When we moved out of town and came to the country we were so happy to have all this land around us with nothing other than a scattered deer drifting through the bush. We were in seventh heaven not having to hear our neighbour's dog bark, or the shrieks of the kids down the road, or the thump, thump, thump, of the newest teenager with his driver's license going by at 12:30 a.m. It really was like we had bought in to our own little slice of heaven.
People started asking us what we were going to do with all that land, and Hubby and I would look at each other and shrug. When Daughter #1 came home from school the year she finished grade 1 with her teacher looking for homes for chickens that her class had hatched from an incubator, Hubby and I got the brilliant idea that we would raise chickens for our own eggs.... along with the chickens came a batch of ducks as well. That was the beginning of turning this 8 acre piece of land into something more than a chunk of land with paradise written on it.
We have raised many chickens since that time and while we have none at this moment in time, I expect it won't be the last chicken we raise. We have since that time, become true farmers in every sense of the word.
We shovel sh-- in the summer into piles so that it can compost for our non-existent garden. (I will be addressing the garden situation this summer.) We give needles to animals so that they don't get nasty diseases and die. We shear wool for processing into delightful items of luxury. (And what is life without a little luxury?) We buy hay at $60 a bail right now which is twice the rate we paid last year due to drought at the wrong time and rain at the wrong time last summer during haying season. We cut and cure fence posts to be driven into the ground when the old ones rot. And then there are the daily chores of seeing to our animal's needs.
It takes Hubby about a half hour to fork hay into the wheelbarrow and roll it across to the animals three for each paddock and we have three paddocks... that's 9 wheelbarrow loads in all... not really an excessively difficult job. Once a month we haul in two 1500 lb bails in the back of our truck. And then we have to haul in all our water as we have not got a well on our land... (that is a future endeavour). It is a fulfilling life and we are grateful for it.
One thing we have noticed about farming though is that if you are not in it big you will never make a living off it. Hubby maintains a job in which he is successful and happy. Without it we could not meet the needs of our family.
We have decided that we do not want to have a big farm... we want to hobby farm and we do it for our own amusement. Each year we pick out several lambs that we butcher for eating. Lamb is nice if cooked properly and I know most people don't like lamb anymore but we like it and it is a nice change from deer and beef which are meats that are plentiful in our area. It also helps with keeping this farm small. My goal is to maintain a farm with less than 15 animals... right now we are at 18. Actually 10 animals would be better still... especially with hay at premium price.
Hubby has been investigating a new venture. We are seriously considering a Christmas tree farm. This is still in the exploratory stages though. Meanwhile I am anxious to get my mill working. There is a market out there for woolen products for spinners and my animals are the means to that end.
So Hubby and I will carry on with decisions for our farm and take pleasure in each sunrise knowing that we are happy on our little northern farm. Who knew back before we came here how satisfying life could be right here in the country. I'm glad we made the decision and came.
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