Wolfemomma - Our Homestead Journey

[WolfeMomma]

I can't wait!! I wanted them because of the colors and also read that they are great for eating fresh.
Bay, how much corn do you need to even start milling? I've never done it but I'm interested in learning.
@WolfeMomma sorry to hijack your journal. We can move this topic to my journal if needed.

no worries I don't mind I will come check out your journal though!

 

[Mini Horses]

Milk cows & goats -- just remember, the KEY is that they ARE BEING MILKED. So when the calves/kids are taking less, they will slow production and eventually dry off. When this happens you will not get milk. At some point you will need to milk more, more often, or have no fresh milk.

 

[Baymule]

Here is some Painted Mountain corn I grew several years ago.

 

[RollingAcres]

 

[WolfeMomma]

Oh so colorful! I love it!

 

[WolfeMomma]

So I was not sure where to ask this, and I like hearing from all of you who reply and follow my journal on here so i figured I will discuss it here .
I feel like we are stuck , on a pretty important decision . I see benefits to both sides, hence why I don't know what to think.
We love our sheep. We have a small flock just a couple Ewes and a ram. We like lamb and enjoy eating it, but it does not produce enough meat for us. Its me my husband and 3 boys.
We have 2 Beef steers as well right now , that while expensive in regards to grain and amount of hay, will produce MORE then enough meat for our family. It will fill our freezers, which makes me happy.
Sometimes we wonder if we should consolidate to either just cows or just sheep. Keep in mind this is all mainly for our own consumption, we don't sell meat currently.
The sheep are attractive because We have some local farmers that are willing to give us hay in return for ewe Lambs. And they seem to sell well by me, but of course that is not a given and you have to be prepared that they may not sell.
The beef cattle hurt the pocket book a little bit, but they give us at least a years supply of meat. And for us that more then makes up for the bit of grain that we have to buy. We will be getting a jersey that will produce a calf every year that can be used for meat. And we will also get milk and all the yumminess that comes along with that.
Do i keep both? I feel like if i am just wanting to produce for us, then cattle would be better?
This is all extremely small scale. I have a very small barn and can't fit much in it. So i need to get as much meat as I can from a small amount of animals.
Just trying to figure out our future endeavors and would love to hear thoughts on this

 

[RollingAcres]

I'm still new to this so I don't have as much experience yet. We only want to raise food that we will eat. We're not much of lamb or goat eater, so we won't be raising any sheep or goats.
How much land do you have for the animals? I tried going back to the first page to see if you mentioned it but didn't see. It comes down to how much space and $$ you have too keep both.

 

[Bruce]

Just thoughts since I've never done anything like this.
Sheep, keep the sheep. Why? Because *I* love lamb No one else in the house wants to eat it.

How much do the cattle hurt the pocketbook to get them in the freezer? More than if you bought at the store? Less? A LOT less? Do you eat 2 full steers worth each "period"? I THINK it takes more than a year for a steer to get to slaughter weight. I found something that says grass fed take 18-24 months. Maybe get on a rotation that has one getting to size every time your freezer is about empty of beef?

How are your pastures? Sheep are a lot smaller and maybe easier on pastures that are soft/wet. My Dad and step mother raised both for a time in Oregon. Gave up on the cattle due to their size. Sheep are a lot easier to handle though they do need to be sheared unless you have hair sheep.

Are there postings in your local area on Craig's list of people looking to buy/sell sheep/cattle for meat? If so perhaps you can see if there is a market for excess.

If your farmers that want ewe lambs in trade for hay and you can raise the sheep "mostly free" on your pasture, that hay could be quite handy. I don't know how many bales/head they are trading and ONLY ewe lambs? I'm pretty sure you can't tell your ewes to produce ONLY female offspring I guess you eat the boys. But then if you ONLY have ram lambs, you have to buy hay for the sheep and cattle.

Yep, you are right, it is a quandary!

 

[Mike CHS]

An alternative is to not butcher them as lambs. We take a wether in when they are 12-15 months old and they have just about reached their mature weight. They are still young enough to be tender and to us there is no difference in the taste. We decided it was a real waste to slaughter a lamb that might provide 30-40 pounds of meat for the table when we can wait 6 months and get triple that amount. A plus is that our wethers get to that weight on grass only. The exception is that they are getting some feed at the moment because they are in with our ram and we are getting him in condition since he will be breeding again in a couple of weeks.

 

[Baymule]

We raise hair Sheep and feeder pigs. We are on 8 acres, really not enough land for cows. We buy half a steer from a friend. For us, the smaller livestock works. We also just raised and slaughtered 44 Cornish Cross meat chickens. I like having a choice of meats.

I would keep the Sheep. And if I were you, I’d build a shelter and pen for a couple of feeder pigs. Pigs give a good return on meat for the money spent on Feed. You are getting a milk cow, corn soured in milk and water makes the best pork you ever ate. If you make cheese, give the whey to the pigs.

It gets old trying to figure out what to cook for supper. Having a choice of meat makes it easier. I’m a great enabler aren’t I! LOL