When we packed up our lives in New Jersey, the only thing we knew for certain is that our home in Tennessee was going to be better for us. We had no particular plans, except maybe for our Great Dane, which my husband so delightfully refers to as our pony. One-by-one, things started to change and goals began to form. All for the better.
What is a homestead?
Homestead as an official definition doesn’t seem very broad. It’s essentially described as land with a farmhouse and includes a law about tax exemptions. From everything I’ve read and homesteaders I’ve met, it is no longer limited to that. A modern ‘homestead’ seems to refer more to a lifestyle that aims to be more self-sufficient. Growing your own food, raising livestock, canning, and making your own clothes are just some of the things that a homesteader might do. And now, we hope it’s what we are gradually building for our future!
Backyard chickens
It started with my husband pondering the idea of having chickens. We visited with friends who had chickens and the chickens seemed so easygoing and interesting. So many trips to the farmer’s market made us think about how useful the eggs would be. He started to daydream about fresh daily scrambled eggs and I mused about all of the baked goods I could share and trade. Bartering and trading are some of my favorite things that people do here!
Finally, the conversation became reality. I suggested that we turn the ugly outdoor, detached patio into a chicken coop. The little idea light bulb flickered above his head and nearly immediately, he got to work. The chicken coop looks wonderful so far and I’m so proud of him. This man will tell you over and over how much he hates woodworking and yet, he made this magic happen! He’s a perfectionist so he could list all of the things that he hates about it but ignore him, it’s truly lovely. I plan to share the before and after photos once it’s completely finished.
We began with six baby chicks in a plastic storage bin and a heat lamp up in our playroom. The chicks were unsexed but we chose at least a few breeds that would be good layers. The other few were “bantams”, which are small mixed breeds. We chose those ones just because they were pretty colors! Our big hens are an Asian Black, Golden Comet, and an Isa Brown and we can’t wait until they begin giving us eggs, which should be in about a month or two!
Mixing the flock
Once our first round of chickens was able to be moved outside to the chicken coop, we picked up some more baby chicks. This time, we were able to buy females. We added Ameracauna pullets to the flock but the store also had ducklings and we were intrigued. We took our new chicks home while I researched more about adding ducklings to the flock.
Now seems like a good time to mention that you do want to do your own research, and on more than one outlet. Gather up all of the information on your own. Employees at the store are not experts and may very well be misleading you unintentionally. At one point, I was directed to a food that is not safe for ducklings but because of the things I read, I knew this. Our first round of chicks had been eating medicated food, which is not okay for ducks. They consume much more than a chicken and the medicine would kill them. Ducks also need a niacin supplement for proper growth and development.
Mixing the flock has so far been relatively easy but there are some differences I’ve noticed. The ducks are very messy in that they want to splash in the water. We had to clean the brooder much more frequently while the ducks shared the space with our chicks, which wasn’t long. It was pretty remarkable how fast the ducks grew in comparison to the chicks! Currently, we allow the ducks to roam in a separate space from the older chickens and the chicks in the coop but will eventually integrate them with the older chickens.
Duck eggs are much bigger than chicken eggs but should lead to some delightful, fluffy baked goods. Recipes do need modifications though, due to the size of the eggs. We look forward to eggs come January, should these ducks be female. Winter can prove to be a more difficult month for egg production but we plan to supply them with plenty of heat and proper food throughout these cold months.
That’ll do, pig
On one of our visits to the farmer’s market for delicious barbecue sauce and tasty microgreens from our friends Dabell Family Farms, we learned about Kunekune pigs. They are a grass-grazing pig originating from New Zealand and we decided that they would make quite the lawn mower for our constantly growing yard. You can get a goat, sure, and that may very well be on our to-do list, but for now a Kunekune is set to join our family around November. They are known to be a relatively easy pig to maintain, due to the grass, and we plan to socialize it very much! The outdoor patio was transformed into a coop but we also made a pig pen section for our upcoming piglet, Kuna. I’ll be sure to share upon arrival!
The garden
Plans are drawn up and mapped out for a moderately sized garden in front of the barn in our backyard and along the side of our home. Given the amount of sun that does and does not reach certain areas of our yard, we are still researching the plants that will thrive best for us. Do share your suggestions with us! We hope to grow so many things that we will plate and enjoy for lunches and dinners.
We also discovered that the backyard has two very large apple trees. One may need some assistance but the other one is a fantastic producer and has already led to so many apple crisps shared with friends! I loved the feeling of just grabbing something from the yard, washing it, and immediately serving it up.
The difficulties
Honestly, there are very few things that I find difficult about raising this homestead so far because we all enjoy it so much that it doesn’t feel like work, it feels rewarding. However, there are complications that will need working out. There is no more just spontaneously packing up and going on vacation. It took time to find a pet sitter, especially one willing to handle ferrets, but now we need someone that can be trusted to handle our pets, our livestock, and eventually our garden. Neglecting the work on any of these, even for just a day or two, can lead to ruin.
We were already overjoyed with our decision to move to Tennessee but building toward having a homestead is absolutely delighting for us. It has been quite the learning experience for us and for our children. We can’t believe that we didn’t sign on for this life sooner but we do believe all things happen in God’s time. We look forward to sharing our journey with you as we grow into a true homestead!