Animals to acreage question

[greybeard]

Fencing appears to be 4x6 net wire.
https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_f/IS27eeijojybqn0000000000.jpg

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/276-Grinder-Creek-Rd-Hohenwald-TN-38462/2117479021_zpid/

That's a long private road you'll have to maintain or pay someone else to.
The haybales in the ditch are indicative of possible erosion problems.
https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_f/ISugww53416cxn0000000000.jpg

Nice back deck and greenhouse!

Looks like they did some more clearing and the greenhouse was added after the summertime google earth pic was taken.

 

[Lereg]

Yeah. We'll have to go look at it and see it all in person, but it's still a possibility.

 

[Latestarter]

Yeah... so be careful with that description of "gently rolling hills"... If you've read my journal, that's kinda what I started with looking at in KY and after driving all night to go see it the damned property was nearly vertical. The only "flat" area was right around the house, garage and work shop... I would have had to hire someone to fence it as I'm nowhere near in good enough shape to have done it myself. You might want to check out a couple of other property sites as well; https://www.zillow.com/
and I also had good success with http://www.landsofamerica.com/

 

[Lereg]

Thanks Latestarter, we have looked on all of the sites we can find though. Luckily for us, we will only be moving a few hours away, so we won't have to drive that long!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

From what I can see, that pasture area needs a bit of work, and probably a bit of rest too. Pigs are going to be good for the forested areas, but that pasture area just needs a bit of TLC to bring it back.

 

[Bruce]

It almost seeming like I should just buy a slaughter cow every year and add more smaller livestock. S
It seems like the feeding and care would about even out to just getting one processed. Actually, I like pork and chicken better anyway, lol.

The drawback of buying a slaughter animal is that you have no idea how it was raised. From what I've seen posted here on BYH, knowing how the animal lived and what it ate is an important thing to many.

 

[NH homesteader]

We have basically given up beef except rare occasions because we do not have the ability to raise cattle ourselves. We do buy some local beef but the price is perhaps more so here due to the long winters.

Pigs are easy to raise!

 

[Lereg]

The drawback of buying a slaughter animal is that you have no idea how it was raised. From what I've seen posted here on BYH, knowing how the animal lived and what it ate is an important thing to many.

That's a good point. Maybe I can find somebody close that raises them ' right' and healthy.

 

[farmerjan]

I still honestly believe that you would do fine if you were to buy a couple of steers in the 600 lb range, keep them for 6-10 months then sell one and put the other in the freezer. You could advertise the one you wanted to sell as being pasture raised, and all the things you want your own to be....

But, once you find the place you want to be and get a bit settled, then find the local sale/auction barn, go spend a little time there, just to see how things are doing; then see if the feed stores/local co-ops have a bulletin board and you may very well find someone with something to sell. Also, find the local butcher/slaughter house and talk to them. They often know of someone who has a 1/2 to sell or may have an extra animal they want to get rid of. I had 2 extra jersey steers (sold a total of 6) and finally they went to the sale. Not 2 weeks later had 3 different people call me looking for one....Get yourself one in the freezer and then give yourself some time to figure out if you want to raise one down the road. Most people who raise one or a few up for themselves will raise it humanely, and some will be grass fed and others will included grain in their diets. But they usually aren't in a feed lot type setting but out in a pasture where they are not confined and restricted.

 

[Baymule]

We have 8 acres, partially wooded. We opted for sheep and the occasional feeder pig. Right now we have 3 feeder pigs, 1 for us and 2 for neighbors. We'll split the expense and we all get a pig for the freezer. We have 5 ewes and a ram, we wether the ram lambs and sell them at slaughter weight. We have chickens and sell the eggs, they pay for themselves. We get eggs and meat.

We have a neighbor with cows. We'll probably buy a steer from him and take it to slaughter. We don't have room for cows. if I get to wanting a milk animal, I'll get a couple of goats. Goats are smaller and easier to work with.

We will be getting a trio of Muscovy ducks. They are the ultimate farm duck. The drakes get up to 9 pounds, the hens up to 7 pounds. They brood and raise their own young. I would recommend them to you.

And a LGD! If you have small livestock, you need guardian dogs. We have a great Livestock Guard Dog forum here, read all you can. Right now, my male Great Pyrenees is guarding a ewe and brand new lamb, I can hear his booming BOOF! that warns predators away. Coyotes are terrible here, but we have had no losses.