silarajc's "Starting a Farm" Journal

[silarajc]

I grew up in West Texas - spent summers outside all day in 100+ weather and had the time of my life. Shade trees and a breeze made a huge difference. And when the water hose came out it was the best! But the humidity here makes it hard to breathe, and shade only makes a little difference. Spoiled, I am.

 

[Latestarter]

Oh yeah... humidity is the killer! 100 and dry is quite palatable while 90 and 90% humidity is utterly miserable.

 

[silarajc]

And we are in record highs for this time of year. Praying it doesn't hold true all summer!!

 

[silarajc]

Picture of the girls trying to make pets of the neighbor's young steers.

 

[CntryBoy777]

If ya live over in the "Boothill", then ya aren't very far north of me...and that "Pipeline" known as the Mississippi funnels that humidity straight from the Gulf. Not to mention the moisture that fell the past 2wks being on top of the ground with the sun shining on it just adds that much more to it. I hate seeing it so early, cause it just means another scorcher like last yr....just Longer.
Glad the girls like animals....ya can keep them busy anyway.

 

[silarajc]

Yep! And more rain this week. Not that I mind the rain, the ground needs it, but !

 

[silarajc]

@lakestarter - how much work are the goats? We were thinking of getting a couple goats and a couple hair sheep to help trim back the wild areas and maybe eventually use for meat. I'm a little worried about semi-permanent fencing for them.

 

[CntryBoy777]

What is worrying ya about fence for goats and sheep? I happen to be working on some right now. In fact, was going to comment back to ya that the moisture helps in driving those Tposts in this clay we have here.

 

[silarajc]

So, to have them be our weed whackers, we will need to contain them in the brush. Fence line between our property and the neighbor is just 5 strand barbed wire in most places, with plenty of wild woods. So we will have to add to or redo this fencing (need to check who owns the fence), and do so in the overgrown areas we want them to thin out. Easiest way seems to be to put them on a line, but that also seems to be the easiest way to have them get themselves in trouble (I've heard goats are really good at that). I'd say that 60% of our property is pasture rented to a neighbor for grazing his cattle, 10% is the house and outbuildings, and 30% is this overgrown woods that needs to be cleaned up.

Putting a fence in the wild areas also means we have to clear enough to not only string the fencing, but to make sure they don't have a way to climb out of it from fallen logs, branches, etc.

And we will have to acquire a taste for mutton... Didn't realize that the unique flavor of gyros came mainly from mutton!

 

[CntryBoy777]

That does present some consideration and opportunity of some physical labor. If you are going to start out with a just a few goats, then what I think that I would do is to get some cattle panels to start with and section off a portion of it with the panels and Tposts....unless there are some 5" trees or bigger to support the panel. Allow the goats to work on an area and when they have thinned it out, move the panels to a new area and rest the panels for a new area. Once ya have it fairly thinned, then take steps to put up permanent fence. There is one other thing to consider, too....and that would be predators and the pressure that they may present. I would keep the panels at least a couple of feet from that barbed wire. Others may have other ideas, but just from what ya described, that would be my way of thinking anyway...