Feeling the urge to move and start a hobby farm

[Anonymous]

You could also go work on a farm. Be their weekend/vacation relief.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

These are the sheep in question. Sigh. So cute!

[Anonymous]

Me, too! We have backyard chickens. Start with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

These are the sheep in question. Sigh. So cute!

They shit just like any other barnyard animal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

These are the sheep in question. Sigh. So cute!

They shit just like any other barnyard animal.

I get your point, but it's herbivore poo - mostly cellulose, and good for manure. Very different from carnivore, or omnivore poo.

[Anonymous]

The problem with a hobby farm is location. Most are only around 10 acres, so you’ll likely have close neighbors. What if the farmette next to you sells to a developer, who subdivides it into 1/4 acre plots? They’ll complain about everything—the smell, the flies, even if you keep it very neat—and you’ll be an “attractive nuisance”, so if a kid comes to pet your sheep and gets hurt, you’ll probably be liable. People will even be driving by, and stop and climb into your pasture to pet and feed your animals. The entitlement is unreal, and too much of a headache unless you have the ideal location setup.

Lot of upkeep with fences, manure maintenance, dealing with sick animals, etc. too.

[Anonymous]

I live on a working farm -- I run a horse boarding operation, have 30ish chickens, and an orchard/garden.

Sheep are tough to raise. They love to die. They wake up every morning thinking of inventive ways to die. Your entire life will be an effort to prevent them dying, and still they will manage to die sometimes. Luckily they are also really stupid, so it takes a while for some of them to manage to off themselves. They are the worst livestock in that respect (horses are bad enough!). Try goats -- those little bastards are sturdy and smart. Hard to fence in, though.

That said, I do find it fairly easy to get away, and travel internationally 3-4 times per year, as well as quite a few weeks away at horse competitions (I only take some of the horses to those). I have reliable farmsitters and pay them VERY well. Most farmers do not find it easy or affordable to get away. I have a "real job" or I couldn't afford it either.

It's a great life, but not for the faint of heart. You need to be mentally tough yourself. Things you don't think you are going to have to do, you will have to do (like trapping and shooting vermin). If not willing to do this, they will kill all your chickens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live on a working farm -- I run a horse boarding operation, have 30ish chickens, and an orchard/garden.

Sheep are tough to raise. They love to die. They wake up every morning thinking of inventive ways to die. Your entire life will be an effort to prevent them dying, and still they will manage to die sometimes. Luckily they are also really stupid, so it takes a while for some of them to manage to off themselves. They are the worst livestock in that respect (horses are bad enough!). Try goats -- those little bastards are sturdy and smart. Hard to fence in, though.

That said, I do find it fairly easy to get away, and travel internationally 3-4 times per year, as well as quite a few weeks away at horse competitions (I only take some of the horses to those). I have reliable farmsitters and pay them VERY well. Most farmers do not find it easy or affordable to get away. I have a "real job" or I couldn't afford it either.

It's a great life, but not for the faint of heart. You need to be mentally tough yourself. Things you don't think you are going to have to do, you will have to do (like trapping and shooting vermin). If not willing to do this, they will kill all your chickens.

Thank you for your valuable insight. OP here. Heritage sheep breeds are a lot hardier and smarter than highly-bred ones, though, and the Valais is such a breed. But yes, they are definitely more work than goats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live on a working farm -- I run a horse boarding operation, have 30ish chickens, and an orchard/garden.

Sheep are tough to raise. They love to die. They wake up every morning thinking of inventive ways to die. Your entire life will be an effort to prevent them dying, and still they will manage to die sometimes. Luckily they are also really stupid, so it takes a while for some of them to manage to off themselves. They are the worst livestock in that respect (horses are bad enough!). Try goats -- those little bastards are sturdy and smart. Hard to fence in, though.

That said, I do find it fairly easy to get away, and travel internationally 3-4 times per year, as well as quite a few weeks away at horse competitions (I only take some of the horses to those). I have reliable farmsitters and pay them VERY well. Most farmers do not find it easy or affordable to get away. I have a "real job" or I couldn't afford it either.

It's a great life, but not for the faint of heart. You need to be mentally tough yourself. Things you don't think you are going to have to do, you will have to do (like trapping and shooting vermin). If not willing to do this, they will kill all your chickens.

Boarding horses isn’t farming. 30 hens is a hobby, two dozen eggs a day isn’t impressing anyone running a REAL poultry operation. They toss out more eggs a day than your flock lays.

But you’re correct about sheep. Stupid, stupid creatures. They wouldn’t even exist were it not for constant human intervention to keep them alive.

[Anonymous]

Just get a rambling old house in the country and grow a messy English cottage garden and have a few cats and a dog. You can still travel as house sitters aren’t hard to get if you have a fairly decent place. You can drive by farms every day and remind yourself that it’s more work than it’s worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live on a working farm -- I run a horse boarding operation, have 30ish chickens, and an orchard/garden.

Sheep are tough to raise. They love to die. They wake up every morning thinking of inventive ways to die. Your entire life will be an effort to prevent them dying, and still they will manage to die sometimes. Luckily they are also really stupid, so it takes a while for some of them to manage to off themselves. They are the worst livestock in that respect (horses are bad enough!). Try goats -- those little bastards are sturdy and smart. Hard to fence in, though.

That said, I do find it fairly easy to get away, and travel internationally 3-4 times per year, as well as quite a few weeks away at horse competitions (I only take some of the horses to those). I have reliable farmsitters and pay them VERY well. Most farmers do not find it easy or affordable to get away. I have a "real job" or I couldn't afford it either.

It's a great life, but not for the faint of heart. You need to be mentally tough yourself. Things you don't think you are going to have to do, you will have to do (like trapping and shooting vermin). If not willing to do this, they will kill all your chickens.

Thank you for your valuable insight. OP here. Heritage sheep breeds are a lot hardier and smarter than highly-bred ones, though, and the Valais is such a breed. But yes, they are definitely more work than goats.

Good luck with your project. IME a smart sheep is still pretty lacking in mental acuity, but I totally get being drawn to a particular species whether it is easy or not.

If I was picking a heritage animal to raise, it would be those mini Highland cattle. Adorable, strong market for them right now, much heartier than sheep and less devilish than goats.

The farming life is never dull. "Normal" DCUM people worry if a bird gets in their house. They've never woken up at 3 am and rolled over to find a deceased squirrel in their bed right next to their face.

One night I got up and there was a dead possum on the floor. Got a drink of water before removing it, and found out it wasn't dead after all -- just playing dead. You haven't lived if you've never chased a possum out of your kitchen with a broom in the dead of night.

The cat brought in four snakes last year alone. She was VERY proud of them, each and every one.

I like to travel to get away from such adventures as much as to have new ones!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live on a working farm -- I run a horse boarding operation, have 30ish chickens, and an orchard/garden.

Sheep are tough to raise. They love to die. They wake up every morning thinking of inventive ways to die. Your entire life will be an effort to prevent them dying, and still they will manage to die sometimes. Luckily they are also really stupid, so it takes a while for some of them to manage to off themselves. They are the worst livestock in that respect (horses are bad enough!). Try goats -- those little bastards are sturdy and smart. Hard to fence in, though.

That said, I do find it fairly easy to get away, and travel internationally 3-4 times per year, as well as quite a few weeks away at horse competitions (I only take some of the horses to those). I have reliable farmsitters and pay them VERY well. Most farmers do not find it easy or affordable to get away. I have a "real job" or I couldn't afford it either.

It's a great life, but not for the faint of heart. You need to be mentally tough yourself. Things you don't think you are going to have to do, you will have to do (like trapping and shooting vermin). If not willing to do this, they will kill all your chickens.

Boarding horses isn’t farming. 30 hens is a hobby, two dozen eggs a day isn’t impressing anyone running a REAL poultry operation. They toss out more eggs a day than your flock lays.

But you’re correct about sheep. Stupid, stupid creatures. They wouldn’t even exist were it not for constant human intervention to keep them alive.

Nobody cares about your opinion of what a "real farm" is. My equine business is substantial and makes money, which is more than I can say OP even wants to do. The chickens aren't a "poultry operation," they lay eggs for family and a few neighbor clients. OP is asking about hobby farming. My farm isn't a hobby as defined by the IRS.

I grew up on a tobacco farm, so don't try to lecture me about what "real farming" is. It takes many forms, and any form that can produce a profit in today's environment is real enough for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get the farm and the chickens but don’t do the sheep until you’ve been there for four years.

This. We house sit for some good friends in the Shenandoah Valley each spring when they go out of town. It involves taking care of their dog and chickens. The chickens are a PITA -- we clean their coop, feed them, fill their water, and get the eggs in the morning, and then pretty much repeat in the evening. Twice a day they get minced fruit and veggies too. They walk around all day pecking at the ground. The sh!t all over everything, so the decks have to be sprayed off with a hose every day. One day we had to get a huge black snake out of the coop -- the chickens were out roaming around and we hadn't gathered the eggs yet and this 5-6 foot snake was feasting on the eggs. Chickens are more work than you might expect, and they can't just be left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could also go work on a farm. Be their weekend/vacation relief.

This is a good idea to see what's like before you jump in.

[Anonymous]

The urge will pass....