Dani4Hedgies Building AND Starting our Homesteading Life in MO

[Dani4Hedgies]

Wow what a busy time it has been since I last posted an update, Strawberry has 14 baby assorted bantams that she is Soo proud of and is being a great mommy too. (Don't mind the messing nest area that was taken before I cleaned it last night) Allie Bun Bun and Mickey Bun Bun are expecting babies we expect around the end of the month. Finally my turkeys have decided to start laying as have my ducks so those will be taking a turn in the Incubator soon to produce more babies of both. We have finally moved all the "Big" girl hens out to the farm in readiness of the "new" breeding program I'm starting at my house which will be creating my own line of self sustaining meat birds (which will arrive the first week of April from Meyers) as well as a bantam only flock. Now just gotta butcher all the extra drakes and roos that we have left over and get them off the food bill and into the freezer

Attended the Gardner auction last weekend and OMG was it freezing cold (seeing as I had just come back from New Orleans a couple days before it was a serious fist to the face cold this winter seems as though it will never end).

Picked up a rabbit "hutch" for Allie Bun Bun and since it has the perfect size ramp going to wrap the ramp in plastic fencing and wrap that with dark tarp so that Allie will think she is going "into a hole" where her babies will be at as well as double her space.

 

[promiseacres]

chickens in the bathroom
my DH would have a fit! But I love it!

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

chickens in the bathroom
my DH would have a fit! But I love it!

LOL as that is where our "house" chicken Strawberry normally lives my DH is actually ok with plus its a really tiny half bath so this is actually a good use for it And there was no way I was putting bantam day old chicks outside in subzero temps...my smart DH didn't even suggest it Plus this way we can lay on our bed and watch "Chick TV" so its a win win all around

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry, but "free ranging" chickens w/& chicks, ducklings, poultry in general, inside the domicile just would NOT work for me! Kudos to those who make it work for them! I had my "brooder" in a large cardboard watermelon container from wally world. You know, the ones that are like 3.5' tall and 4 foot square on a pallet? Anyway, I kept it in my spare bedroom on a tarp with wood shavings and a wire cover to keep them inside it. The room still got coated in chicken dust/dander, and I was very happy when I finally moved them out to the coops.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Sorry, but "free ranging" chickens w/& chicks, ducklings, poultry in general, inside the domicile just would NOT work for me! Kudos to those who make it work for them! I had my "brooder" in a large cardboard watermelon container from wally world. You know, the ones that are like 3.5' tall and 4 foot square on a pallet? Anyway, I kept it in my spare bedroom on a tarp with wood shavings and a wire cover to keep them inside it. The room still got coated in chicken dust/dander, and I was very happy when I finally moved them out to the coops.

LOL I can understand that though that entire room is tiled and has a HUGE window so its not that bad and I just spray it down to and wipe up the dust but I get ya

 

[Baymule]

I have brooded chicks in the house before and I was so glad to have a 3 stack brooder to put on the porch. I will be even happier to finally get the brooder off the porch and into a building. I think you can't farm without animals finding their way in the house, especially as babies.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

I have brooded chicks in the house before and I was so glad to have a 3 stack brooder to put on the porch. I will be even happier to finally get the brooder off the porch and into a building. I think you can't farm without animals finding their way in the house, especially as babies.

Yep so true

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Hello sorry everyone its been so long but life has definitely been crazy crazy crazy. Sadly our friendship/partnership with Eric and Heather ended on a sour note as these things sometimes do.
Soo rather then moving out to their land in Mo we are going to just homestead in our suburb Merriam house which actually just got a major overhaul including removing 10 trees from our backyard and putting in a 6 ft fence all the way around our 1/3 acre back yard.
DH has finally gotten a chance to meet some ND Goats and have decided that goats will be a good addition to our little farm of bantam chickens and some standard chickens thrown in.
We are looking at possibly adding turkeys back in the Spring as well as me starting my volunteering at different goat farms in the area to get a lot of hands on experience with goats as well as hoping to meet some Kinder goats and Angora taste their milk/pet their fiber and see if they are to our liking. (So anyone looking for some free help in return for some mentoring in KS/MO please reach out)
We decided to get out of bunnies as they just didn't really work for us. Also our Dear Kidlet fell in love with a very lovely girl on the internet so she now lives with us and while she turned 21 at the end of April, our dear Kidlet turns 21 on Wednesday where the years have gone I don't know.
I have also changed my work schedule down to part time only 3 days a week so now have plenty of time to devote to working our homestead. I pickled my first ever beets the other day and even used Splenda to replace the sugar to make them less of an impact on blood sugars and OMG they are yummy.
I can't wait to plant a nice garden in the Spring to make us even more able to survive without stores.
We also contacted a couple meat farms through facebook and will get 1/4 a steer and a whole hog butchered and ready for us in the next couple months.
Currently we are hanging out in a Walmart parking lot in Paris ILL as we have a meeting at a place called Coop Farms in 30 mins and we were early. Will post again soon I promise. Hope everyone had a great Halloween and has a Blessed day!!

 

[Cecilia's-herd]

Welcome back! Wow 2018! Nice to meet you Dani.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Welcome back! Wow 2018! Nice to meet you Dani.

Thank you Cecilia its great to be back.