I set them 18-20 inches apart, just enough for me to scooch my butt down the row to insert my tomato plants. And I made a double row.


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## horseymama2 (Sep 10, 2017)

Baymule,
I love that idea. I have a few cattle panels that I can't use for the goats ( Emma repeatedly gets her head stuck in them).

We built the chicken coop in the shed today. I will move the chickens into it This evening. Once they know it is home, I can let them free range in the pasture with the goats!


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## Baymule (Sep 10, 2017)

I like that!


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## horseymama2 (Apr 5, 2018)

I swear I  posted the other day, but it got lost in cyber space I guess.  Update for Spring 2018.  The goat/chicken house is working out great.  I love it!  I haven't lost a chicken since we moved them inside the pasture fence. I love that they can free range all day. The set up gives me space to house a goat separately when necessary.  I was disappointed that my goat doe did not get pregnant last summer.  I tried breeding her again this fall/winter and both my does are due to kid in the next 30 days.  I just got a third doe.  She is a pure bred alpine with a very cute buck by her side.  She was terribly thin when she arrived a few weeks ago, but I am working on getting weight on her. 
I am thinking about running a few strands of electric fence around the other field so I can use it for pasture rotations  this summer. We will see if we find the time and money to do that this summer. We have other things on the list this year, like a vacation I hope.
My garden is ready for spring planting, and I started seeds indoors a week ago.  I am ready for school to get out and let the summer vacation/farming begin!


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## Baymule (Apr 5, 2018)

Congrats on the upcoming kids. And congrats on the new doe.


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