Larsen Poultry Ranch - homesteading journey

[Baymule]

Why eat brush when you have planted them a buffet? Your plants are much yummier.

Hope you get the gate wired up soon, that will be a wonderful convenience!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I bought 6.5' deer/bird fence that should arrive before the weekend, plus one of those shade/privacy screens to attach to the chain link around the new garden zone. I'm hoping we will get it all together this weekend so I can move plants and prevent further deer attacks.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

No deer attacks recently. The deer/bird netting hasn't arrived yet, but Saturday hubby and I put up a section of the new garden fence, 6' woven wire 2"*4". We could have put up another section but it was over 90° and I was melting, munchkin was not happy stuck in his playpen, and it took us maybe 2 hours? To do the one section so it pushed lunch back so we were all cranky. So now the area looks like: gap for man-gate, fence, tractor gate, and then t-posts awaiting the fence to be stretched.

Several of the plants which had a lot of damage from the deer have itty bitty leaves starting to grow, so I think they will come back. The avocado I grew from seed that was super tall, which the deer knocked over got severely sunburned and most of its leaves are crispy. Not sure if that ones going to come back but I'm still watering it in case there's a chance.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I tried to post more yesterday but the website was having trouble?

Sunday morning hubby had a friend over and they pulled off the swamp cooler from the roof and patched the hole. Hubby took pictures of the rafters before they closed up the hole and it was delightful to see how little material there was holding up the roof. It's ridiculous but apparently it was to code to build that way at the time. Makes me a lot more nervous now whenever hubby has to walk on the roof. There is some insulation up there, at least where we were looking, but it wasn't very thick insulation.

Sunday afternoon I went out to get the trash can at the end of the driveway and the neighbor was out feeding his sheep. You could tell because they were loudly exclaiming that they were perishing from hunger. Munchkin enjoyed watching them. Neighbor came over to talk and said he is planning to put the male in his freezer within a few weeks as the four ewes should be bred. He wants to sell the ewes as he and his wife want to be able to travel and they haven't been able to find a caretaker for the sheep and chickens. There are three meat cross ewes and one pure meat ewe (male is same breed). My mind is going blank on the breeds. Suffolk? It's the really common cross that the 4H kids use for meat sheep. I will probably remember it about 20 minutes after posting...

He asked if we were interested but we don't have a fenced zone yet. I asked hubby and he doesn't want to get sheep right now but I'm very tempted. We would have a few weeks to get a fence and shade/barn/thing up. To sheep or not to sheep? I was able to gently pet the male sheep's nose through the fence and one ewe came close enough to the fence to try and lip my fingers in case I was providing treats but the others wouldn't get within 5 feet of a human.

Monday the sun shade arrived, going to try to install that next to the house where we took out the deck, it's supposed to be 6.5'*16'. That way we can have a shaded sitting area, and maybe put the kiddie pool there too. If it works well I'll probably buy 2-3 more to make a good sized shady zone. Deer/bird fence still not here, need to check the tracking info.

 

[farmerjan]

I don't know CA weather.... BUT.... if you are going to buy this is the time to get them. In most places, August is the cheapest of months and many try to not sell.... cooler weather will have people thinking the grass is going to start coming back, there will normally be more rain.... plus, if he thinks they are bred, you will be getting a better deal. Would he sell the whole package with the ram?
Could you keep them there at their place...??? provide some "checking on the house property sitting" type of deal? Give you time to get a place for them and give the neighbor a little benefit of the property not being totally "empty????
I would seriously think about it.... prices are going to go up as things get more "scarce" with the drought in other parts of the country...
Wish I was close, I would get them and put them on my 2 acres here, and get the chickens as I am about ready for some new ones since I lost the couple to the hawk/fox???? Even if they only laid halfway decent for awhile....

 

[Baymule]

What @farmerjan said. Yes! Get the sheep!

 

[Mini Horses]

Instigators!

 

[GardnerHomestead]

Hampshire/suffolk is the 4h mix, we had some this year for fair and they were fantastic. loved them

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Hampshire/suffolk is the 4h mix, we had some this year for fair and they were fantastic. loved them

Ugh, my brain kept saying Hampshire but then it was like, no, that's a pig breed. Lol.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Hubby doesn't want to get the sheep, says we have too many things going right now. But also says he thinks lamb is delicious if you know how to cook it (he doesn't yet, and I don't either). I think prices for meat critters is going to go wonky, with lack of feed, people butchering because of lack of feed, and the anti-meat people. I'd like to get my bunny barn done so they are protected, out of sight, and cooler so I can start breeding them again.

I have no clue how much a bred meat ewe should cost, but I'd bet it would be over $1,000 for all 4 ewes. Plus hay, grain, medication/first aid stuff, shearing appointment or shears, a new ram, etc. I think I need to do some research and make a spreadsheet.

We have a roll of 4' tall 2"*4" woven wire, I think 300'ish, we would just need more t posts. The current car port (stores stuff not cars) is actually two mare motels put together, which we need to move (along with the stuff) to build the garage, so that would work for their housing. Probably want to run hot wire along the fence to deter animals.

Need to get the front fence finished and talk to a real estate lawyer to see what options we have about the people who use our driveway as part of a walking trail. I really don't like that they just walk through, some at the crack of dawn.