Just starting

[Jmafisher]

My wife and I have decided to move out of the Chicago suburbs and are in the process of buying a farm in McHenry County Illinois about 60 miles West of the city. It is still close enough to visit the city, but it is far enough away that it's in the country. We have about 4 acres with one portion that is for the people and one portion that is for the animals. Our daughter has adopted a Mustang and we will be keeping him on the farm as soon as we get another horse. We have a couple of chicken coops and are seriously thinking about goats.
My grandmother used to have goats on her farm in Southern Illinois and it would be great to have some again. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[ldawntaylor]

Welcome. I have a question for you. Are you familiar with the Geneva/St. Charles area? I used to live near there.

You can find a lot of info here as well as knowledgeable and experienced people.

 

[Alexz7272]

Do you know what kind of goats you'd like to keep? Please do not be afraid to ask any and all questions, we are all here to help

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Congrats on your purchase and making the farm your own!

You’ll find lots of guidance and helpful information and support around here.

Not my area of expertise but something you’ll want to look into would be what your acreage can support. I’m not familiar enough with the area that you are moving to, to make any recommendations but the local extension office should be able to help. The reason that I bring this up is because horses take more area than other species and you’ll want to make sure you avoid straining the land.

Feel free to start a journal under the social section! By doing so, we can all follow along on your journey.

P.S. We love pictures! (Hint. Hint. )

 

[ldawntaylor]

Just a thought, but the mustang's companion doesn't have to be another horse. I know of at least one show horse whose companion is a goat.

 

[Jmafisher]

Hi,
Yes I'm familiar with St Charles and Geneva, thanks for the tip.

Welcome. I have a question for you. Are you familiar with the Geneva/St. Charles area? I used to live near there.

You can find a lot of info here as well as knowledgeable and experienced people.[/QUOTE

 

[Jmafisher]

My daughter has been around horses since she was 4, so she is the horse expert. Normally you need one acre per horse, but can do less with goods pasture management.
We may also look at goats as companions for the horses, but I want to ride with my daughter so we are going to rescue another mustang

I've started a blog at www.mustanghollowfarm.com

It's a journey

Congrats on your purchase and making the farm your own!

You’ll find lots of guidance and helpful information and support around here.

Not my area of expertise but something you’ll want to look into would be what your acreage can support. I’m not familiar enough with the area that you are moving to, to make any recommendations but the local extension office should be able to help. The reason that I bring this up is because horses take more area than other species and you’ll want to make sure you avoid straining the land.

Feel free to start a journal under the social section! By doing so, we can all follow along on your journey.

P.S. We love pictures! (Hint. Hint. )

 

[Jmafisher]

Do you know what kind of goats you'd like to keep? Please do not be afraid to ask any and all questions, we are all here to help

We don't know about what kind of goats but are open to suggestions. We want milk and pets mostly.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

My daughter has been around horses since she was 4, so she is the horse expert. Normally you need one acre per horse, but can do less with goods pasture management.
We may also look at goats as companions for the horses, but I want to ride with my daughter so we are going to rescue another mustang

I've started a blog at www.mustanghollowfarm.com

It's a journey

Great!! You’ll still find that the county extension agent is a wonderful resource for various things.

You may consider starting a journal under the social part of the forum. We’d like be to be able to follow along.

I think it’s wonderful that you and your daughter are into rescue. We’ve rescued several dogs, cats, chickens, and even goats. Haven’t rescued as much since having our medically fragile daughter but it’s something that I hope to get back into in the future.

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH from NE TX! So glad you joined us. Congrats on leaving the "big city" behind and moving back to the country! I'm sure you're going to love it so much more. And you're still within reach of "civilization" should you need a "fix". If you want milk, then dairy goats of course are the best way to go. I'm a big fan of Lamanchas. It's what I own and their milk is delish! There are of course other breeds. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. I'm sure you'll learn much about all the breeds in your browsing. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!