Lifestyle Greenhorn

[Lizzy733]

Ah, not so bad then.

How do you get water, if a cave is below you?

Rain collection from structures. There's two 30k litre tanks and several 1k litre ones scattered throughout the property.

We get most of our rain over winter and summers can be a bit dry. Hoping us being at the he top of the mountain ridge gives us a bit more rain. It's windy, apparently. Current owner's measured it up to 90k - sounds extreme, but we have similar where we are currently.

There was a big gust that pushed a truck into the Harbour bridge here in Auckland and it was measured as 98 - I was working from home that day - same gust got us and ripped our tin shed up, taking a wooden slat from the foundation with it. Had to go out in the storm to resecure it. Thankfully, it was too full to really go anywhere, so just had to pull it back into position and bolt the wood down again. The doors on it are still completely munted from wind damage tho.

The new section is well planted - the current owner bought it as a 5 year retirement project. There's an orchard, several greenhouses, heaps of produce and everything's irrigated from the tanks. There's coffee, heritage kumara(native purple sweet potato), avocado, passionfruit, all the fruit trees, even tobacco (not that either of us smoke). We have quite a collection we've been growing in containers for years waiting for land we can put it on - miracle berry, custard apple, dragon fruit, white sage, pecan, blood orange etc etc... I think one truck load may end up being container plants alone. There's a few in the ground we've planted here that will come with too - lavenders and our kakabeak...my husband has already started on plant prepping.

It also has an above ground pool, though I'm not a big fan of those. Everything but personal belongings is pretty much coming with the sale... Tractor with implements, rotary hoe etc. So will really have to see what we're working with once we get there. Lots of spare materials for building frames.

Hoping to pop up a hoop house to put the chickens in temporarily while we dismantle and move their heavy coop. We have one here we've never been able to put up, should suit for a short stay, otherwise will steal one if the greenhouses.

 

[Alaskan]

Rain collection from structures. There's two 30k litre tanks and several 1k litre ones scattered throughout the property.

We get most of our rain over winter and summers can be a bit dry. Hoping us being at the he top of the mountain ridge gives us a bit more rain. It's windy, apparently. Current owner's measured it up to 90k - sounds extreme, but we have similar where we are currently.

There was a big gust that pushed a truck into the Harbour bridge here in Auckland and it was measured as 98 - I was working from home that day - same gust got us and ripped our tin shed up, taking a wooden slat from the foundation with it. Had to go out in the storm to resecure it. Thankfully, it was too full to really go anywhere, so just had to pull it back into position and bolt the wood down again. The doors on it are still completely munted from wind damage tho.

The new section is well planted - the current owner bought it as a 5 year retirement project. There's an orchard, several greenhouses, heaps of produce and everything's irrigated from the tanks. There's coffee, heritage kumara(native purple sweet potato), avocado, passionfruit, all the fruit trees, even tobacco (not that either of us smoke). We have quite a collection we've been growing in containers for years waiting for land we can put it on - miracle berry, custard apple, dragon fruit, white sage, pecan, blood orange etc etc... I think one truck load may end up being container plants alone. There's a few in the ground we've planted here that will come with too - lavenders and our kakabeak...my husband has already started on plant prepping.

It also has an above ground pool, though I'm not a big fan of those. Everything but personal belongings is pretty much coming with the sale... Tractor with implements, rotary hoe etc. So will really have to see what we're working with once we get there. Lots of spare materials for building frames.

Hoping to pop up a hoop house to put the chickens in temporarily while we dismantle and move their heavy coop. We have one here we've never been able to put up, should suit for a short stay, otherwise will steal one if the greenhouses.

Sounds wonderful.


Is there water delivery if you run low on water? (As in a big truck that delivers a full water tank full of water)

 

[Lizzy733]

Sounds wonderful.


Is there water delivery if you run low on water? (As in a big truck that delivers a full water tank full of water)

I'm sure there is, but not sure if they'd be able to access the site. There's a very twisty curve in the main drive past the gate - already worried we'll have trouble with a moving truck.


Good thing all my livestock ambitions are small. XD

 

[Alaskan]

I'm sure there is, but not sure if they'd be able to access the site. There's a very twisty curve in the main drive past the gate - already worried we'll have trouble with a moving truck.
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Good thing all my livestock ambitions are small. XD

There are numerous people where I live that have water delivered.

The trucks are pretty good at navigating difficult driveways. I think they have a smaller truck for the people who live on truly terrible roads with hairpin turns.

But I agree, that is a sharp turn.

At our place, if we order something that arrives on a big truck, we meet in town. The item is moved from the huge truck to our truck, and we drive it home.

Our horses came and went on a huge horse trailer that couldn't reach our house. But horses can walk.

 

[Lizzy733]

There are numerous people where I live that have water delivered.

The trucks are pretty good at navigating difficult driveways. I think they have a smaller truck for the people who live on truly terrible roads with hairpin turns.

But I agree, that is a sharp turn.

At our place, if we order something that arrives on a big truck, we meet in town. The item is moved from the huge truck to our truck, and we drive it home.

Our horses came and went on a huge horse trailer that couldn't reach our house. But horses can walk.

Thus is true, so either buy babies I can stuff in the boot or have halters handy... Wish I could do that with the chicken coop.

My husband and I both bought commuters last time we were in the market for cars - little grunty hybrids, but they can't have a towbar because if the weight distribution from the battery on the back axel.

I was really contemplating something with a towbar at the time too, but this was meant to be 5 year plan and ended up being two... Just that perfect property came up and we couldn't pass it up.

Least I'll have a cheap morning commute, but we'll have to get a street legal something at some point.

 

[Alaskan]

Sheep can easily sit on the back seat, or the passenger seat... if you tie them in place so they don't try to climb on your lap.

With goats they sat on the back seat with a human child to keep them there.... or they road in the hatchback part of our SUV.

No trailer or truck needed.

 

[Lizzy733]

Sheep can easily sit on the back seat, or the passenger seat... if you tie them in place so they don't try to climb on your lap.

With goats they sat on the back seat with a human child to keep them there.... or they road in the hatchback part of our SUV.

No trailer or truck needed.

I the no there may be some transport rules around them here in NZ though. Not sure if you can get away with a boot delivery once they get a bit bigger.

I'm thinking kune kune and goats for down the line, but the biggest I'm thinking is maybe toggenburg. Wouldn't want to use the car when it's time to flip the ram though unless I bought it freshly weaned.

 

[Alaskan]

I lived my Saanan doe best. Incredible milker.

 

[Lizzy733]

I lived my Saanan doe best. Incredible milker.

How's their milk fats? I really want to make my own butter, buttermilk, sour creams and cheeses primarily and we aren't very heavy on milk. My son (7) drinks a fair bit, but my husband and I typically dont, so may even be able to leave a kid on her and do a morning milking for ourselves every once in a while.

We have friends in the area with a herd of cows and I'd thought maybe Dexters, but there's all this registration you have to do if you keep a cow - sheep, goats etc would all have to be registered if we had one cause NZ is crazy over biosecurity... Would have to track and report movements and culls etc.. More hassle than I want to go through.

Was thinking, get one weaned toggenburg and Anglo Nubian(or cross native\feral since they're all tiny and should have high milk fats) doe, a Nubian wether for my son as a pet and a buck of some description I could put over them to get them in milk (though I don't know if I could find one to suit size-wise) - possibly slaughter the buck afterward depending on how we find keeping one.

Anybody run their goats and sheep together? Could I put the buck in with the ram off-season and run the does and wether with the flock until kidding without too much trouble? (I know all about integration from poultry, so wouldn't just throw them in there).

We want to keep herd sizes manageable, so will probably downgrade and slaughter some sheep over winter as I think, counting lambs, there's around 16+ at the moment.

I have the equipment and plan to start doing my own fecal floats at home (at some point) - just have been lazy about setting up the microscope, which hooks into a PC cause I wear glasses and just can't when it comes to looking through one. It's OP, but should get the job done.

 

[Alaskan]

Well...

With a goat you need a milk separator to get cream, butter etc.

Saanan milk is lower in fat. I still made cheese out of it (and cream for ice cream). But the Saanan claim to fame is that one doe can easily give over a gallon a day for 2 or MORE years after a single breeding. No messing with a buck, breeding, kidding, kids, etc. Just milk reliably every single day, for almost forever.

My nubian had higher milk fat, yes. But, she would only milk for maybe 9 months. Her milk quantity was never as high as my Saanan, and her milk would just slowly taper off. I had one other nubian whose milk production was even shorter! I didn't keep her for long.

The Saanan, if her milk quantity started to reduce, all you had to do was increase milking.... and her production would pick up. If she produces too much, just milk once a day.

With a small herd, it is so much nicer to NOT have a buck. Of course, since you have high regulations... you will have to look into how things work....

But here, I would take blood samples of the does, send them off. I would get the results that they were disease free, and with those papers in hand could easily find a buck (that had also been tested disease free), and set a "date". I would then take the doe, once she went into heat, drive her to the buck in the back of my SUV. Get her out of the SUV, put her in the buck pen. Run a couple of errands, come back in an hour. Spray doe down with a vinegar spray, to help mute the buck smell, and stick her back into the SUV to take her home.

Your son could have the does as pets. But I don't see the point of a non-useful extra mouth to feed (having a wether). The does can be very friendly. We greatly enjoyed our girls.

If making a "date" is not possible where you are, artificial insemination might be a perfect choice. Yes, that costs more than a "date". However, then you have no issues with keeping a buck all year. You also have the wonderful choice of choosing exactly which kind of buck for each doe, and changing your mind each time they need to be bred.

I also tried a Saanan x Nigerian dwarf... hoping for cute, small, higher fat. Teats were way too small for me. I like large easy to milk teats.

I also found the full sized girls much easier to fence. Goats are INCREDIBLE escape artists and need the highest quality fences.

I have never had a Toggenburg.

Oh, one other thing about Nubians is that they are LOUD. Incredibly loud. Truly.

My saanan was quiet.

Edited for typos