Two Acres On A Dream

During the first couple months of the year, I did a great job sticking to my weekly posting schedule. I got in a post in March (or was it two), and that post was really good! It was my first post over 2,000 words, and it was on one of my favorite topics: herbs! However, after that last post, I just haven’t carved out the time to stick to my schedule.

There are a lot of reasons for this. The two primary reasons being my almost complete pregnancy (due date April 20!) and my freelance writing picking up considerably. This is our first spring in our new home, and before finding out I was pregnant, I had a lot of plans! Gardening plans, chick plans, dairy goat plans, you name it! My 2018 Homestead Plan was trimmed down to match what I thought I would be capable of.

How are the Animals on My Two Acre Dream?

Now we did accomplish quite a bit, but much like my weekly posting, certain things just fell off. We didn’t get around to expanding the chicken coop and the flock. HOWEVER, I have been thinking about making better use of the small coop I used as a quarantine coop once. If we moved the small coop to the other side of the chicken coop, with some modifications, it would make a great duck house!

Ducks Could Be in the Future

Some of you might remember me lamenting the useless ill-kept pool that was on the property when we bought it. We posted it on Craigslist, and a nice guy paid us so he could come take it apart and take it away. So now there is a sandy area with a dug out deep end by the coops.

If we fence in the whole area (around the coops and the “pool” area), then we could have a really nice grazing area for chickens and a few ducks. We wouldn’t have to expand the current chicken coop since the combined egg yield would be more than enough for the family. Fencing in this area means the chickens would enjoy a larger roaming area, and the ducks would enjoy the deep end when it fills with water (which is often).

 

I’m considering Welsh Harlequins Ducks, which are very pretty ducks not well-known in North America.

 

Are The Goats Still Happening?

Yes, I’m still planning on goats. As long as my post-partum time goes smoothly, I’d like to get our goats in the late summer or early fall from a reputable and local breeder. I don’t plan on becoming a breeder myself, but having registered dairy goats seems to be the way to go, especially since we’ll need to sell the kids each year. We won’t be keeping any bucks on our two acres, and only enough does (I say that now) to satisfy our needs.

 

I’m still trying to decide between Nigerian Dwarf Goats and Nubian Goats. Nubians are full sized goats who’s milkfat normally sits at 4-5%. Nigerian Dwarf Goats are drastically smaller, and they produce less milk. However, in addition to usually being easier to handle, their milkfat can range from 6-10%. Higher milkfat equals tastier milk! If we need two Nubians to take care of our dairy needs, we might need 3-4 Nigerian Dwarfs.

 

What Happened to the Garden Plans?

I had plans of at least setting up the produce garden beds and planting them with a cover crop. My exhaustion put the kibosh on those plans. The chickens have done really well working over the area I intend to start my herb garden on though!

I have decided to wait until after the baby is born, but I’m going to try and get some of the perennial herbs I love (like rosemary) planted this summer once I’m feeling up to it. I’ve planned a lovely walking garden path that goes towards our second front door, and I’d like to get it started!

I’m probably just going to let the produce garden bed plans go for a season or two. Perhaps we’ll set up the garden beds and plant them with a cover crop over the fall/winter. Then we can plant our produce garden next spring.

Which Homestead Projects ARE done?

Well, we committed one Saturday morning to getting rid of the shrubs that were planted too close to the house. Actually, a few of them were pine trees, so definitely planted too close to the house. I’ll plant flowers in the front of the house now that those shrubs and trees are out of the way!

The kids had a great time helping move the remnants of the shrubs and trees once they were cut down and pulled up!

 

 

The chickens cackled with joy when I tossed fresh greenery in the coop!

I think we are going to have a very productive summer and fall seasons before it’s time to rest over the winter. Do you have some house and/or garden plans on your to-do list? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll check back in with you towards the  end of the warm season!